Raised Pavers Patio Repair and Restoration

Brick Paver Patio in Canton restored to its original beauty and function

As the 2017 summer continues in Michigan, we are hard at work bringing back some of the original beauty and function of raised brick paver patios.  It has been 20+ years now since the new home building boom in Canton, Plymouth, and Northville, Michigan.

There are many factors over these years that have contributed to the settling, deterioration, and excessive movement of raised brick paver patios.  One obvious reason for settling is winter frost which has ill effects on all pavements in frost states like Michigan.  Also evident for the settling of raised paver patios is the grade settling along the basement foundation of homes over the years.  Another contributing factor of raised paver patios excessively settling was from the original installing contractor not compacting the base in 4" layers or lifts as they built up to

the finish height.  But really the biggest reason for excessive deterioration of brick paver raised patios is the neglect by the homeowner to perform or hire an authorized brick pavers contractor to maintain these structures.

Simple touch up repairs and Spring sweeping of joint sand in the paver joints and periodic compacting will do wonders for maintaining these awesome outdoor living spaces.  Keeping paver joints filled is required for long term performance and compacting the brick pavers to help relock is also essential to the structure.

We also recommend that all brick pavers, especially raised paver patios, are cleaned and sealed every 2-3 years.  Sealing pavers contributes to keeping joint sand harder, thus slowing down any erosion or invasion of foreign organic matter.  Protecting the surfaces of paving stones and  paver blocks & caps will greatly improve the appearance and structural integrity of these popular patio structures.

Brick Pavers Repair, Restoration, Cleaning & Sealing, and Maintenance Programs for 2014

Canton, Plymouth, Northville, and Ann Arbor lead the way in requests for brick paver repairs & restorations 

This past 2013 year, brick pavers and retaining wall repairs, restorations, cleanings, sealings, and maintenance programs gained a lot of ground in the industry.  A growing area for overall brick paver restorations is the Canton, Plymouth, Northville, and Ann Arbor areas.

Due to the booming growth in the 90's for these communities, they experienced the unprecedented installation of brick pavers and retaining walls in there landscape projects.  Now 20 yrs later, the life of these brick paver installations have come full circle.  Lack of maintenance and neglect will greatly reduce the shelf life of any pavement in Michigan.

Poor installations by unqualified landscapers and lack of educating the homeowner of seasonal maintenance requirements greatly contributed to the failure of many paver patios, walks, steps, and driveway installations. The great home foreclosure period we experienced also contributed to the added neglect of paver installations that basically where left for dead.


As the economy slowly improves and job security is more prevalent in these once booming communities, homeowners have focused their attention on restoring their brick pavers.  Whether it is due to appearance or safety issues, homeowners are contacting an experienced and specialized brick paver company. Homeowners want to resurrect their once functional and desirable outdoor living space.


 
Canton, Plymouth, Northville, and Ann Arbor are regaining ground lost from the past 10 yrs. The increased requests for repair and restoration for a homeowners brick pavers has mirrored this stable growth in 2013.  Re-creating that beautiful paver installation you once enjoyed is a feasible possibility if you hire the right  brick pavers contractor for the job! 

Another Case for using a Brick Paver Contractor for your Brick Paver Repair

Repair to Paver Patios & Paver Steps requires more expertise than using a Handyman

  Recently we did a paver patio and step repair in Ypsilanti.  I could not understand why the customer was so ecstatic to see us arrive.  The reason he was so glad to see us was our brick paver industry appropriate trucks, tools, and experienced crew. I do believe customer's are always happy when we come but this time it seemed exceptional. 

The homeowner informed me that he originally used one of those popular online Contractor Service referral sites.  Upon their referral, he hired this "handyman" service company which was rated high by their online service.  The homeowner was required to put down a 50% deposit one week prior to the repair services being performed.

When this handyman service company came to do the brick paver patio repairs, they pulled up in a van with ladders on top. They looked more prepared to install a light fixture than repair a pavers patio.  They also did not have any wheel barrels, plate compactor, concrete pavers saw, or base material to raise the sunken areas.


The most shocking event for the homeowner was that one of the handy men was carrying a crow bar.  While the homeowner was speaking to the foreman, the other handy man was prying on the paver steps with this crow bar trying to break it apart.  The homeowner was baffled by the foreman asking him what & how he wanted them to repair the sunken paver patio & step. The homeowner asked if they had all the necessary tools to perform this brick repair service and was told "we will get them as we need to".   All the while, the other handy man was chipping & damaging the paver steps with this crude tire iron.

The homeowner immediately asked them to stop and to refrain from performing this patio repair service. Upon better research, this homeowner contacted us for an opinion & estimate for repairing their interlocking paver patio.  The shame of it was that our price was actually lower than the estimate from the handyman service company who did not even know what they were doing.

I am constantly contacted by these nationally known online contractor referral sites.  The reason I do NOT participate is because they do not do a thorough job of screening businesses for particular repair work.  Sure they make you supply the proper business & liability insurance and licensing ( if applicable) but they do not check out your quality of work or business practices.  They are known for signing up "jack of all trades" contractors who do not specialize in the specific repair area they are referred too.  Basically, if a contractor is willing to pay a fee for the referrals, they suddenly become a "qualified" and "reputable" business in your area.

You can easily do your own FREE local web search by putting in "brick paver repair (city you live in)" as the keyword phrase to get some local results.  You sitll have to do your homework by checking out each estimator's references, insurance coverage, and licensing ( if applicable).

Restoration of Brick Paver Patio & Walkway in Canton

After 13 years, this Raised Paver Patio needed some Repair & Restoration

In Canton, MI there are 1,000's of raised paver patios that need some attention.  This homeowner hired the original installing contractor who did not instruct him to sweep joint sand in the paver joints. The contractor also did not prep him for the event of the outside row of brick pavers settling behind the raised wall caps.  If unattended, the wall blocks & caps will begin to settle and lean out, leading to a more costly paver repair work. 

This paver patios wall blocks & cap started to sink in one area and the rest of the patio walls were at risk because 3 to 4 rows of  brick pavers were sunk below the height of the caps.  The homeowner contacted us at the right time to repair this patio before the cost became more expensive.

We lifted up and relaid 1-2ft of brick pavers behind the entire raised paver wall caps, re-leveled @6ft of wall blocks & caps that dipped, and reset some sunken individual brick pavers throughout.  We power wash cleaned all the brick pavers, wall blocks & caps, and the paver joints.  We re-sanded the entire pavers patio and ran the power plate compactor over the patio to relock up all the paving stones.

The paver walkway leading from the dirveway to the patio had become loose, gapped, and crooked from lack of attention over the years.  We relaid half of the brick paver walkway to straighten out the crooked lines and gapped outside row of pavers.  We also power wash cleaned the entire paver walkway and joints.  We finished with re-sanding the paver joints and ran the plate compactor over the walkway to relock the paving stones.

To complete this total paver patio restoration, we returned a few days later to seal the paver patio and walkway with an approved brick paver sealant.  Sealing enhanced the color and brought this 13 year old, neglected, brick paver patio back to life!  Now with continued low maintenance steps of sweeping joint sand in each Spring and resealing in 2 to 3 years, this pavers patio should perform beautifully for 20+ years.

Brick Paver Raised Patio & Steps in need of immediate repair

Failure of Raised Paver Patio Wall & Steps due to inexperienced Landscaper

During a brick paver repair estimate this past week, I again witnessed the failure of a raised paver patio wall & doorwall steps that were installed by an inexperienced landscape contractor. This homeowner is in immediate need of patio repair before this leaning patio wall collapses or some one trips coming out from the doorwall.

The landscaper used a "garden block" type of wall system that is not intended for retaining a raised paver patio. Not only did they not bury any rows of block below grade, this current wall block does not have any tongue-n-groove or pin system lock-up.  They also exceeded the engineered height requirement of this garden wall system too.

Over the years, the customer has had several brick paver repair service calls to reset the pavers behind the wall & step rises. The current wall has continued to settle, gap, and lean out and it is time to replace this inferior wall block with a proper modular retaining wall system.

I recommended we pull back @2ft of the paving stones, remove the existing wall blocks & caps, and reinstall a tried 'n true patio wall system like Unilock's Pisa 2 or Fendt's Country Manor.  Upon installing the new patio retaining wall, we will bury a block below grade due to the height factors involved.  After carefully and diligently compacting behind the wall, we will install a filter fabric to eliminate filtration through the wall blocks.

We will properly cap the wall and reinstall the paving stones.  After replacing the inferior wall blocks used for the paver steps leading out the doorwall, we will reconfigure the patio steps layout for better safety & function.  The current layout does not meet proper building codes.

The overall cost for performing the above wall & step replacement, repairs, and warranty will cost the homeowner $3,500 for labor, materials, and removals & disposals.  Had the original landscape contractor properly designed & installed this raised paver patio, this homeowner would only have minor maintenance touch -ups and minimal service needed over the years.

Because of the lack of experience and poor workmanship of this landscape contractor, this homeowner has had years of frustration & unnecessary financial costs.  Qualified and experienced brick paver contractors will design, install, warranty, and offer "after install" services that will help avoid costly pavers repair and ongoing aggravation & strife.