Brick Paver Spring Maintenance in Ann Arbor

Time to perform spring maintenance on your brick paver patio, walks, & driveway!

Spring has sprung in Michigan and the threat of any further freeze thaw cycles is done.  This means it is time to strategize on the maintenance objectives of your brick pavers.  Assessing the needs and care that are to be taken to ensure long-term performance is upon you.

 

Take the time to inspect your brick paver walks, patio, and driveway for sunken or lifted pavers.  If sunken, it will take some effort to lift out, add some base, and reinstall.  If raised, it may only take tamping down with a hand tamper or power plate compactor.   Make sure you do not mistake sunken or raised pavers areas because the other is true.  For example, slightly sunken paver areas may look like the surrounding area is raised.  Evaluate which circumstance is true and execute the correct action.

 

The brick pavers in Spring may seem a little loose due to the thawed base under the pavers.  Also, the lack of paver joint sand in the joints will let pavers rock back and forth slightly.  This signals the most important step in maintaining your brick pavers…. Spring sand sweeping!  It is important to keep your paver joints filled with joint sand.  On a dry day, drop a bag or more of paver joint sand and spread over all your brick pavers.  Sweep generously over all the pavers and paver joints to insure filling any empty joints.   Blow off all your pavers with a light passing of a blower, insuring you don’t blow the sand out of the joints.  Any excess sand on top of the pavers will wash off with Spring rains but don’t leave any piles of sand on your pavers.

 

This is the most basic and beneficial service for your brick pavers.  This needs to be performed every Spring, preferably in mid to late April.  For the purpose of this article, I have not talked about cleaning & sealing of your brick pavers.  These are premium services that I discuss in detail in many other past articles.  Basically, if you feel your brick pavers need cleaning before adding new joint sand, just power wash the pavers & paver joints, let dry completely, and then sweep joint sand.  When it comes to sealing your brick pavers, I recommend it every 2-3 years, and you should perform the steps of cleaning and sweeping of joint sand prior to any sealing.

 

I want to further note that your Spring touch up of paver joint sand is “regular” paver joint sand, NOT polymeric sand (hardening sand).  Polymeric sand is another premium service which requires cleaning of all paver joints prior to sweeping in.  When working with polymeric sand, great care needs to be taken to make sure you avoid a disastrous result.  

 

Brick pavers will perform excellent if you just perform this basic paver maintenance each Spring.  Paver joint sand is the blood line of all brick paver installations.  Spring brick paver maintenance can easily be performed by you the homeowner, or performed by an experience brick paver contractor at a reasonable cost. Contact us at brickdoctorbill@gmail.com if you want a qualified brick paver contractor to perform this service for you.

Simple Repair & Cleaning of Brick Pavers Patio and Walk in Plymouth, MI

Repairs, Cleaning, Sealing, and Maintenance of Brick Pavers is on fire!

This past week we performed a simple restoration of a brick paver patio and walkway in Plymouth, MI.  This is our most common brick paver service: simple touch-up repairs of sunken or lifted pavers, cleaning of the paving stones and paver joints, re-sanding of the paver joints, and re-gluing or loose block wall or step caps .  Some customers will elect to have sealing of their paver installations but this is completely optional.

This paver patio and walkway was installed about 12 years ago and this was the first attention it received.  The cost for our service on this particular raised paver patio and walk was $1,150.  This price did NOT include sealing with an approved brick paver sealant. Had this customer elected to seal this paver patio & walk, it would have been an additional $400.

All paver restoration jobs are priced custom and require different services and costs.  Repairs are the biggest variable when pricing restoration projects. Paver Step repair or patio wall blocks & caps are usually the most expensive repair to perform.

Cleaning & Sanding is very reasonable when performed during repairs.  The current condition of the paver surface & joints determines the overall cleaning cost.  Sealing is always optional and our costs includes using the "right" paver sealants that run approx. $175/ 5 gallon drum.  Many pseudo contractors are using imitation or the wrong sealers for high density concrete pavers.  I can not tell you how many times customers call me when things go wrong with sealing from other contractors or themselves.

Simple paver patio restorations can bring back the life of your outdoor living space.  Hiring a qualified brick paver contractor, not a landscaper or handy man service, is the first step in getting a quality job done.  The next step is being diligent and not neglecting your brick pavers.

Condo Paver Patios are becoming very popular

Brick Pavers are very versatile for transforming small spaces

I have noticed in the last couple of years that there is a high demand for installing paver patios, planters, and steps for condominiums.  I believe that paver patios for condos is becoming a viable option and used as added Outdoor Living Space.  Paver patios have become an easy way to add usable & functional square footage to a condo unit.

Most condos usually have wooden decks or cement pads installed as patios.  It is not often that developers will upgrade to interlocking paver patios during construction.  The draw back usually with condos is the limited space available to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space.

Unlike residential homes in subdivisions, condos are also restricted by building envelopes or easements.  Every brick paver patio we have installed for condos requires board approval. The big advantage of interlocking brick pavers is that they are not considered a permanent pavement like cement or wooden decks that require footings or permits. This usually allows some more flexibility in expanding the outer limits of design.

Brick pavers and modular retaining wall blocks & caps are the perfect product for creating beautiful and functional spaces that the homeowner's can enjoy for many years. They also offer low maintenance needs that most condo owners are looking for when they decided to move into a condo.  As I always preach, all brick pavers require some minimal seasonal joint sand sweeping to reduce the need for future pavers repair.

From simple economical designs to more intricate creations, brick pavers are unmatched in the performance and appearance of paver patios, steps, and planters.  Small spaces create an addeded challenge but we have been able to mesh homeowner's needs with the expanded capabilities of these paver products.  Safe and attractive paver steps is where it begins and then the landscaping wants are considered.  In the end though, the pavers patio usable space is most important aspect.



Each photo I have included in this post had it's own challenges.  The versatility of brick pavers and modular retaining wall blocks & caps allowed us to blend function, beauty, and cost into a spectacular home improvement .  It is important to maximize the space available and meet homeowner's wants & needs within the building restrictions of the association.


Creating an Outdoor Living Area in small spaces requires some forethought & experience.  If the usable area is not designed properly, the condo owner will not have functional patio space to enjoy and entertain.  It is true that big gifts can come in small packages!

1 Year inspection of Creative Brick Pavers Patio we installed.

The final results of brick paver installations come to light as time goes on

Every year I will stop in and inspect brick paver installations that we installed or rebuilt the prior year.  After a year and after the first winter frost, a brick paver installation will exhibit any flaws in design or execution of installation.


From here on out, it is up to the homeowner to keep sand in the paver joints and address any areas that begin to settle or move. I was able to inspect the results of our hard work and see if the patio installation requires any warranty or non-warranty service. In this case, job well done.  I see the homeowner has kept the paver joints filled with joint sand.

The other reason I enjoy returning about a year later is the final stages of landscaping are usually completed.  The homeowner has highlighted the pavers installation with patio furniture & fixtures, flower pots & accents, and enhancing beautiful flowers, plants, trees, and ground covers. Some clients even add water features, arbors, pergolas, and awnings that give their paver installation the "wow" factor!



 This brick pavers patio installation we installed last year did not disappoint.  The homeowner did a great job landscaping and adding an eye popping pergola. We set the pillars that supported the pergola to the owners specifications and the final results look great!  The homeowner also complimented their large and functional pavers patio with great pieces of patio furniture and many accents & potted plants.

As a brick paver contractor that takes pride in his design & work, I am impressed that this homeowner took so much time to protect, enhance, and improve the appearance of their brick pavers investment.  Your brick pavers installation comes all together when the final touches of landscaping and accenting are completed.  Great job Bob, Debbie, and my crew!

Brick Paver Patio and Steps Restored in Saline

Brick Pavers allow for reinstallation at a minimal cost

In Saline, MI this past week, we restored the original beauty & function of a brick paver patio and paver steps.  After 5 years, this pavers patio needed immediate attention that the customer could not provide.  The original landscape contractor did not provide after market services and the homeowner was at a lost.

This existing brick paver patio was pitching back to the house and the homeowner was experiencing water in the basement.  The brick paver steps were beginning to loosen, settle, and becoming unsafe for foot traffic.  The grass had grown over the outside row of paving stones and the plastic edge restraint had lifted. Both of these conditions was creating a dam for water to flow off the patio, therefore resulting in water stains and moss growth.

The fact that most of this paver patio was pitching back to the house at a consistent level lead me to some possible conclusions.  The original landscape contractor either did not properly screed the pitch out into the yard, or the compaction of the paver base material was not properly executed.  Inexperience brick paver contractors try to "eye ball" the pitch and usually are blurred.  If they lack the proper tools & techniques to install interlocking paving stones, the result will be the same as the status of this brick paver patio.

We approached this brick paver repair and restoration with a complete re-installation of the paving stone patio.   Due to the severe pitch back to the home foundation, it was necessary to completely reinstall the patio.  A "band aid" approach was not feasible since 90% of the patio was below the grade level of the yard. 

 We lifted up all the paving stones, cleaned them off, recompacted the existing base, added additional paver base material, and screeded the bedding course.  While using a builders level (transit), we screeded the paver patio with a 2" slope or pitch away from the house into the yard. We then relaid the brick patio with a similar shape, size, and pattern.  Additional paving stones were needed to complete the cut pieces since most will not fit back in or be usable.

While compacting the newly installed paving stones and finishing with a paver joint sand sweeping, we addressed the brick paver steps that had deteriorated.  The bottom 2 curved paver steps were fine and only needed the block caps re-adhered.  There were some excessive gaps in some of the saw cut caps so we recut in some new caps to close these gaps.

The top landing curved step needed to be completely torn down and rebuilt.  The existing paver landing step had sunk and was tilted forward.  The inset lay of paving stones were below the height of the caps and loose.  We totally reconstructed by removing the caps & blocks, recompacting the the paver base material inside, and reinstalling the blocks, caps, and paving stones.

The homeowner had this brick paver patio & steps installed as a "landscape package" deal  5 years ago. Unfortunately, due to the poor installation by their landscape contractor, this paver patio needed to be unnecessarily repaired and restored.  The contractor did not educate the homeowner on the necessary paver maintenance requirements or signs of distress. To make matters worse, the origingal contractor was not interested in servicing this paver patio. 

This brick paver patio and step repair service was an unexpected cost for the homeowner but was minimized by low materials cost since we were able to reuse 95% of the current products. They indicated that our price was about 1/3rd of the original cost charged by the landscape contractor. Though they may have made a bad choice of selecting a brick paver contractor, they made a great choice of choosing interlocking pavers & paver block steps for their outdoor patio.

Brick Paver Patio Cleaning

This past week we performed a brick paver patio repair, cleaning and polymeric sanding on a paving stone patio in Ann Arbor.  As you can see in this pic, the paver patio was in an extreme need of cleaning.  The abundance of moss was the direct result of moisture and shade.

We performed a brick paver repair by lowering the paver edge restraint that had raised from frost. The raised edge restraint was not only unsightly but it created a dam around the paver patio and did not allow water to run off the paving stones.  Therefore creating a lot of moisture on the paver patio and allowing moss to thrive combined with the shade in this area.

Reinstalling the plastic edge restraint is not easy. Grass & roots grow around the edge restraint and the spikes rust and make it very hard to remove.  We removed @18" of sod around the paver patio so the client could install enviro mulch or stone mulch. We reinstalled the paver edge restraint properly by making sure the top lip was at least 1" below the top edge of the paving stone border.

The cleaning of this paver patio required an aggressive approach to power washing.  We spent over 2 hours at a high PSI blowing out ALL the paver joints freeing them of dirt, moss, and weeds.  There is a need to be careful not to wash out the bedding course under the paving stones. This may result in paving stones sinking. After the paver joints where free of debris, we widen our spray nozzle and cleaned the individual paving stones to remove dirt, stains, and mold.

When the paving stones and paver joints were dry, we returned to sweep in polymeric sand in all the paver joints.  Keeping up each Spring season with polymeric sand will almost eliminate future accumulation of dirt in the paver joints which allows weeds to fester.  Moss on the other hand can still grow on top of paver joints and paving stones. Moss can be easily controlled by keeping a spray bottle mix of clorox bleach & water.  Also, moss can be sprayed off fairly easy with a traditional hose & spray nozzle on jet stream.

Brick Doctor Bill was able to help this brick paver patio regain its function and luster.  We spent the time to educate the homeowner on the easy & timely brick paver maintenance steps to keep their paver patio at it's best.  Another satisfied client in Ann Arbor!

Brick Paver Patio Repairs : Not So Easy

We are working hard on a brick paver patio repair in Ann Arbor. This paver patio is a basement walkout brick patio that has been neglected for years.  It has drastically sunk and the drain is non functional because the brick pavers are almost sunk a foot below.  The new homeowner just purchased this property and the paver patio failed the home inspection.  
                 Brick Doctor Bill is here to the rescue!


Often when I quote for brick paver repairs, homeowners believe it is an easy process to reinstall the brick pavers since they are already there.  This is far from the truth. The first step is to lift up, stack, and carry the brick pavers to a staging area. Often this is a messy and back  breaking job. Todays job was down 6 stairs and the paving stones had to be carried up.

The old brick pavers are staged in an area until the base material is properly prepped for reinstallation.  Aside from digging, the prepping steps of interlocking pavers is performed : compaction, screeding, cutting, sanding, edge restraint installation, etc..


One of the most time consuming steps in brick paver repair is the cleaning of the pavers prior to reinstalling.  The brick pavers need to be powerwashed on all sides or scraped as in this picture. Dirt, sand, or old paver sealer sticks mainly to the sides and has to be removed prior to relaying pavers. Homeowners never realize this step takes place. For the brick paver contractor, it would be easier to use new pavers at this stage. Of course, that would be an added expense for the homeowner and this cost is offset by our nominal charge.



Once the paving stones are cleaned and ready for re-installation, the brick paver stacks are then carried back to the working area and carefully placed for relaying. Today's job in Ann Arbor was grueling because we had to carry the stacks down steps to the paver patio area.  Time to take some Motrin and lay in the jacuzzi tub!

Paver Patio Repair and Cleaning in Ann Arbor

We are currently working on a Paver Patio repair and cleaning in Ann Arbor. This paver patio had severe settling along the house foundation and due to no ongoing paver maintenance, the paver joints where full of weeds, grass, moss, and dirt. This particular brick paver repair will cost the homeowner $950 to clean & re-install approx. 90sq.ft of brick pavers & base, aggressively power wash the remaining 200 sq.ft. of brick pavers and paver joints, and re-sweep with polymeric (bonding) sand. Below I will explain the cause of these brick paver repairs and some steps to avoid costly patio repair in the future.

This first picture is of the paver patio area we needed to re-install the patio pavers.  This area experienced severe settling due to one major factor: WATER !  See the gutter coming down on the house in the left portion of the picture. It has been dumping water into this area of the patio since the paver patio was installed. The brick paver contractor should have designed or ran a drainpipe out into the yard to redirect this water flow. The customer said it has been a slow 4 year process of settling. Once this paver area began to settle, all water from the paver patio began to flow back into this area too.  Each Winter's frost feasted on this area due to the presence of water & moisture. The result: The pavers buckling and sinking over a foot down! She lost the use of about 1/3 of her paver patio since it became hazardous and unsightly.

To help avoid this brick paver repair, always make sure that all water from gutters is redirected into grass areas by buried drainpipes or gutter extensions. Also, at the first sign of settling and the water flow of the paver patio is moving back, it must be addressed or the damage will become more severe and expensive. Not to mention that this may cause water damage to your foundation or basement. We did connect a gutter extension so the water would flow out into the yard.

In this second  picture of the paver patio, you will see the results of brick paver maintenance neglect.  The paver joints have alot of dirt, weeds, grass, and moss growing in them. Grass has actually grown over the last 2 rows of bricks on the outside of the paver patio. This customer in 4 years has never re-swept paver joint sand in the joints each Spring. She was not aware of this small paver maintenance step since her landscaping contractor did not educate her on this need.  Now she is paying $300 to clean her patio pavers & paver joints and have re-swept with polymeric sand ! It would have cost her @$6.00 worth of regular joint sand and 20 minutes of her time each Spring to keep her paver patio looking good and functional!

We completed the work with 3 workers in a day but it was pretty grueling. The customer was ecstatic to have her brick paver patio & pride back! I took the time to educate her on some brick paver repair preventive steps that she can perform. If she is too busy, we can perform these brick paver services at a nominal charge. Do not let your brick paver patio get to this despair, it will only cost you money & heartache.

You can check out the finished results of this paver patio in a few weeks when we return to take some snapshots at Paver Repair Before & After on our Website. Look for our next job post within the week.

Brick Paver Repair Options

On many of my brick paver repair estimates, I am asked to give pricing options for the repairs of their brick paver patio, sidewalk, driveway, porches, steps, or retaining walls. Usually these pricing options include doing the paver repairs using the "band aid" approach or the total reinstalling of the interlocking brick paver or modular retaining wall project.

The dilemma for the homeowner is to decide whether to accept the "band aid" approach which is usually considerably cheaper, or biting the bullet and accepting the commitment to properly reinstall the paver project. Because of the price disparity of these approaches, their are considerable questions and angst by the customers.

The "band aid" approach is referred to as the "cosmetic" approach. The homeowner wants me to just "make it look better" at a minimal cost. I tell customers that the "band aid" approach is a short term repair method that will improve the appearance but not necessarily the long term performance of their brick paver installation. I usually have this request from people that are going to be selling their homes in the near future or if a pressing safety issue exists. Basically this approach is to "cosmetically" repair the paving stones or landscape walls without addressing the sub base below or the major issues that may result in future failures. I will only give a 90 day warranty on these type of repairs. I believe that this brick paver repair approach is more suited for minor settling or heaves from frost. The "band aid" approach should be used early on to correct any minor or small brick repairs that become visible. Too often customers let minor settling or heaving of pavers go unattended which results in major repairs & costs.

The other approach to brick paver repairs is to completely reinstall the brick pavers or modular retaining walls from the bottom up. This will require not only lifting up the paving stones or landscape blocks but completely removing and reinstalling the base & bedding course. Obviously the cost of this type of brick repair far exceeds the "band aid" approach. The customer does save the product costs which is the major advantage of interlocking brick pavers and modular retaining walls. I will usually warranty any total reinstallation project for 1-2years since I am completely reinstalling to my specifications which meet or exceed any brick paver manufacturer's, such as, Unilock or Belgard, recommended installation specs.

It is very disheartening to me for customer's to pay $1,000's of brick paver repairs after making a considerable investment in their paver patio, sidewalk, or driveway. Brick Pavers are NOT no maintenance. Paving stones & landscape blocks require some minor touch up maintenance to keep them beautiful and functional. It is much better to pay "band aid" prices of $100-$200 each couple of years with brick paver maintenance then to wait 5 years and let the pavers or walls collapse and cost $1000's to repair.