Small Brick Paver Walkway Installed in old neighborhood in Ann Arbor

Clay Pavers over Cement slab and bordered with wood timbers are replaced

This week in near downtown Ann Arbor we replaced an old clay paver walkway that was installed over the old cement slab walk and bordered with wood landscape timbers. This was a cosmetic solution by the prior owner to dress up the curb appeal of the home to sell, but over the long-term this application was going to fail.

  The old existing walkway was showing signs of distress and becoming unsightly. The cement slab below would heave up the clay pavers during winter frost and the wood landscape timbers began to rot & bow.  Since the clay pavers were not set over a properly draining base, they did not properly perform and became uneven, loose, and gapped.

 The new homeowner wanted to improve the appearance of her home and at the same time, remove the small step up at the city sidewalk that was causing tripping.   The new homeowner wanted to use a style of brick paver that was traditional to the theme of old Ann Arbor. I suggested we use the most traditional shape, 4X8 inch rectangle, laid in a popular herringbone pattern.  The outside edges are outlined with a soldier course border to "picture frame" the walk and prevent small cut pieces to come loose.



  We removed the clay pavers which were in great structural shape and donated them to a local youth camp.  The old cement slab was removed and the soil was excavated to the proper depth. The excavated soil was compacted, the base material was installed & compacted, and  the bedding course was leveled and pitched properly.  The new high density concrete interlocking pavers were installed in a soft curved design and flared at the city sidewalk.

This small brick pavers walkway is a simple and affordable solution to improve the appearance, safety, and value of a home. Front walkways are a integral part of any home's curb appeal and lure. Choosing interlocking brick pavers as a replacement of old concrete sidewalks is a feasible and economical solution.

Brick Pavers and Steps Create Usable Space

Interlocking Pavers & Modular Retaining Wall Steps improve Landscape

Unsightly areas of your Landscape can be transformed to a beautiful & functional space. This client in Ypsilanti had a unsavory area that grass would not grow. They needed access to their garage side door and as you can see, their existing RR Tie Steps had deteriorated and where unsafe. The client contacted us for an economical & appealing solution to the problem.

We designed this space using Fendt Holland Paver laid in a simple basket weave pattern and framed with a soldier course row of pavers. The client wanted a "traditional" laying pattern and for them, the herringbone pattern was a bit too busy. Though I am an advocate of selecting a blended color, this client wanted a solid "Copper" color of paving stones that matched the clay pavers in the front walkway.

The Steps leading into the garage side door where replaced using Fendt Country Manor wall & cap system. Steps are the biggest challenge for brick paver contractors and nothing can replace experience & knowledge.  Often the cost of constructing Paver Steps is more because of the due diligence and time required to construct them properly. Steps are the biggest failure of inexperienced landscape contractors.

I often receive calls from potential clients who "can not grow grass" in a area and want to have brick pavers installed.  Unless you are going to functionally use this newly created paver patio or walkway area, it does not make financial sense to use brick pavers.  Mulch or creating a landscape bed would be a more reasonable economical solution.  Using a simple "Cost / Benefit" analysis should be considered before selecting paving stones for unsightly & un-kept spaces in your yard.

Small Paver Patio Repair after 5 Years Installed!

This past week in Ann Arbor, I did a small paver patio repair on a raised brick paver patio & brick walkway I installed 5 years ago. I am proud to see the results of this paver patio and the customer is as ecstatic today as the time we installed this project. The client had been frustrated with the constant upkeep & cost of a wooden deck. After years of substantial costs & sweat equity to maintain this wooden deck, the customer searched for a better solution.

The solution was a low maintenance modular retaining wall & paving stone constructed paver patio. I used UNILOCK's Pisa 2 retaining wall system to construct the paver patio frame and steps while laying Olde Greenwich Cobble as the paving stones.

This paver patio was installed in 2005 and after some severe winter climates and frosts in Michigan, it has remained intact and beautiful. The only repair needed was raising the paver soldier course along the back of the modular retaining wall caps. I talk about this paver repair in a previous post called "Top Brick Paver Repairs".

One of the major reasons that this raised paver patio and paver walkway has remained so beautiful and functional is due to the diligence of the homeowner. Each Spring they have swept in paver joint sand. A couple of years ago, they began using polymeric sand which not only aides in preventing weed & grass growth in the joints, it also helps prevent any erosion due to rain & snow. The homeowner also checked the modular retaining wall caps each Spring to make sure they were not loose. I had left them a caulking tube of Paver Bond adhesive so after my warranty they could keep them fastened.

After I completed this brick paver project, I took the time to educate the customer on the yearly maintenance requirements and the signs of possible future paver repair. I talk to them about the pros and cons of sealing pavers, what to do about the landscape around the paver installations, what not to leave on the paver patio in the winter, and when to contact me if certain areas begin to settle.

The most important tip that I gave this client was to contact me when there are signs of the paving stone soldier course settling along the back of the modular retaining wall caps on the raised paver patio area.  It took 5 years but they diligently did.  This $150 paver repair of the soldier course will protect this raised paver patio from excessively settling to avoid wall settling and a more costly repair.

The result of a proper brick paver installation & design, educating the homeowner,the homeowner performing simple maintenance, and a touch-up brick paver repair has been a beautiful & functional paver patio & walkway that this homeowner and contractor can appreciate. I am proud of this homeowner and more brick paver installations would remain this perfect if all involved would take pride in the effort and cost of paving stone installations.

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!

Best Time to do Brick Paver Repair

Interlocking Pavers and Paving Stones

When the winter frost starts to come out of the ground in Ann Arbor, Michigan, brick paver customers begin to get anxious if they have brick paver or retaining wall repairs.  It is important to be patient about when those paver repairs are to be done.

I explain to my clients that it is important to wait until the ground has firmed up and is dry.  Winter freeze thaw cycles churn up the ground and make it very soft. My prior post explained some of the damaging effects of frost and what to observe when your paver patio or walk shows signs.

In Michigan and other Midwest states, we are fully aware of the numerous pot holes our roads experience in early Spring.  States impose "frost laws" on the roads which limits weight that can be hauled. This is intended to help save our roads from further damage as a result of the soft ground (subsoil) under our pavements.  The same holds true for interlocking pavers and modular retaining walls.

Barring any safety issues, the best time to do brick paver repair or retaining wall repair in Ann Arbor is usually June.  Usually after the April rains, May begins to have drier weather which allow the ground (subsoil) to firm up nicely. While performing brick paver repairs, it is important to recompact base material and reset your paving stones on a firm and compacted subsoil.

When a client reports a warranty or non-warranty brick paver repair, I assure them that their paver repair needs will be addressed.  It is always hard to pinpoint a date but we begin to address paver service calls in June to insure a proper repair process.  The biggest problem for us brick paver contractors in Ann Arbor is that June is our busiest brick paver installation month of the year.  So it is a double edged sword.  As a paving contractor, we have a limited time to be profitable with the Michigan climate and at the same time have the man power & resources to perform service calls.

Be patient with your brick paver contractor if it takes until Late Spring or Early Summer to perform some brick paver or retaining wall repairs.  I always make exceptions for paver repairs  that present a safety issue, such as, a tripping hazzard. As a client, it always helps the process by sending pictures of the needed repair to your brick paver contractor.

This dilemma for paving contractors and customers alike is why I have specialized in brick paver repair, cleaning, sealing, and paver maintenance service as our main focus of business. After almost 10,000 brick paver installations and repairs, it is time reinvent my business to the brick paver after-market services that clients desperately need.