Brick Paver Walkway and Landscape Wall Redesigned

Landscaper misses the mark when designing and installing walk & wall

We recently redesigned and reinstalled a brick paver walkway and landscape wall that an inexperienced landscaper installed in Ann Arbor.  The landscape contractor told them that this was the best he could do. The homeowner was very disappointed in their quality of design & execution and hired us to help.

The homeowner did not want the inexperienced landscaper to correct the problem because they lacked confidence in his workmanship and professionalism.  We are frequently performing redesign & reinstallation of brick paver jobs that have been installed by unqualified contractors. Many homeowners we deal with would rather pay someone that is qualified to redo the work then have the originally contractor perform the work.

This brick paver walkway was uneven and the joint lines of paving stones where crooked.  There was no soldier course row border on the inside, even though the outside of the pavers walk had one.  This made the pavers walk look unbalanced.  The paver walkway also did not flare at the drive and actually bowed or turned back towards the house.

The landscape wall was also crooked and just ended at the driveway.  The landscape wall had no balance to the layout of the landscape.  The end of the landscape wall ended too high and too close to the driveway with no finish edge.  It caused some damage to someone's car when they opened their door.

We completely lifted up the entire front paver walk and re-installed the pavers.  We made sure the joint lines flowed properly and flared the paver walk at the driveway for easy access.  We also installed a soldier course row border on both sides of the walkway to give a balanced frame effect.  The final product was a dramatic make over from the originally installed  pavers walkway.

We tore out about half of the landscape wall and symmetrically re-installed it to properly match the layout of the landscape.  The homeowner was looking for a landscape planter wall to compliment their newly installed baywindow.  Enclosing in the baywindow with a symmetrically curved landscape wall did the job.

We listened to the homeowner's needs & wants and we were able to recommend the best economical solutions to meet those needs.  The final result was drastic change to the curb appeal of the home and the customer could not be happier. Success again!

Extreme Brick Paver Repair in Ann Arbor

I did this brick paver repair call today in Ann Arbor. When I came around to the back to see their paver patio, I was shocked at the extreme need for paver repairs. After consulting with the homeowner on the history of this paver patio, it became evident why this brick patio was in such dispair. This brick paver installation makes me upset because it does not give interlocking pavers or modular retaining wall the credit it deserves.

The homeowner informed me that she had a local landscaper in Ann Arbor install the brick paver patio about 4 years ago. This was her first mistake. Back in the 80's thru about year 2000, most brick pavers were installed by brick paver specialists, companies who's main business was installing interlocking pavers and modular retaining walls. This trend quickly changed when landscapers, even lawn service companies, began to advertise that they install paving stones and block retaining walls. Often they would add "brick pavers" to there list of services on their company vehicles or advertising adds.  Without any formal training or experience, these landscapers began installing paver patios, walkways, & driveways.

I'm sorry but after a landscape expert designs a landscape plan, anyone can dig a hole or put down mulch.  But paving stones and landscape blocks require an added expertise, skill set, and experience to properly install pavers or retaining walls for long term success. I will admit that brick pavers are considered an unskilled labor project, but not for the foreman or supervisor handling the detail layout, cuts, compaction, or foresight to meet specifications. It is true that interlocking pavers and modular retaining wall projects are 70% grunt work or sweat equity, but that 30% expertise will determine the long-term performance and appearance of your paver projects.

The second mistake the homeowner made with their paver patio was not doing any seasonal paver maintenance like paver joint sand sweeping. Because they hired an uneducated landscaper in Ann Arbor, they were not educated on the maintenance requirements or brick pavers.  Simple Spring paving stone joint sand could have prevented at least half of the paver repairs they face today.  The homeowner informed me that the landscaper did not finish sweep with any joint sand at the completion of the job. When asked by the homeowner if there was any maintenance to do to their paver patio, the foreman replied with "NO, brick pavers have no maintenance!".

Though this homeowner has some responsibility for the extreme brick paver repairs of this paver patio, it is the responsibility of landscapers who advertise they install brick paver patios to have trained, experienced, and educated  paver installers before performing this work.  At the very least, they need to educate their clients of the yearly brick paver maintenance requirements needed to maintain the homeowners investment.

The paver patio I have shown in this post will need to be completely torn apart and rebuilt. Though we can reuse the paving stones, retaining wall blocks, and base materials, the homeowner is going to have an undeserved paver repair cost that is going to make their original investment even more costly.