Brick Paver Parking Area off Driveway is Restored

Neglected pavers are given repair, cleaning, and sanding in Ann Arbor

Brick Paver Parking Areas or Driveway Strips are a popular use for interlocking brick pavers.  This pavers area off the side of a cement driveway had been left for dead by the homeowner.  In its day, it was used to give additional area of parking for their teenager's vehicles and added space around the basketball net.  But as the children went off to college and no one was playing basketball any longer, this brick paver area was severely neglected.


The homeowner originally wanted to remove the pavers altogether and establish lawn in the area .  After weighing the pricing option of having this brick paver parking area restored to its original beauty & function, they felt that repairing it for the additional nominal cost would better meet their needs.  They still needed the additional parking area for returning college students and visiting guests.


This brick pavers installation was totally lifted up. The existing base material was leveled & re-compacted.  Additional base material was added to eliminate rutted and sunken areas and also compacted.  The proper pitches and finishing heights were determined and the old existing brick pavers were relaid in the approximately the same design, shape, & dimensions.


The old basketball pole & back board was removed and the hole was properly filled & compacted.  The removal of the basketball pole made this area much easier to access for vehicles.  After finishing with paver joint sand and compacting with a power plate compactor, the rejuvenated brick paver parking area had become alive again!


Most of our clients are surprised by the results of a total pavers restoration project at a nominal cost versus replacing with another pavement or landscape product.  Hiring a qualified and experienced brick paver contractor can be very rewarding when deciding to restore versus replacement.  This has always been the special asset of having brick pavers installed in the first place!

Restoration of Brick Pavers Walkway installed 10 years ago

Simple paver maintenance will help avoid repairs and major restoration

This brick pavers walkway in Ann Arbor was recently restored by our company. The condition of this paver walk is a common occurrence that I estimate restoration for on a daily basis.  It was a reminder to me that neglect of simple routine paver maintenance will turn into a major restoration cost in the future.

This pavers walkway had never received any additional sweeping of joint sand since it was installed 10 years ago!  Who is to fault?  Neglect by the homeowner? or the lack of educating the homeowner by the installing contractor?  Either way, the homeowner is now responsible for the cost to restore this pavers walk.

The 2 contributing factors to the deterioration of this pavers walkway was the lack of paver joint sand in the paver joints and the exposure of the cement bead edge restraint.  If these simple maintenance requirements had been addressed, the homeowner would not have the cost of complete re-installation of this paver walkway.

The lack of keeping joint sand in the paver joints allows for water to take the least path of resistance.  Water will rush down the joints instead of running over the paver surface.  The result is the base below slowly erodes over time and allows the paving stones to sink, tilt, or loosen.  Joint sand also is the key factor in keeping the pavers "locked-up" and tight.  Lack of paver joint sand will allow the paving stones to loosen, gap, tilt, and shift.

The lack of the cement bead edge restraint being covered by proper landscaping (i.e. soils, grass, or mulch) allows the edge restraint to erode, crack, and break loose.  In turn, the outside row of pavers begin to "creep" out.  The result is the inner paving stones begin to excessively gap, loosen, and tilt.  I was amazed after 10 years that the cement bead edge restraint was totally exposed.  All the homeowner had to do was allow the grass to grow over the cement bead on the lawn side with a few bags of topsoil & seed and cover with mulch on the inside landscape bed.

We completely lifted up this pavers walkway, re-compacted the existing base, added new base material as needed to re-level, re-installed the pavers in like shape & design, cleaned the pavers, and swept in new pavers joint sand.  The homeowner also elected to have the paver walk sealed to enhance the color and give it the "wet look" appearance. The final result was another successful house call by the Doctor and staff!

Ground Level Brick Pavers Patio, Step, and Walk Restored

Neglected for over 12 years, these Pavers are Restored by Repairs, Cleaning, & Sealing

Last week in Canton, Michigan, my team and I completed a total restoration of a ground level Brick Pavers Patio, Step, & Walkway. Daily I see these interlocking brick paver patios & walks that have been neglected & ignored until they become unsightly & unsafe.  Since these pavers have been installed over 12 years ago, no pavers maintenance or joint sand sweeping had been performed.  The pictures to the right is the results that you can expect from neglecting your brick pavers.

We started by performing necessary paving stone repairs that had sunk, lifted, and gapped.  Due to riding lawn mower damage, we also reset the outer 2 rows of paving stones for the entire paver patio & areas of the pavers walk that had tilted.  It is important to keep riding lawn movers off your paving stones. You or your hired lawn service contractor needs to weed whip approx. 1ft out from the outside edge of pavers to keep the mower tires off. Also, sprinkler heads need to be adjusted to keep water from spraying over or onto the paving stones.

The most immediate need was to repair the small curved Paver Step at the doorwall. This was not only an eye sore, but it had become unsafe for foot traffic.  We completely rebuilt the Paver Step by re-using the same materials but with a stronger construction.  As soon as Step caps or blocks come loose, it is important to address the issue before it quickly deteriorates.

After performing touch-up repairs to the paver walkway, we cleaned & power washed all paving stones and paver joints freeing them of moss, dirt, weeds, and grass.  We completed the process by sweeping in paver joint sand after the paving stones had dried. We cleaned up the job site and scheduled our return for Sealing all the pavers.

A few days later when all the pavers & paver joints where dry, we returned and applied an approved brick paver sealant over the pavers patio, step, and walkway.  The transformation of this interlocking paver project was tremendous!  The homeowner was ecstatic and I took the time to educate her on the minimal maintenance requirements for long-term performance & appearance.

This total restoration was just under $1,300 which included the repairs, cleaning, & sealing costs for this particular size & needs.  I explained the importance of keeping the paver joints filled with joint sand each Spring and if she did not have the time or inkling to perform, we offer seasonal  paver sweeping services at an affordable cost.

It is important to not blame brick pavers for failure, in most cases I see like this one, it was homeowner's neglect. It's not always the homeowner's fault because they were not properly educated by the installing contractor.  This is why it is important to select a brick paver specialist who offers ongoing advice & maintenance services.  Address the issues early to avoid high costs of repair and frustrations.