Improvement to Brick Paver Porch Enhances Curb Appeal in Ann Arbor

Brick Paver Porches and Steps are becoming the new normal

Ahh..the dreaded traditional American Porch. The staple of most homes throughout the United States.  The most visible structure on homes that makes or breaks your overall home curb appeal.  In the last 15 years there has been a shift from the traditional mortared brick & concrete slab porches to the more popular flexible brick paver porch and steps.

Porches & Steps come in many different sizes, dimensions, heights, and materials.  But brick paver blocks, caps, & paving stone structures are offering the best long-term performance & maintenance cost.  Offering many different shapes, colors, textures, and cost options, brick paver porches and steps have been replacing the old traditional American staple. 

In an early post, I spelled out the different options for having a brick paver porch and steps installed at your home.  A qualified and experienced brick paver contractor will properly propose the best brick paver porch and step option that best meets your needs & budget.

This current porch project we did in Ann Arbor this past week not only improved the curb appeal appearance of this home, it drastically improved the overall performance of the porch.  The past installing contractor improperly mortared high density concrete pavers around the perimeter.  Not only was it unsightly, but the loose bricks had made it a trip hazard.  Over the last 5 years, the homeowner had to have these paving stones repaired twice.  It was now going to be the third time when they contacted me for a better option.


I had a very easy solution for them.  We would remove all of the top layer of brick pavers, install a paver block coping unit as the outside frame, and install new similar paving stones to replace the old weathered pavers.  This way the whole porch will have a new look at a reasonable price.

The homeowner was very pleased with the final restoration of their porch.  The new paver porch is structurally sound and safe.  It is important to hire an experienced contractor that considers the long-term ramifications of the products & design of their installations.  This homeowner had learned the hard way but now can relax and spend budgeted funds in other home improvement areas.

Never enough Supervision for our Pavers Repair Crew

Pulling out All the stops to make sure our Brick Paver Repair Service is A1

Our brick paver repair crews encounter all kinds of challenges each day. But yesterday they encountered a new experience they never imagined.  Inspector Swan, my new independent hire, was onsite to make sure that our paver patio repair crew was performing their service properly and professionally.

With one eye on his expecting Swanette and another on our paver repair service crew, Inspector Swan gave me a complete report that graded our paver repair crew an A1 rating!  Though he was not impressed by their nature to walk upright and the lack of wings & feathers, Inspector Swan was impressed by the total professionalism, hard work, clean-up of the job, and most of all their attention to good grooming.

Good job crew! I know you work hard to do your best.  My advice is to keep an "eye-in-the-sky" on the next paver repair project!

Brick Pavers Porch & Steps Installed

Another transformation in Ann Arbor to a new Brick Paver Porch and Steps

In 2011, we have installed over 15 porch & step replacements in Ann Arbor alone.  As homes begin to reach almost 50 years old, porches & steps are beginning to show their age. Aside from their unsightly appearance, old deteriorating porch & steps begin to create water and safety issues that homeowners can no longer ignore.

In early posts on this Blog, I have described the options we discuss with homeowners when considering replacement, enclosure, or overlays of Brick Paver Porches and Steps.  Many factors are in play when considering which option makes both functional and economical sense. Paver Porches and Step are installed best by a qualified & experienced brick paver contractor.

This particular porch slab had sunk, cracked, and pitched back towards the home foundation. The mason bricks had begun to pop & crack, causing leaning and large gaps of missing mortar. The step had sunk creating steep rises and trip hazzards.  It was time for the homeowner to address these issues and create some new curb appeal.

We completely removed the old porch slab, brick framing walls, step, and debris.  We built over the existing footings and created a more functional design that increased the width of the porch in the space allowed.  By bowing out the porch face, we not only improved the appearance, but we increased the landing space for a more comfortable & safer entrance into the front door. We also added an additonal Paver Step to reduce the riser heights for a safer and more comfortable transition to the walk.

It is amazing how a new Paver Porch and Step can immediately change the curb appeal of a home when properly designed and installed.  Though the front porch & steps are one of the most functional & visible aspects of a home, they are often ignored until their appearance and structure have failed.  Bring back that "smile" for your home! Improve or replace that old crumbling porch or steps with brick pavers and modular retaining wall blocks & caps.

Brick Paver Porch & Steps Transforms Curb Appeal!

Once coined ugliest Porch & Steps in town now is the envy of the neighborhood

The challenge for homeowners these days is the tremendous need for repair & replacement of dilapidated Porches & Steps. Much like the process 50 years ago, a new age of construction has emerged for the every popular need for function & curb appeal...the Brick Paver and Modular Retaining Wall Porch & Steps.

Before

This past week, my team and I performed a complete transformation of a Porch & Steps in Ann Arbor. As you can see in the "before" picture, the curb appeal of this home was lacking.  We designed and installed a beautiful, functional, & safe Porch, Steps, and Front Walkway that the homeowner could now be proud of. The "after" picture shows just one possibility of the curb appeal your home can experience.

After

There are a few ways to approach the transformation of porches and steps. In an earlier post on this Blog, Porch & Steps replacement, I explain the major options for improving the appearance, function, and curb appeal of porches. Every porch & step project is custom & unique so different applications need to be considered. A cost / benefit analysis is determined so a homeowner can make the best decision for their needs.

Before

Porch & Steps replacement, overlay, and enclosures are on the rise and so far each week in 2011 we have performed this porch repair service throughout Ann Arbor,Canton, Plymouth, & Ypsilanti.  Most porches and steps were and are an after thought in the design & construction of homes.  I am finding that homeowners who are building or buying a new home for the second time, are aware of this past neglect and more proactive in addressing the need for a functional & appealing porch & steps. The winter freeze thaw cycle that is so prominent in the Detroit Metro Area also poses long-term challenges.

After

In this blog post, I wanted to show you the "before & after" pictures to give you a visual of the extreme transformation that brick pavers and modular retaining wall blocks & caps can perform. The long term benefit of this brick paver system is that repair costs in the future are minimal and the appearance, properly maintained, can last for several decades.

Before

Porch & Step replacement, overlay, or enclosures are best performed by a qualified & experienced brick pavers contractor who's sole business is installing, repairing, and servicing brick pavers and modular retaining walls.  Anybody can lay flat work but Porch & Step applications require foresight, experience, and knowledge of the building codes.

After

Make sure your brick paver contractor has a valid Michigan's Builder License when performing your Porch & Steps project.  Most porch improvements or replacements do not require a permit but the codes set forth some guidelines to insure safety & proper function.  An experienced and building code educated contractor will give you the best construction and attention to detail.

Brick Paver Porch and Steps: Total Porch Replacement

Porch replacement using brick pavers

We completed a Brick Paver Porch and Steps installation that not only improved our clients curb appeal, but also made their front porch more functional and safer.  This existing old cement porch and poured concrete steps had begun to settle and deteriorate. The homeowners main concern for safety was that the rises on the cement steps were over 9" each and the treads where only 9" wide.

The first objective for the new design of this paver porch and steps installation was to make the step risers and treads safer.  This would require us to add another paver step to decrease the overall step risers to reach the top of the porch.  Because the new paver steps could not go out any farther into the driveway, the new paver porch needed to have new dimensions to facilitate an additional paver step.

We completely removed the old cement porch and steps with sledge hammers, pry bars, and a diamond blade saw.  We were real close to renting an air jack hammer & compressor but after a pot of coffee and some Tim Horton's Tim Bits, this porch removal moved forward at a swift pace.  The dirt fill inside the old porch was removed to allow for crushed gravel to allow proper drainage.

We constructed the new paver porch using Fendt's Old World Country Manor for the porch walls & paver steps, and we used Fendt's Holland Paver laid in a 45 degree Herringbone pattern for the top landing inset. The newly created rises where a safe and comfortable 6.5" each.  The newly capped paver steps now had a 12" tread for added safety and beautiful finish.

This particular brick paver porch and steps installation was a TOTAL PORCH REPLACEMENT project. There are 2 other applications of paver porches that we perform.  Below is a brief description of the other two pavers porch applications.

PORCH OVERLAY:
When the existing porch's overall structure is sound but the top cement stoop is unsightly, a brick paver porch overlay application can be performed. As long as there is clearance for the door to open with the thickness of the pavers on top of the old cement porch, the pavers can be adhered along the outside borders and the brick paver pattern laid within these borders. A simple paver joint sand or polymeric sand can be swept in all the joints.  The 4-7" thick cement cap face is also hidden by adhering the pavings stones to the face. This technique requires a little strategy and sometimes we need to construct some temporary support until the adhesive sets. This paver porch installation is usually the cheapest of the 3 options listed in this post.

PORCH ENCLOSURE:

BEFORE

AFTER

When conditions allow and the old cement porch can not allow for a porch overlay application as described above, a paver porch enclosure is considered.  The porch enclosure application requires us to construct a modular retaining wall frame around the porch and then lay paving stones within this frame.  In essence, the old cement porch is "buried" and left as a foundation within the structure.  This paver porch application is used for more "cosmetic" improvement then for a structural need.  This option usually costs less than the total porch replacement application because the homeowner saves the removal & disposal cost of the old porch. The old cement porch condition will determine if this application can be performed.

The overall condition of the existing cement porch & steps and the objectives for the design of the pavers porch & steps will determine which paver porch application will work. We evaluate each situation and recommend the appropriate application that meets the customer's need and budget. Paver porches & steps dramatically improve function and curb appeal.

 

Paver porches have become the new trend in today's porch replacement needs of homeowners. Many new home construction plans are designing paver porches. Aside from roof replacement, porch replacements are one of the most common outdoor home improvement projects.