Brick Paver Patio Repair in High Demand for 2021

Canton, Plymouth, & Northville bids for patio repair & restoration soars 

Due to the pandemic, homeowners are requesting more than ever to have their brick paver patios updated, repaired, and restored to accommodate more entertaining and their family relaxing outside.  Brick pavers patios are the most popular outdoor living space throughout Southeast Michigan.  

The most popular style of brick paver patios is the Raised Paver Patio.  This patio is raised off the ground or grade level and is usually supported by modular retaining wall blocks & caps. The are very attractive and functional, but they do require more ongoing maintenance & repair than the basic ground level (grass level) brick paver patio.

The Raised Paver Patio was on fire during the 1990's and 2000's replacing wooden decks as the most designed outdoor living space extension in Metro Detroit.  During my company days, we removed more decks and cement patios than I can count.  Rarely did a homeowner request for a ground level patio.  The Raised Paver Patio design offered a more prominent structure and elegance.  I often would design a Multi-Level Raised Patio that offered some height variety & function for improving the landscape and home appearance.

As 15 years has past, the long-term feedback became apparent with Raised Paver Patios.  They require more upkeep than the traditional ground level paver patio.  The main culprit is the natural climate.  In Southeast Michigan, winter ground frost is that culprit.  Assuming the brick paver contractor installed the paver patio to the standard specifications, routine maintenance & repair like all outdoor structures is still needed. 

Homeowners wanting to entertain for this coming Summer and future years, need their brick paver
patios in top notch condition.  Appearance, safety, and functionality is paramount. Years of neglect and tolerance have gone out the window since this pandemic started in Spring 2020.  Creating an improved outdoor experience and necessity for 2021 is soaring as restoration contractors are overwhelmed with early season leads.  Homeowners are smart to get a jump on having this brick paver repair & restoration work contracted early so they can enjoy their Spring and Summer outside.

Paver Repair or Paver Installations ?

After 27 years in the interlocking brick paver and modular retaining wall industry, I have finally fine tuned the paver services that best fit my paver expertise and customer needs. So it begs the question, Do I perform paver repair or paver installations?

The largest customer need in this maturing brick paver industry is the need for brick paver repair, cleaning, sealing, replacement, and on going paver maintenance.  Brick Doctor Bill's main focus is the fore mentioned customer needs. Ed Bryant, the owner of Unilock, Inc. told me 12 years ago that a maturing brick paver and retaining wall market will have a tremendous need for paver repair and maintenance services, much like, the maturing markets of wooden decks and cement work.

When the new housing market was booming, most of us brick paver contractors turned all our efforts & resources to installing paver patios, walkways, driveways, retaining walls, etc... at a tremendous rate.  All to often, the past customer needs for touch-ups or paver maintenance services where put off in an untimely manner or ignored by most brick paver contractors. I fear that when the housing market improves, that this much need niche will be ignored again.

Brick Doctor Bill is centered around the paver repair, replacement, clean & seal, and maintenance service that most customers desperately seek. This has been the fine tuning of my brick paver services the past 3 years.  It takes a brick paver expert & specialist to perform these services using updated & quality techniques that the prior brick paver contractor may have missed.  All paver repairs are NOT the result of poor paver installations.

Every day I am tempted with brick paver installation calls and requests.  It is very hard not to be tempted by doing a $10,000 installation job over a series of $500 paver repair jobs.  But I have to admit that the paver repair work is very rewarding for both the customer and myself.  When you install a larger paver patio in Ann Arbor, the anxiety of both customer (cost) and brick paver contractor (time & performance) can get the best of both of them.  I would briefly estimate in the past that about 20% of the time both the customer & contractor did not feel completely rewarded at the end of the paver project.  My experience with the paver repair business has been pretty much 100% customer & contractor satisfaction.

Due to the high demand for my paver installation services, I have limited the number of paver installations I perform in a year.  A brick paver installation that I will perform must be a good fit for both the customer and my business.

The most important aspect in a brick paver installation is to best meet the customer's needs & objectives. I must have a feel that this is a very necessary and functional need for the client and it is not "breaking the bank" because they must have.  Next, I must have some flexible control over the needed paver design to insure the proper use of interlocking pavers and modular retaining walls for long-term success & beauty!  Finally, I must be able to meet an acceptable time frame so that the customer needs will be met.  I am very upfront at the beginning about my schedule and expected time frame of starting.  These current parameters have made the limited number of paver installations I perform each year more rewarding for both the customer and myself.

One example of a brick paver installation request that I will not do and I get several times a year is "I need to fill this area in because I can not get grass to grow there!".  Brick Pavers is one of the more expensive pavements to install. Most often I  just instruct them to install mulch or stone mulch. Everyone wants brick pavers! but when the cost out weighs the benefits, it makes no sense to have them installed.

I also want to state that when it comes to Brick Doctor Bill selecting and performing brick paver or retaining wall installations, I do NOT just select "large" projects (over $10,000). In fact, I usually prefer mid-size (under $10,000) to small projects (as low as $500). Large paver projects tie up too much time & resources. Mid- size paver projects can be rewarding if both client and paver contractor are on the same page and function and beauty is at the top of that page.

The most rewarding work is the small paver or wall projects that range from $500 to $3,000. Much like my paver repair services, these seem to be the most satisfying for both the client and myself.  Usually a small project meets an immediate need and does not "break the bank" and I am easily able to complete this brick paver service in a timely manner.

So, when I am asked what type of work Brick Doctor Bill performs? My answer is the type of brick paver services that will best meet a customer's need and best fits the brick paver expertise I offer.  I continue with paver repair services and limited paver installations because it is a business model that works for Brick Doctor Bill and his clients!

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.