Brick Paver Raised Patio & Steps in need of immediate repair

Failure of Raised Paver Patio Wall & Steps due to inexperienced Landscaper

During a brick paver repair estimate this past week, I again witnessed the failure of a raised paver patio wall & doorwall steps that were installed by an inexperienced landscape contractor. This homeowner is in immediate need of patio repair before this leaning patio wall collapses or some one trips coming out from the doorwall.

The landscaper used a "garden block" type of wall system that is not intended for retaining a raised paver patio. Not only did they not bury any rows of block below grade, this current wall block does not have any tongue-n-groove or pin system lock-up.  They also exceeded the engineered height requirement of this garden wall system too.

Over the years, the customer has had several brick paver repair service calls to reset the pavers behind the wall & step rises. The current wall has continued to settle, gap, and lean out and it is time to replace this inferior wall block with a proper modular retaining wall system.

I recommended we pull back @2ft of the paving stones, remove the existing wall blocks & caps, and reinstall a tried 'n true patio wall system like Unilock's Pisa 2 or Fendt's Country Manor.  Upon installing the new patio retaining wall, we will bury a block below grade due to the height factors involved.  After carefully and diligently compacting behind the wall, we will install a filter fabric to eliminate filtration through the wall blocks.

We will properly cap the wall and reinstall the paving stones.  After replacing the inferior wall blocks used for the paver steps leading out the doorwall, we will reconfigure the patio steps layout for better safety & function.  The current layout does not meet proper building codes.

The overall cost for performing the above wall & step replacement, repairs, and warranty will cost the homeowner $3,500 for labor, materials, and removals & disposals.  Had the original landscape contractor properly designed & installed this raised paver patio, this homeowner would only have minor maintenance touch -ups and minimal service needed over the years.

Because of the lack of experience and poor workmanship of this landscape contractor, this homeowner has had years of frustration & unnecessary financial costs.  Qualified and experienced brick paver contractors will design, install, warranty, and offer "after install" services that will help avoid costly pavers repair and ongoing aggravation & strife.

Brick Pavers Estimates in Snow are Difficult

Paver patios, walkways, driveways, porches, and steps covered in Michigan

As another 6 inches of snow falls on Ann Arbor, Saline, & Canton today, accumulating snow has made it very difficult to give estimates on brick paver repairs, installations, and restoration services. Snow covered pavers patios, walks, driveways, porches and steps will not reveal their true needs for service or installation.

Paver repair, cleaning, & sealing is the most difficult to properly estimate. The obvious reason is the accumulation of snow but the larger effect is winter frost.  Winter frost can mislead a brick pavers contractor to conclude that there is a need for a repair that will disappear when the frost thaws here in late March or early April.

Interlocking brick pavers, retaining walls, porches, and steps can bulge and contort during the winter months, fooling homeowners that a repair is needed. An early post about winter frost damage will help guide you for what to look for during the freeze thaw cycle. It is important for a brick paver contractor to ask the homeowner about the state of these areas during the past summer. 

The biggest obstacle of estimating a brick paver installation is not being able to evaluate the physical area for installation.  Existing landscaping & pavements can not be properly viewed. Soil conditions and grades are almost impossible to evaluate accurately.  Grade drops are one of the most important variables when costing a brick paver installation. Retaining slope with either landscaping, boulders, or modular retaining walls will make a substantial difference in an estimate.

Homeowners who supply me a scaled drawing for a new brick paver or retaining wall installation project can get the process started.  With this drawing, I can begin estimating their project but will need to verify grades and installation area when the snow melts.

I do encourage homeowners to begin the bidding process now by contacting a good brick pavers contractor or specialist.  If you wait until all the snow melts or frost is out of the ground, the pavers contractor may have a backlog.  This past week, I just rescheduled my estimates for 2 weeks from now to see if the snow melts again like last week. 

It is always in the best interest of the homeowner and contractor to receive and prepare an accurate estimate. If conditions are adverse, it is best to remain patient and getting it right. If you are worried about getting on a contractors Spring schedule, offer a small $100 deposit to reserve space and finalize the details later. It is going to be a great year for brick pavers so your needs will be satisfied.

Unilock introduces some New Paver Products for 2011

Quality Brick Paver Manufacturer in Michigan keeps moving forward

This past week I met with one of UNILOCK's senior reps, Al Martin, to see what new products will be offered for 2011.  Unilock, Inc. is one of North America's largest manufacturer of high density concrete paving stones and modular retaining walls, steps, & caps.  They are a leader in the innovation and introduction of superior paving stone products.  2011 is no exception as some intriguing new products will be introduced by Unilock.

Unilock has introduced a new paving stone unit called TREVIA which is inspired by the natural flagstone appearance.  With 6 natural pattern units, TREVIA offers a quick and uncomplicated installation option while creating an incredible natural looking surface.  Like Unilocks other products, TREVIA's advantages lie in it's beauty, strength, and consistency.

The ever growing need for attractive and consistent capping (coping) of walls,pillars, & steps has improved by Unilock's introduction of LEDGESTONE.  It is a universal capping system that can be used for almost any Unilock wall system whether it is pillars, seat walls, steps, porches, or grill islands.  LEDGESTONE has a matching Pillar cap that will complete an attractive natural stone look.  It comes in 2 attractive neutral colors, pitched edges, and offers a bullnose unit. 

Paver lights have been a challenging proposition for brick paver contractors and homeowners alike.  Durable and reliable lighting pavers has been futile.  Unilock is introducing a solution to this ongoing frustration.... Nightec !  These photoluminescent  pavers glow at night after collecting sunlight during the day.  This accent lighting paver has a high initial cost but when you factor in no wiring, no transformer, no installation cost, and no electricity & charging cost, these weather proof lighting pavers make great sense.  They also can be designed and  installed into a wall face. 

Unilock is a company with a premise "to bring comfort, style, and distinction to the home with timeless products of quality."   Performance is a main goal for Unilock products.  Appearance is important but long term success and structural integrity is what the customer needs.  Unilock has exceeded the expectations of both homeowners and brick paver contractors with this premise.

Hiring a good Brick Paver Contractor in Ann Arbor

Not all brick pavers installers are the same, choose wisely

I have been passionate and an advocate of interlocking pavers and modular retaining walls for over 28 years.  I have seen the brick paver market mature in Ann Arbor, Saline, Canton, and Southeast Michigan through good economic times and bad.  I have seen contractors come and go and I have witnessed successful and poor paver installations.  With the financial investment that a homeowner is making, hiring a good brick paver contractor is essential.

When high density concrete paving stones and modular retaining wall systems first came on the scene during the early 80's here in Southeast Michigan, most installers specialized as brick paving contractors.  They committed their time,equipment, and resources to the quality techniques and installations of paving stones & landscape walls.


During the economic boom of the 90's, landscapers began to offer the installation of paver patios, walkways, driveways, porches, etc.. as part of their many services. This shift from specialized brick paver installers had a dire effect. Today the results of their inferior workmanship is showing throughout Ann Arbor, Saline, Canton, & Plymouth

When inexperienced and unqualified landscape contractors began to install interlocking pavers and modular retaining walls & steps to keep up with demand, the design, performance, and quality of  paver installations began to deteriorate. On one day their workers are installing trees,bushes, and sod, and the next installing a complex paver step & raised patio installation. The exception are some larger reputable landscape companies that do have a designated brick paver crew which perform good paver work.

Quality brick paver installers specialize in the design, installation, repair, cleaning, sealing, and maintenance of paver patios, walkways, driveways, porches, steps, and more. Brick pavers and retaining walls are usually over 90% of their business.  Professional brick paver contractors educate their customers to the expected performance and yearly maintenance needs of paving stones & landscape walls.

Experienced brick paver contractors specify the proper design and products for the customers expectations & needs and delivers with high quality workmanship.  Reputable brick paver contractors offer industry standard warranties and full after installation services like repair, cleaning, sanding, and sealing.

There are several quality, professional, experienced, and reputable "full service" brick paver installers in Ann Arbor. Below are some key factors when getting estimates for brick pavers or retaining walls.

I recommend getting 3 quotes for new installations, and at least 2 quotes for repair, cleaning, & sealing.  If you are getting more than 3 to 4 quotes then you are most likely just chasing a lower price, and that is not a good idea. Always be suspicious of a very low quote and ask all the questions.

Make sure you are comparing "apples-with-apples".  Usually quotes from different contractors will not match up or some are very vague.  Make sure you get a detail itemized list of services, sizes, & products that will be used for your project.  It is not a bad idea for you to compose your own list of needs or ideas for contractors to bid on.  If a good contractor proposes a new idea or concern, you can easily add that to your generated list for others to include in their estimates.

Go with your gut feelings.  If the bidding contractor gives you a level of confidence that the work will be performed to your expectations and in a timely manner, give that alot of weight in your final decision.  Paving contractors that have experience, product knowledge, and honesty will exhibit this during the bidding process.

Asking your prospective contractor for references and whether they are fully insured is important, but those contractors that have a Michigan Builder's License are a step ahead.  Landscape licenses are simply a $100 yearly fee and requires no testing.  Brick paving contractors that obtain a Michigan Builder's License have taken classes, passed a state exam, and take required continuance classes.  This factor should have some big weight in your decision to select a quality contractor.

As the prospective customer, it is your job to do the diligent work to hire the right brick paver contractor for your needs.  Ask the right questions and do the proper estimate comparisons and you can avoid the pitfalls of selecting a bad contractor.

Protecting Brick Pavers and Steps from Winter damage

Options for protecting your paving stones and steps from de-icing materials

I was recently contacted by a civil engineer in eastern Pennsylvania about solutions to protect interlocking pavers and modular retaining wall blocks & caps from the ill effect of de-icing materilas during the winter months. Below is his email and my response for helping his clients protect their investment in high density concrete pavers & blocks.

Civil Engineer:

Bill,
I enjoyed finding and reading your blog today.  I am a civil engineer in eastern PA and so I spec a lot of modular retaining walls, but have never seen a contractor provide the detail and information that you do for post-installation maintenance.

I did have one question that i would like to pick your brain about, if you have the time.  Quite a few of the people who install these also salt the modular retaining wall steps over the winter and I've seen them crack, chip and deteriorate even sometimes after just one or 2 winters.  Is this normal and should I warn them about salting the stairs?  Because it seems that affects the block more than the temperature variation.

My Response:

Kyle,

Good to hear from you.  I am assuming you are referring to commercial or municipal applications which use alot of rock salt during the winter.  There are a few things that I believe will help this problem. Modular retaining walls & caps are denser than poured concrete so there absorption rates are less.  Assuming you are specifying a quality product, it should considerably outlast poured concrete but corrosive materials will still break down their structural integrity or surface.

The first and easiest step would be for them to reduce the amount of rock salt used. I know liability is a factor but excessive use of rock salt will break down any concrete product. Also, the use of liquid de-icers are showing better results too.

The second option is for them to use a calcium chloride based product or similar "ice" melt (white pellets), NOT rock salt.  I know this is not usually reasonable with municipalities. Residential applications can easily switch to this option. This option is more expensive but preserves the life of the concrete products and is better for the surrounding landscaping.

Another option would be to seal the high density concrete pavers, walls, & caps with a water base paver sealant.  This is a tricky situation in commercial or municipality applications.  The reason is that the areas need to be cut off from access for prep cleaning, sealant application, and curing.  If you do in sections, the result of  the sealer may show some noticeable differences due to weather & temperature conditions during appliapplicationo, the sealer will initially be slick which can create some liability issues if wet. This sealant will wear in over a few weeks.  Residential applications can easily be controlled. 

One last option that comes with an initial large cost but is greatly recouped over the years is the use of heating coils. There are several options of heating the paving stones & modular retaining wall system and I can not claim on being an expert on their use but only on their results.  When you consider the cost savings of salt application (labor & product) and long-term replacement cost versus the added electric bill (or natural gas) and initial installation cost, melting snow & ice with an effective heating system makes financial sense.

The Step treads should be modular retaining wall cap units that are adhered to the wall blocks that create the rise.  These caps units can be pre-sealed weeks before installing them since they do not require any compaction. These cap units take the brunt of traffic and weathering.  Modular retaining wall & cap units do not have the same density as the paving stones.  The faces of the wall units used for step rises can also be pre-sealed if the project is not too large. Pre-sealing paving stones is not feasible.  Pre-sealing will add to the installation cost and needs to be included in the initial bidding specifications. Keep in mind that good paver sealants in normal conditions only last 2-3 years and will need future application.

I also need to stress the use of a quality product.  High density & low absorption rates are critical.  Unilock, Inc is one of the best throughout the Midwest and your area. They have plants in New York and I am sure they are distributing in your area. There are many other good paver & wall block manufacturers and if you are considering one, check there independent test results for density (psi) and absorption rates. Cover yourself in the initial specifications by specifying minimum rates.

The damaging effects of Winter, frost heaving & de-icing materials, are one of the main reasons interlocking pavers and modular retaining wall systems were created. But the biggest threat to the structural integrity of concrete products are de-icing materials.  De-icing materials, especially rock salt, can penetrate the concrete products and begin to etch & deteriorate the surface, therefore speeding up the ill effects of weathering. The options above will help you avoid future repair & replacement costs from the effects of Winter.

Brick Pavers Dirty Little Secret : Paver Joints

Paver Joints are the most important part of your Brick Pavers Installation

It amazes me every day when I am doing estimates on brick paver repair & restorations that homeowners had no idea they needed to keep paver joints filled with paver joint sand. More than the paving stones themselves, paver joints have the most important function of interlocking brick pavers.  Here are paver joints dirty little secrets.

Paver joints are the whole purpose for brick paver "lock-up".  Paver joints for interlocking paving stones allow for the bedding coarse to shoot up and lock the paving stones together during plate compaction.  As the plate compactor vibrates across several paving stones at once, the paving stones depress and force the bedding coarse sand or slag to "jet up" into the paver joints and lock up the paving stones laterally.


The next important step is to sweep in proper paver joint sand to completely fill the paver joints. Full paver joints will help prevent the paving stones from loosening, shifting, and unnecessarily settle from erosion.  What is so perplexing is that sweeping in paver joint sand is so easy and effortless and most homeowners will not perform this basic paver maintenance requirement. In Ann Arbor, sweeping is usually necessary each Spring as the Winter frost, snow & ice, and Spring rains wash away the top of the paver joints.  The upgraded use of Polymeric Sand will greatly reduce the amount of paver joint sweeping due to the strength of this bonding sand. Here are some paver repair projects that we used Polymeric Sand to help avoid future repairs.

Keeping paver joints filled with paver joint sand is important to help keep weed seeds from establishing .  If the joints are not filled with sand, this presents a perfect setting for weed seeds or dirt to settle in and promote growth.  Dirt, weeds, and grass inhibit the proper flow of water through the joints and does not allow for application of a paver sealant.


 Paver joints absorb the winter frost effects of heaving so the paving stones do not crack, grind, or chip. While protecting the structural integrity of interlocking pavers, paver joints will lose joint sand over time. Sweeping in new paver joint sand is a small price to pay for protecting the beauty, appearance, and performance of your brick paver patios,walkways,driveways, and more.

In frost states like Michigan, it is highly recommended not to fill the joints of high density concrete pavers with mortar.  I see many outdoor applications using mortared interlocking paving stones that will some day fail.  Mortared paver joints in a frost State does not stand up to the flexible heaving of base laid pavers. The other important factor is that high density concrete pavers are much stronger than mortar. As the paving stones expand slightly they will crack or break up the mortared joints. This will become and unsightly and costly future repair.

After years of neglect, paver patios without paver joint sand may require us to completely  re-sweep in new joint sand and re-compact the whole patio with a plate compactor. This will help re-lock the paving stones into the bedding coarse. We will then finish off the top of the paver joints with an approved joint sand.

Most homeowners believe that you must protect the paving stones with a sealer which is not true. Sealing brick pavers is an option and is mainly for aesthetic purposes.  The best way to protect your interlocking pavers is to keep the joints filled with paver joint sand. This is a simple and very cheap way to avoid costly and unnecessary paver repairs.

2011 will be a good year for Brick Pavers in Ann Arbor

Paver Patio Installations, Repair, Cleaning, and Sealing is on the rise!

As the economy in Ann Arbor, Saline, Canton, and Southeast Michigan improves slightly in 2011, homeowners are now reconsidering their brick paver patios & walkway needs. Paver Patios and walks have dominated the Outdoor Living spaces market for the last 30 years but has suffered a tremendous downturn due to the economic turmoil the past few years.

As a hard working brick paver specialist and contractor the past 28 years, I noticed the pendulum starting to swing back to more brick paver interest and needs during 2010.  I expect 2011 to make huge strides in the installation, repair & restoration, cleaning, sealing, and maintenance of interlocking pavers and modular retaining walls.

All service areas for paving stones are on the rise and good brick paver contractors are offering the spectrum of services that homeowners need.  Below are the reasons I am so optimistic about the 2011 brick paver season.

Installations:

As the economy has slightly ticked up, so has new home building. Though it is minimal, new home building has began to re-emerge.  Up until about 2006, 50% of my brick paver company revenues came from "new" home installations. In 2008, it fell to less than 10% of my total revenues.

Brick paver contractors lived and died by the new home construction sword if they were not diversified with offering "all" brick pavers services.  New home paver installations are the most profitable projects for brick paving contractors and this slow insurgence of new home building will help make this concrete paver industry more attractive.

Repairs & Restoration: 

The flip coin of homeowners not being able to sell their homes or build new ones was the insurgence for the need of "existing" brick paver patio, walkway, driveway, and porch repair. Homeowners quickly realized they were staying put and there was an immediate need for their brick pavers and retaining walls to be repaired and restored.

It is easy for homeowners to neglect their paver patios since it was not a financial necessity.  But as homeowners came to the conclusion that they were remaining in their current homes for years to come, they focused on home improvements.  With a little touch-up and re-focused attention too, paver patios could once again be an attractive and functional family outdoor living space. I predict that my paver repair & restoration projects in 2011 will double due to the emphasis by homeowners to improve what they currently have.

Cleaning, Sanding, and Sealing:

Good brick paving contractors will educate their homeowners to the benefits of touch-up repairs, cleaning, sanding, and sealing (optional) of paving stones.  In Ann Arbor, there has been a tremendous interest in these brick pavers services.  Interlocking brick pavers and retaining wall maintenance is now in the forefront.

With new and improved products for paving stones hitting the market each year, the needs for these opportunities to improve the appearance of paver patios has come to the attention of homeowners. From removing moss, efflorescence, and rust stains to polymeric sand to varying sealer appearances, paving stones products are revitalizing the attention too paver patios, walkways, driveways, and paver porch maintenance.

In conclusion, there is a resurgence in the attention for interlocking brick pavers and modular retaining walls services throughout Michigan as the economic uncertainty is stabilizing. Homeowners are reinvesting in their current homes while new home builidng begins to reappear. Capitalizing on these diverse services of paving stones will improve profits during 2011 for any good brick paver contractor who pays attention to this opportunity.

Brick Pavers Edge Restraint Replacement: Common Paver Repair

Cement Bead versus Plastic Edge Restraint for Brick Pavers

One of the most common brick paver repairs that we perform each week is the resetting or replacement of plastic or aluminum brick pavers edge restraints.  About 12 years ago, brick paver manufacturers and suppliers were touting the use of plastic edge restraints for paver borders. This was a new specification to replace the old tried & true cement bead edge restraint that was widely used on pavers patios, walkways, driveways, etc.. .

About this time I had built a new home in Ann Arbor with a paver driveway, walkways, and multi level patios and I used all plastic edge restraints for my paver borders.  Within 3 years, I completely removed ALL plastic edge restraints and replaced with cement bead.

The plastic edge restraint was properly installed per manufacturer's specifications, but winter frost in Michigan had eventually heaved this edge restraint above the height of the paving stones. This caused an unsightly appearance and was damming water back and from flowing off the brick pavers. Also, I had to pound down  most of the spikes that had raised after the thaw each Spring.  This appearance is much like black landscape edging you see raised above the grass and flops around and gets cut by lawnmowers. It becomes unsightly and nonfunctional.

When properly installed by a brick paver contractor, the cement bead wedge method of a brick pavers edge restraint will perform admirably. See the guidelines below to insure edge restraint success:

• The cement bead needs to be installed on top of the paver base material so it is crucial to remove the 1" bedding course outside of the paving stones. Remember this is why you prep for your pavers patios, walkways, driveways, etc.. a minimum of 4" outside the finished paver edges. This will insure the cement bead wedge grabs below the bottom of the paving stone and has the same drainage below as the brick pavers.

• The cement bead wedge needs to be @4" wide and come withing 1-1.5" of the top of the paving stones.  This allows enough room to cover the cement bead with sod, mulch, or stone mulch.  

• Properly trowel a good consistent and quality mix of concrete. Your concrete bead should not be runny and have a mud consistency.  Trowel your cement bead wedge with a 4" spatula and make smooth.

•  Install your cement bead wedge prior to final plate compactor compaction. This will allow for final adhesion to outside paving stones &  paver joints.

• Finish covering your cement bead with surrounding landscaping (i.e. sod, mulch, or stone mulch).  Preventing erosion around borders is crucial for all paver edge restraints.

I am not claiming that the cement bead method is the perfect brick pavers edge restraint solution. From my experience, it is the better of the 2 most popular and frequently used brick paver edge restraints. Does it crack? sure, but the cracks should not be visible if properly installed and covered. If an area fails, it can be easily removed & replaced. Landscaping is your ultimate paver edge restraint and the cement bead keeps your outside paving stones wedged in and help prevent creeping out of your brick pavers.

After 12 years since the introduction of plastic and aluminum brick paver edge restraints, I have concluded that the cement bead is the better performing of the 2 methods based on appearance, repair & replacement.

Last Reminder for Winterizing your Brick Pavers

Tips to avoid unnecessary Paver Repair from Winter damage

In Ann Arbor, the winter season will be in full force this coming month. I have listed some tips for winterizing your brick paver patio, walkway, driveway, paver porch, etc.. in some earlier posts about paver maintenance requirements for winter.

These simple winter paver maintenance tips will help insure the long term success of your interlocking brick pavers installation. Below are some reminders of additional brick pavers winterizing tips to keep your pavers patio, walkway, driveway, or paver porch in excellent condition through the effects of winter frost and freeze thaw cycles.

• Remove all heavy items from your pavers, such as, portable fire pits, table umbrella bases, flower pots, and wood piles. You can place these items in your landscape beds or lay on sheets of plywood.
• Deter water flow of any kind from your pavers by redirecting gutters with temporary pipes, cleaning out gutters from leaves to avoid water or ice overflow, and lay plywood down wear dripping onto pavers occurs ( from decks, overhangs, or steps). If possible, disconnect any pipes that run under brick pavers from the end of gutters and let water & ice flow into landscape bed for the winter.
• Do not permanently park boats, trailers, or cars throughout the winter on your paver driveway. If you have no choice, place 2ft X 2ft plywood sheets under each tire.
• Remove all leaves & debris from your pavers to reduce any staining. While removing this debris, it would be a good time to touch up on sweeping in any paver joint sand for your paver joints.
• Do not remove snow off your pavers patio or backyard walkway if you are not using during the winter months.  The compacted snow will insulate the paving stones and keep them frozen during the winter and reduce the effects of freeze thaw cycles. Obviously, you will need to keep your paver driveway and front paver walk and brick porch free of snow & ice.  Always use calcium chloride de-icing pellets instead of rock salt to reduce any damage to the paver surface or landscape plants.

Finally, do not let any visible brick paver repair, settling, or loose pavers go into the winter months without attention.  Many clients that I give bids to this time of year decide to wait until Spring. This is usually a big mistake since the areas of despair will usually get bigger and more costly to repair. These simple tips that you can do yourself will help you avoid preventable paver repairs in the future.

Brick Paver Patio and Steps Restored in Saline

Brick Pavers allow for reinstallation at a minimal cost

In Saline, MI this past week, we restored the original beauty & function of a brick paver patio and paver steps.  After 5 years, this pavers patio needed immediate attention that the customer could not provide.  The original landscape contractor did not provide after market services and the homeowner was at a lost.

This existing brick paver patio was pitching back to the house and the homeowner was experiencing water in the basement.  The brick paver steps were beginning to loosen, settle, and becoming unsafe for foot traffic.  The grass had grown over the outside row of paving stones and the plastic edge restraint had lifted. Both of these conditions was creating a dam for water to flow off the patio, therefore resulting in water stains and moss growth.

The fact that most of this paver patio was pitching back to the house at a consistent level lead me to some possible conclusions.  The original landscape contractor either did not properly screed the pitch out into the yard, or the compaction of the paver base material was not properly executed.  Inexperience brick paver contractors try to "eye ball" the pitch and usually are blurred.  If they lack the proper tools & techniques to install interlocking paving stones, the result will be the same as the status of this brick paver patio.

We approached this brick paver repair and restoration with a complete re-installation of the paving stone patio.   Due to the severe pitch back to the home foundation, it was necessary to completely reinstall the patio.  A "band aid" approach was not feasible since 90% of the patio was below the grade level of the yard. 

 We lifted up all the paving stones, cleaned them off, recompacted the existing base, added additional paver base material, and screeded the bedding course.  While using a builders level (transit), we screeded the paver patio with a 2" slope or pitch away from the house into the yard. We then relaid the brick patio with a similar shape, size, and pattern.  Additional paving stones were needed to complete the cut pieces since most will not fit back in or be usable.

While compacting the newly installed paving stones and finishing with a paver joint sand sweeping, we addressed the brick paver steps that had deteriorated.  The bottom 2 curved paver steps were fine and only needed the block caps re-adhered.  There were some excessive gaps in some of the saw cut caps so we recut in some new caps to close these gaps.

The top landing curved step needed to be completely torn down and rebuilt.  The existing paver landing step had sunk and was tilted forward.  The inset lay of paving stones were below the height of the caps and loose.  We totally reconstructed by removing the caps & blocks, recompacting the the paver base material inside, and reinstalling the blocks, caps, and paving stones.

The homeowner had this brick paver patio & steps installed as a "landscape package" deal  5 years ago. Unfortunately, due to the poor installation by their landscape contractor, this paver patio needed to be unnecessarily repaired and restored.  The contractor did not educate the homeowner on the necessary paver maintenance requirements or signs of distress. To make matters worse, the origingal contractor was not interested in servicing this paver patio. 

This brick paver patio and step repair service was an unexpected cost for the homeowner but was minimized by low materials cost since we were able to reuse 95% of the current products. They indicated that our price was about 1/3rd of the original cost charged by the landscape contractor. Though they may have made a bad choice of selecting a brick paver contractor, they made a great choice of choosing interlocking pavers & paver block steps for their outdoor patio.

History of Brick Paver Raised Patio in Canton: 15 Years Later

Pavers in Canton need Repair, Sanding, & Cleaning

This past week we did a much needed repair of a brick paver raised patio in Canton, Michigan. This raised paver patio was installed 15 years ago during the roaring mid 90's.  Canton was a thriving suburban city that was growing at lightning speed during the 90's.  As new home construction soared, this city was encountering the huge benefits of brick paver patios, walkways, driveways, and modular retaining walls. For me this week, it was a time flashback to the incredible pace that was set installing interlocking paver patios.

But the fast pace of home building and landscaping installations created some inherit problems that are present today.  Now that I am inspecting, repairing, and restoring many brick paver installations in Canton, I have molded some conclusions. 15 Years later and my unprecedented  experience with raised paver patios has formed my opinions below about the reasons for the numerous paver repairs & restorations in Canton.

REASONS FOR PAVER REPAIRS in Canton:

• Pace of New Home Construction:  As the home building during the 90's in Canton, Michigan was feverish, so was the installation of paver patios, retaining walls, and landscaping.  Backfill around the basement foundation of a new home needs time to settle. It is best to wait one freeze thaw cycle in Michigan to allow this natural process to occur.  Canton has an added problem because of the abundance of clay soils. When the builders backfilled with the excavated clay soils, this create open spaces throughout the 5-8ft of backfill along the basement walls therefore insuring years of settling.

• Pace of Landscape Installations:  Like many new communities today, there was strict Homeowner Association Rules or Policies which required a new homeowner to have a completed landscape installation within 90 days of closing on their new home.  Though it was beneficial for my business of installing brick pavers, I was not in favor of this policy. This policy did not only allow for the proper settling of the backfill around new homes, but it forced customers to make fast and uneducated decisions on the contractors and landscape products to use. It was a breeding ground for "fly-by-night" brick paver and landscape contractors.  Many where stealing jobs with low pricing, inferior products, and ridiculous 5 to 10yr warranties.  Most of these landscape contractors where out of business within 2 years. 

•  Poor choice of Brick Paver Installers:  During this fast paced time, there was a transformation from homeowners using brick paver specialist to install their paver patios, walkways, porches, and driveways.  Landscapers where now becoming brick paver installers without the experience, education & training, or expertise to execute a quality product. Landscapers offered "landscape packages" that included raised paver patios. Most had never installed one before, but that did not stop them from taking advantage of uninformed new homeowners.  They pressured new homeowners with "if we do not install the brick pavers, we can not guarantee any completion time of the other landscape services (sprinklers,sod, & plants)". Due to the aforementioned Homeowners Assoc. policies, this put added stress and poor decision making on the new homeowners. This tactic worked more times than not, and it amazed me how homeowners, who had all the leverage ($$$), would get bullied by this unethical business practice. 

• Homeowner Do-It-Yourself Paver Installations:  If you inherited a brick paver raised patio that is in distress, do not assume it was installed by a landscaper or qualified brick paver contractor.  During the 90's, there was a huge market for do-it-yourself homeowners installing brick paver patios and walkways. In Canton, most customer's were on a tight budget. So instead of waiting to have a properly installed paver patio installation, they saved some money by installing their patio themselves. Even more than landscapers, homeowners lacked the experience & expertise to execute a quality paver installation. To this day, I rarely see a good brick paver installation by a homeowner.  When it is flat work (ground level) there is some success, but when it comes to modular raised patio walls and steps, there is alot of failure in design and execution.

• Lack of Educating the Homeowner:   When I am performing brick paver repairs in Canton, I am amazed how homeowners are not aware they need to periodically sweep joint sand in  their paver patios, walkways, porches, etc... Some homeowners have not swept in paver joint sand for over 10years!  This is the #1 basic paver maintenance service that is needed each year.  As a brick paver specialist, I spent at least a half hour after we installed a paver installation educating the homeowner on periodic maintenance requirements, landscaping needs, signs of possible repairs, and options for cleaning & sealing paving stones. These neophyte brick paver installing landscapers would tell homeowners that their brick pavers were "no maintenance" and nothing needed to be done over time.  Pavers are a low maintenance option but do require attention to avoid costly paver and retaining wall repair.

•  Lack of Proper Landscaping around Brick Pavers:  Nothing infuriated me more than returning to an installed paver patio weeks or months later, and proper landscaping around the installation was not performed.  It is essential for pavers to have proper landscaping around the edges to insure long term success. Erosion and washout will cause irreparable damage to a paver installation. This will result in unnecessary costly paver repairs. The most important landscape need for a raised paver patio is to cover up about half of the bottom block face with landscape soil, sod, or mulch.  Also, it is important for the installing brick paver contractor to bury atleast half a block below grade if already existing.  If the retaining wall blocks shift due to washout or flush out, your raised paver patio has been compromised and you will experience future repairs.  A good brick paver contractor will temporarily cover all edges with on-site soils, customer tarps, or fabric until the homeowner can properly landscape.

• Poor Design & Execution of Paver Installations: Due to their inexperience and lack of knowledge, landscapers in Canton installed inferior and unstable paver installations. One large landscaper in Canton used garden blocks as the raised brick paver patio walls.  Because these garden blocks are designed for small landscape walls , they can not bear the weight and hydro-static pressure of raised paver patios.  These same "wanna-be" brick paver contractors failed in execution because of the lack of properly cutting pavers, blocks, & caps with diamond blade saws. Most of these landscape contractors would leave gaps that not only left an inferior aesthetic look but also promoted erosion and washout.

• Homeowner Neglect of Pavers :  I want to say that the occurrence of paver patio repairs is not just the result of a poor paver installation by a contractor.  Even the best raised paver patio installation can fail due the drastic effects of the elements and more importantly homeowner neglect. Homeowners are required to keep the paver joints filled with the proper joint sand, especially the joint on the inside of the wall cap. Homeowners are required to make sure that any signs of erosion, washout, or settling are addressed.  When caught early on, homeowners can perform this repair service, or pay an experienced paver contractor a nominal fee.  Letting your brick paver patio, walkway, driveway, or porch fill up with dirt, grass, weeds, moss, and loose bricks, blocks, & caps, is unnecessary neglect. This will contribute to an accelerated deterioration of your paver project.

Canton, Michigan is a perfect microcosm of the success and failure of interlocking brick pavers and modular retaining wall systems in the Midweat. I listed above the variables that I believe have contributed to the avoidable failures that have occurred over the last 15 years or more. The information gathered and the observance of the 1000's of raised paver patios in Canton has guided me and my crew to better paver design & installation techniques.

Daily we are performing paver patio repairs, observing and studying the reasons for failure so we can educate homeowners and contractors alike with articles like this. Brick pavers and modular retaining walls are proven pavement and wall systems that have tremendous benefits if properly designed, installed, and maintained.

 Raised paver patios that are properly installed or repaired will give endless years of beauty and performance.  Multi-level patios with structurally sound steps, firepits, sitting walls & pillars, will create functional and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living spaces. If your paver patio is in distress, all is not lost, it can be restored and enjoyed again.

Paver Tip: Sweep in Joint Sand to Winterize Your Pavers

Necessary paver maintenance for Winter

If your pavers patio, walkway, driveway, porch, etc.. is in need of paver joint sand this Fall, this is an important time to perform this brick paver maintenance service.  One of the most important steps in winterizing your pavers is making sure the paver joints are filled with joint sand.

Winter snow, ice, and melt off will run into paver joints that are not filled with joint sand and may create preventable settling, erosion, or heaving.  I gave some suggestions for preparing your pavers for Winter in an earlier post about winterizing brick pavers. A quick review will  help you insure long-term performance of your paving stones patio, walkway, or driveway.



Paver joint sand creates friction between paving stones causing vertical and rotating interlock to occur.  Paver joints play a cushioning role in preventing damage between paver to paver contact.  Angular or course joint sand will prevent sand movement and help sand retention in the paver joints, thus avoiding long term erosion or settling of your patio paving stones.

It is so simple to just sweep in paver joint sand. In the Fall, you can just concentrate on sweeping paver joint sand in the areas that are in need of joint sand.  Touch-up sweepings throughout the year will save you unnecessary paver repairs over the years. Neglect of this simple brick paver maintenance requirement will result in costly paver repairs.  So during this Halloween season, grab a broom from a witch and sprinkle in some paver joint sand from Lowe's and start brewing.

Common Paver Driveway Repair: Ruts into Garage

Interlocking pavers are perfect for driveways in Ann Arbor

We performed a brick paver driveway repair this week in Ann Arbor. This paver repair is a common repair you see not only for interlocking pavers, but also for cement, gravel, or asphalt driveways. Look at your current transition area between your driveway and cement floor and I am sure you have experienced imperfections, settling, chipping,and / or gaps.

Driveway ruts leading into the garage are very common and somewhat of a mystery.  Years ago I began reinforcing this area of pavers directly in front of the garage floor by installing extra layers of grid within the base material that was installed & increased layers of compaction.  I have seen good results but this area of a driveway, whether using brick pavers or not, seems to be susceptible to repairs or visible stress.

I have concluded that because this is an area of transition from one pavement, paving stones, to another pavement, usually cement, there is added load stress or frost damge.  One conclusion is that base material under the paving stones may slide under the cement floor of the garage during freeze thaw cycles. Another reason may be the load transfer from the cement surface to the paving stones creates vertical and/or lateral load force that stresses the paving stone & paver base material.

By adding additional reinforcement products like geo-textile fabric (below the base) and strata-grid (within layers of the base), extra layers of compaction (2-3" lifts), and stronger paver laying patterns (herringbone or random joints) have help eliminate the severity of this common brick paver repair. 

This paver driveway repair we performed in Ann Arbor this past week had approx. 8ft long ruts leading into all 3 garage door entrances.  When performing this paver repair, it is necessary to lift up the entire stretch across the garage floor, not just where the ruts exist.  Another brick paver contractor recommended to this customer that they lift and repair the actual rut areas only.  I easily showed the customer with a carpenter's level that the areas in between the ruts are usually raised and the paving stones are tilted.  The whole area in front of the garage was compromised and needed proper attention.

We lifted up the entire paving stone area in front of the garage, re-compacted the base, added more base material, screeded the area for proper pitch, and re-installed the pavers.  I expect that the problem of having future driveway ruts will be minimal but not entirely impossible. This paver repair will reinforce the area for years to come. 



When we were completed with this driveway repair, there was not visible evidence that this area had been repaired. This is the long-term benefit and beauty of using interlocking brick pavers for your next driveway installation!

Redesign & Restoration of Homeowner's Brick Paver Patio

Brick Pavers allow for easy add-ons & redesign possibilities

We just completed this brick paver patio redesign & restoration in Ypsilanti that the homeowner installed himself years ago.  The homeowner had built their home on a tight budget and needed a serviceable patio for his family, so he installed a simple square paver patio under his upper level deck .  Now five years later, it was time to complete their dream of a beautiful & functional paver patio under their deck so they could expand their Outdoor Living space.

We started by keeping in the current installed paver patio by the homeowner by restoring and repairing areas that needed attention. This saved the homeowner considerable costs since we did not need to completely reinstall his paver installation.  After restoring, we reswept in new paver joint sand and recompacted the pavers with a power plate compactor to relevel & relock the paving stones.

Our redesign of the paver patio included adding on additional paving stones to make the patio area under the deck larger & more functional for the homeowner's needs.  We also created a design layout that best utilized the new paving stones with the old paving stones currently installed.  The finished paver installation was a success by meeting our client's overall objective and appearance expectations.

Interlocking pavers are one of the most versatile pavements or products for Outdoor Living spaces  when it comes to modifications, redesign, add-ons, or replacement. Cement, asphalt, wooden decks, etc..  are much more restrictive and show ill effects if repaired, modified, or replaced. Given the variable of time, interlocking pavers and modular retaining wall systems offer the the best economical, appearance, and functional choice. A good brick paver contractor will specialize in coming up with redesign solutions that utilize your current paver products and materials that will result in cost savings to you.

Brick Paver Joint Sand: Change in my Recommendation

#1 Brick Paver Maintenance Requirement

For years now I have preached to my clients, "Do NOT sweep play sand into your brick paver joints!".  Well, I have a slight change in my recommendation for this yearly brick pavers maintenance requirement.  Play Sand generally is a fluffy yellow sand with very little granular substance to assist in bonding. In Ann Arbor, this type of sand graduation will splash or blow out of brick paver joints and make your experience with interlocking pavers frustrating. Silica Sand also does not perform well as a paver joint sand.

As mentioned in early posts, keeping your paver joints filled with joint sand is a crucial yearly requirement for the long-term performance of paver patios, walkways, driveways, porches, etc.. . Paver joint sand is essential in keeping proper lock-up of the paving stones and help deter the effects of erosion, settling, and weed growth.

Most brick paver manufacturers distribute an approved paver joint sand that is either privately labeled or from a national supplier.  Obviously these products are an approved paver joint sand to use for your interlocking pavers project but usually carry an unnecessary cost and not readily available to you geographically.

For the last 10 years I have been recommending and using Quikcrete's "all purpose sand" for paver joint sweeping. This all purpose sand had a similar sand graduation (sieve rate) as the more costly paver manufacturer's joint sand and is also screened, washed, and dried.  These processes are important to remove unwanted substances like dirt, weed seeds, and silt.

This past Spring I started to notice that  Quikcrete's "all purpose sand" was beginning to have a larger sand graduation (sieve rate) which was allowing larger pebbles to be present in the mix. These larger pebbles of sand either do not sweep into the paver joints or lodge themselves in the joint, thus not allowing proper filling of the paver joints.  We found ourselves having to discard about of 1/3rd of each bag. This was not only inconvenient but eliminated any cost savings.

I did some further investigation and discovered that Quikcrete's "Premium" play sand had a similar sand graduation (sieve rate) to the paver manufacturer's paver joint sand. It also is screened, washed, and dried. Unlike cheap or the original fluffy play sand, this "premium" play sand has a granular mix to assist in bonding & lock-up. It also has enough sand fines to allow for easy and successful filling of paver joints. 

I do want to say that I am not recommending "all" play sands. My investigation at this point has only concluded that Quikcrete's "Premium" play sand is an acceptable joint sand for your brick paver joints.


At Lowe's and Home Depot, this play sand runs @ $3.50 per bag. This is a considerable savings from the $7.50-$8 / bag for paver manufacturer joint sand bags. I understand that there is a cost for private labels and convenience, but this is an unnecessary cost for clients who can easily obtain an acceptable replacement at a local hardware store.

Brick Paver Steps Down to Basement Walkout Patio Replaced

New Brick Pavers Steps lead to Paver Patio

In Ann Arbor this past week, we replaced some unsightly and dangerous patio block steps that had deteriorated and eroded. These dilapidated steps lead down to a basement walkout paver patio that was also repaired and increased in size.  The step replacement was the customer's immediate need for our services.

The old brick steps were loose, sunken, and slippery which all contributed to an unsafe path down to the brick paver patio.  I see these make shift steps all the time leading from an upper grade down to the lower level.  A good design and execution of installing proper paver steps is essential for long-term success & beauty.


I decided to use UNILOCK's Siena Stone Coping Step Units for this particular application.  They are large massive units that when properly installed, should not fail. They have preset 7.5" rises, 4ft wide, and are 20" deep for a comfortable & safe tread.  These particular units weigh over 300lbs and require equipment placement or brute strength to set in place.  We used the latter with some aid from a tree ball cart.

We needed to strategize the placement of these concrete stone steps by evaluating the total height and slope.  Each set of these paver steps would require small brick paver pads in between to transition to each set of steps.  Because the grade in this area was inconsistent, we had a 2-5-2 placement of stone steps. An experience brick paver contractor can foresee or adjust to challenges when if comes to installing landscape steps.

The biggest challenge for designing & installing paver steps is to create a structure that can deter erosion.  Because of the natural slope of grades, water will travel faster and therefore challenge the ground or landscape.  I use two different application approaches when designing & installing paver steps.

Beating the Grade

The first is called "beating the grade" which I have coined over the years for installing the steps and/or paver pads above the grade. Thus, "beating" the grade so water flow does not go over the brick paver step installation but around.  This method is better suited for grades that are gradual and not steep. This is the method we used in today's job post.

Inset Steps

When the grade is steep, the second method  called "encasing or insetting" is the better approach. This "encasing or insetting" method is installing your paver steps "into" the grade and creating sidewalls to prevent erosion onto the paver steps or paver pads. This method is more expensive due to more product needed and added labor but the aesthetic value and appearance is unmatched.



Which ever method is used for installing brick steps down a grade, proper landscaping around the borders and edges is crucial.  Grass, wood mulch, or stone mulch is needed to protect any areas where water may erode.  If you experience any signs of erosion around or on top of your newly installed paver steps, make sure you address the area immediately to avoid unnecessary and costly future paver repair.

In terms of paver maintenance for steps, keep paver joint sand swept into the brick paver pads in between. The step stones or step blocks & caps do not need sand swept inside them but make sure the caps are secure and blocks do not gap. Keep one thing in mind, if a lower paver step begins to excessively settle or move, upper paver steps will soon follow so do not wait to address this need for repair.