This is an updated version of last year’s costing information based on just a few changes – much more favorable to a consumer – than the current latest thing in here. All in all, what matters most in costing are labor costs, materials costs and the price of ‘doing business with a business’ cost.

Whereas I had mentioned in years’ past, we had installed pavers from $9.00/square foot to upwards of $13.50 – all included. The current price of pavers in general is around 20% below all that now and a hungrier company might very well allow you to save some bucks by shaving 10% off. The market is definitely a buyer’s market right now.

Indeed, everything has decreased in price. From the rock and base material to the pavers themselves, small surpluses are seen at paver dealers and rock creators who endured so happily the housing boom – which has essentially gone away for now.

In general, I think you can get a nicely-done project for nearly $7.00 – $9.00/square foot if one shops hard enough. This, in the end, is about the same cost as Stamped Concrete.

Here is a picture of a patio which we sloped from either direction down into a 40′ long channel drain. Done in Reno, they tend to get their rains in a rush, pretty much all at once, to say nothing of the snow they can accumulate. We needed something sizable to take the amounts of water we’d be dealing with. Naturally, the terrain is dead flat – or close to it, making eventual destinations a challenge but do-able.

It all came from this – note the larger pipes, all designed to haul water. Needless to say, these run to a lower area – part out to the street and another part to the rear of the property, where we had installed a basin.

Here is a look at a typical channel drain, on sale here from Amazon. Composed of hardened plastic, these drains can take the tamping and compacting which normal compacting/vibrating machines do to surrounding pavers.

Here’s a look at a driveway channel drain, placed where so many end up, close to the garage. It is unfortunate that we often have streets above homes because it can lead to problems of an obvious nature when huge rainfalls come. Sigh, well, the very best we have is right here in these drains and they do work marvelously.

This post is a very commercial one, so please forgive me in advance. I just really like this set up. I have installed so very many patios now, I have also become close to the best and coolest patio furniture. This is some durable and hyper comfortable sitting – and at an elegant little table. I recognize the pavers underneath, of course. I have rassled with those boys lots of times.

Santa Clara Dining Armchair – Canvas Brick – Frontgate, Canvas Brick,Patio Furniture

Sealers have become a huge question concerning not only cement in general but also for use on brick pavers used in sidewalks, patios and driveways. The reasons for using them often tend to revolve around matters of appearance when – in fact – it is something completely practical in the end which militates using a sealer on any cement surface.

Considering the many spaces between the wild number of bricks involved, it is just a matter of time before wind, rain, human traffic and the work on top of it erode some of the joint sand away. Now, while this doesn’t necessarily compromise the structure or stability of the edifice, it will make it slightly more unattractive. A sealer can bind the sand joints and leave them in place at their finished level for far longer than a natural finish will do.

Another compelling reason for applying a sealer lies in the ability to clean up after such events as oil and gas spills, barbecue mishaps and the likes. A protective sheen protects the color of the pavers and cement and makes cleaning up far, far easier.

Finally, as in the picture shown above, there is something to be said for a nice-looking surface, all glossy and apparently “wet”. It indeed brings out the color and the surface tones far better and in a hugely interesting way.

Sealers add value, especially relative to their low cost. Improving the look and making it more enduring is a goal, not a sentence.

The picture above from a Chinese supplier gives a reasonable range of color possibilities regarding natural stone paving. Having worked with paver-sized, small Granite blocks for the construction of major driveways, I can verify not only how gorgeous they look, finished, but also what a pain to install they could be back when they were not of the more uniform sizes offered now. In this I am comparing, of course, to the ease of formed and exact shapes of prefab interlocking cement pavers.

Well – Good news! These are also now on the market. Perfectly cut and sculpted natural granite and other stone products have emerged as a somewhat major player in the paving game. The advent of technologies where plasma cutters and simply elegant and efficient diamond blade saws are so common has led to yet another gorgeous paving option for driveways, patios, streets, even and walkways. Needless to say, the virtue of stone paving is huge – just look at the endurance and longevity of Europe’s many cobbletstone streets.

This is a refreshing and hopeful development in paving beauty and practicality and one we should all follow closely. It frankly excites me to think I can replicate what the Romans did. Just better!

The picture above illustrates both side of any root barrier’s occasional necessity. Almost all trees tend to root laterally given that the water from rainfall and even the washing of surfaces tends to sit on top of the roots before percolating. Roots are like people. They take the quickest and easiest route to satisfaction, as it were. What we see in the top picture is the result. Nor is that result merely a result of it being a permeable interlocking brick paver set-up. The same events occur in other trees as well, as the picture below indicates.

‘Unintended Circumstances’ are a truism of construction in general. Planning ahead is a far more recent phenomenon, especially regarding landscaping. In the lower picture above, we see the effects of what root barriers can achieve. By orienting the roots downwards from the onset, we become far more assured of an adequate protection at the top. Better irrigation practices, such as pipes embedded to deep water the roots and adequately-timed drip irrigation can also be effective.

An expert on the root barrier issue who I often consult is Ofer El-Hashahar, late of England. His website features recycled plastic edging and barriers, complete with some interesting pictures and information. I recommend anyone to check him out, especially those in the UK, where he is based.

Root barriers are effective and actually somewhat vital if one is concerned with the long term effects of roots in a landscape or street scape. Easy enough to install, they induce easy principles and the trees and plants which grow inside them have little if any complaints. It’s win-win.

This Kerr Lighting Cambridge Paver Light offers what amounts to a sort of landscape lighting solution to driveways and walkways constructed out of brick pavers. Inserted into the overall formation of the driveway, these 7 Watt lights last a long time and give a most certain security to night driving and locating the edge of things in general. For walkways, their mild glow emits a gorgeous ambiance to the walk, lighting it up just enough to feature itself and the parameters of the walk and providing just enough ambient lighting to feature shrubbery and flowers nearby.

Durable and able to handle automobile and truck traffic, these are all run off a 12 Volt, low voltage system from a transformer which can also switch the lights on and off at the desired times. Elegant as it can be, the broad sweep of a driveway or walkway can be featured in a pleasant and altogether warm and secure manner. Below is a picture of a place we provided this feature. At night it is just stunning. 7 Watts will not overwhelm anyone – in fact, it is the perfect illumination for a soft yet definite demarcation.

(click to enlarge)

Pretty cool stuff. For more product information and for reviews, click here.