The Paving Blog

Interlocking brick pavers are quite possibly the single most value-adding enterprise in the outdoors of any home.  I base this on numerous conversations with Real Estate salespeople, appraisers and with folks who have sold or will sell their homes.

Now, I am a definite “outdoor guy”.  I am a landscaping professional whose entire galaxy of concerns take place on the level of things like initial curb appeal, outdoor living and the expansion of the indoors to satisfying outdoor solutions, all implying an enhancement as opposed to the strictly necessary concerns regarding pure food and shelter. The things I advocate deal with driveways and patios, sidewalks and trees and plants.  It’s an area I am extremely familiar with and knowledgeable about.  I hope my recommendations can create some resonance and perhaps some facts-checking at your end.  If you do take this route, I am absolutely certain you will have my claims about interlocking brick pavers bear out every scintilla of what I am saying. Simply put, they add value and curb appeal.

The rewards of interlocking brick as a paving solution speak foremost of all to longevity and durability.  Prepared correctly and correctly installed, the life expectancy of brick pavers has no limit. It is no accident roads and streets, the Hong Kong Airport and many other permanent structures are using them now. They are simply an amazingly durable product.  Their added benefit is in the ease of repair if something does go wrong.  Pulling pavers out and then reinserting them is child’s play, quick and easy. Monolithic, poured surfaces like cement and asphalt have a life span. In most climates both surfaces eventually wear out and need replacing, either in patches or entirely.  The fact that the segmented nature of pavers allows contraction and expansion and can revert to form means it faces none of the problems implicit in monolithic structures.

Then we come to the other major strength of pavers and it is their look.  Aesthetically, no other surface can even compare to the complexly-woven, patterned and colored surface these offer.  There is no comparison, outside of perhaps “stamped concrete” in terms of texture and color, but even here we revisit the monolithic slab with its maintenance issues and life span.  Simply put, the technology and expanding development of interlocking brick pavers deals with an already near-perfect product in terms of durability, but also now reaches into continually-evolving and more beautiful forms.

Drive way paving presents a potential buyer with a wild array of choices.  Depending, of course on budgets, almost anything is possible.  Naturally, the cheapest driveways, suitable for cars and deliveries, are gravel only. That loose or even compacted gravel gets looser later and is hard to walk on is obvious.  The tendency for it to reach into lawns and gardens is yet another of the many reasons, gravel driveways might be economical, but their disadvantages certainly outweigh the competition.

Asphalt tends to be the cheapest alternative to gravel and, from asphalt, we progress upwards into cement products.  The cost comparisons to your standard average cement driveway as opposed to asphalt reveals a small range of difference. But the step up from there is substantial with some very definite upsides.

A newer method of applying cement is now the “Stamped Concrete” alternative.  It is approximately double the price of asphalt, but the amazingly sleek and colorful patterns and textures of stamped concrete are pretty amazing.

The next category is slightly higher in price to ‘stamped concrete’:  interlocking brick pavers. These cost about double what asphalting costs.  Here’s the deal, however.  It turns out paver patios and driveways have few peers in terms of adding value to a home.  In terms of strict real estate value, there are few items within or without a home that appraisers and buyers attach this much value to. What it amounts to is that you really do pay for what you get.  In fact, in this particular case, you might just be getting even more for your buck.