The Paving Blog

We talked about paving kits in the last post, so today I’d like to focus on one specific type.

A circle paving kit is a relatively common modular construction made of differing materials but with a similar design trait: all the blocks or pavers inside the circle conform to produce a complete circle. In a design sense, it is a marvelous and frankly easier way of producing circular lines and an interesting pattern alternative. Curved lines always seem so striking inside the hard edges and durable properties of a paving material. One naturally suspects all paving to be some monolithic slab of asphalt or concrete and, yet, these delightful patterns can provide such a refreshing change from the boredom of standard monolithic paving. With the astounding new technologies of value-enhancing products now available as paving materials, the use of eye-catching patterns has become a New Wave in paving in general.

The wide range of materials testifies to the demand and interest in this sort of artistic license in what was once the very boring field of paving. From standard interlocking brick pavers to Terracotta-like stone angular placements within a system, circular paving kits offer a rapidly-installed and aesthetically-satisfying paving design alternative. Softer lines and more visual interest make circular paving kits a very substantially beautiful paving addition. The kits themselves are a step up in productivity. Once, an installer had to cut and fit himself, all the various parts of circular paving materials. Now, one can readily order them to match the pavers used surrounding these gorgeous circles.

Having discussed interlocking pavers as one option, as well as the size of the driveway, let’s talk about the low-cost option for driveway paving.

Faced with rising prices on just about everything any more, we often face a need to cut back costs on some of the items, that we once had bigger plans for. Things such as patios or the more exotic stuff like elaborate entryways, walkways and sidewalks bear on this, but driveways are the most cumbersome of all, in this case, owing strictly to the area involved. When we face a situation like this, a level head and some creative trimming can arrive at a place that we can still work with. Knowing the costs of any project prior to its installation is the key here. Extrapolating from a known figure allows us to come to some conclusions. I will now list 2 options:

Gravel and Base Material

Gravel does not have to look bad, nor does it need to be gravel, as such. The fact is the same base material we work with providing the sub grade for all paving projects can be utilized quite efficiently as a driveway surface. The virtues of base material are a few fold:

1: It compacts extremely durably and can be re compacted and reshaped at any point. Car tires do not really impact it as much as one would think, as long as a sufficient depth and compaction is reached. It is, after all, the structure upon which we base every single other covering.

2. It is in place when we want to upgrade. The next phase will be adding an overlay of cement or asphalt to an already-groomed, compacted area. The labor saving will be substantial in spades.

3. It is not unattractive. Well-compacted base material is the same material taken almost always from rock native to the area. It is almost always produced locally. Graded correctly, this material can allow water to run off appropriately and wash up revealing some fairly effective rustic color. In terms of “finishing elements”, it is also possible that another layer of different, more picturesque gravel could be added for color and general appearance.

The downside, of course, is in the fact that it is granular, therefore erosive. The granular nature will mean some rocks pop up out of the surface of a strictly ‘base’ driveway and, of course, this tends to increase and not decrease. So there is the maintenance aspect to consider. Attention paid to this will not be onerous at all, however, and takes a small amount of time to rectify and re compact.

As a landscaper, I have often encountered homes whose driveways were some testament to the cement industry’s able sales abilities. I have seen homes whose driveways were as large and expansive as the footprint of the home itself. The current move towards multi-car garages propelled an outbreak of enormous driveways, making me confess to an urge to do my best to ask for some better-reasoned approaches to the issue of driveway size.

While a nice big driveway can mean you have the enormity and ease with which to back up out of your garage and turn around inside your very own roadway, it also can seriously detract from the look and the intimacy a well-designed tract can offer.  Obsequious and over-large, driveways end up a glaring white surface which overwhelms rather that connects.  A certain sterile sensibility injects itself when I look at one of these edifices, and it makes it very hard indeed to mitigate when one tries to draw attention to a nice landscape. In terms of curb appeal, something this huge and essentially hostile could only appeal to a road builder or another concrete fancier. In short, I see a small design disaster. Here are some recommendations:

1:   Consider cutting the space down, somewhere.  Even if a curve can be made that intrudes a bit into the large surface, a mounded area can be formed there with, perhaps a small, weeping ornamental tree whose roots will never affect the driveway.  This would not only add a softer element automatically (the curving line) but it would post a perpendicular “relief line” to the entire picture. One could also plant items which could grow over onto the cement itself which would lessen the effect of the hard lines implicit in big driveway edges.

2.  Consider as well your need for so much space.  What is it used for?  If it is merely used to back up and turn around inside, then consider backing straight out as an option.  As far as absolute necessities are concerned, the contrast between the comfort level of having an enormous space in which to reverse your car, compared to the inevitability of maintenance issues and that of the resale value and curb appeal is pretty striking.

Frankly, in the end, the value of appealing and objectively pretty lines in the design of a driveway is as important as the surface.  Clean and congruent designs of driveways indicate a level of care and of involvement.  They are more welcoming and possess an incredibly more powerful sense of curb appeal and of general warmth.

I mentioned interlocking paving in a previous post, and it’s well worth elaborating on. Interlocking concrete pavers are one of the latest modern marvels to grace the paving field. A compressed concrete product, modular and therefore segmented, these compressed bricks of amazing strength and durability also now come in varied colors. Many are even able to conform to the strictest architectural demands of permanent and seemingly impossible colorations once thought impossible to come by. There are now many striking gorgeous walks, piazzas, driveways and roads, including the Hong Kong Airport, constructed entirely from brick pavers.

Interlocking brick pavers have made such a splash since the early ’80′s, when they burst onto the field, that they are now a truly common alternative material for patios and sidewalks. Perfectly-formed, shaken in their molds to express out all air pockets, fine silicates blended with strong cement mixes yield an amazingly durable, hard block. The standard ratings for these paving stones are in the 8,500 PSI range, just about twice as hard as the cement curbing specified for enduring city gutters and streets.

The other remarkable factor is their perfection of shape. Constructed to fit with the finest tolerances, they tend to be perfect in depth, width and length, fitting together more than snugly with others of the same ilk. The tiny crevices engineered as gaps between the interlocking bricks allow for a very fine sand grout to be swept or shaken inside, further locking them laterally into a durable and permanent position. Thus snug and permanent, they are the basis of a roadway, patio or driveway destined to live a long and serviceable life. More so, in fact, than any other product.

Hello and welcome to the paving blog’s first post! Paving may seem like an odd topic to blog about, but with so many blogs out there, on so many topics, I figured this one as important as any other and deserving of due attention in the blog sphere. The posts on this blog are all by a professional paver but intended for home owners, wondering about the tricks of the trade and about various materials, machines and techniques used in paving. I will try to cover these and more in posts added from time to time to this blog. Hope you join me and that soon enough we’ll have archives that will make you all come back and send your friends over too!