Choose Pavers for Your Next Outdoor Project
Those of us who like being outside enjoy having a place where we can sit and marvel at the beauty of nature.
Many people enjoy having family get togethers and parties outdoors, enjoying a cup of coffee out in the fresh air, and there’s of course the ever popular summer BBQ event. If you’re looking for a place to hold such events, you could look no further than your own back yard.
However, you most likely need to create the perfect area for those fun events. That’s where you’re faced with the decision of using traditional poured concrete or asphalt to make a patio area, building a wooden deck area, or utilizing the new advances in landscape and patio pavers to make that perfect backyard oasis.
In many cases, your best choice would be to go with the pavers as they are versatile, affordable, and beautiful. Pavers are used by landscapers for driveways, patios, paths, and step-stone walkways, and they can be used to make your outdoor dreams come true!
Installation Costs
The cost is the one aspect of any project that can have the greatest impact on whether it gets done or not. In most instances, concrete costs less to install because there are fewer steps and it’s a slightly faster process overall.
Installing pavers can cost you more up front because there are many more steps involved. Despite paying more in upfront cost, pavers are the way to go in most cases because in the long term view, you save much more than you spend. Why? Bcause pavers are very low maintenance and are very durable, generally holding up better than cement or asphalt do over time.
Durability Comparison
Over time, concrete and asphalt will begin to crack. Many things can contribute to this including shrinkage in the concrete, settling of the ground below, weather impact, and wear and tear from heavy usage.
When you start getting cracks in your patio or porch, it usually isn’t just one and patching them can be a pain. Paving stones are much more resilient and hold up to extreme use much better than traditional concrete can.
Because they sit on a sand bed, paving stones often become stronger and more soundly anchored with time. Many companies will even offer a lifetime warranty on their paving stones. Also, replacing pavers is relatively easy so long as the style you have selected is readily available.
Pavers vs. Wood
Another popular way to build a backyard oasis is to build a wooden deck. While wood is beautiful and decks can be great home additions, they’re not as easily maintained or as economically friendly as pavers.
Patio pavers can bring an elegant and formal touch to your outdoor living area. The best part is they can long outlast most wooden deck construction. A wooden deck may only last for a few years with the use and weather it endures. They can also be very high in maintenance, and need frequent treatments and re-sealing to protect them from the elements.
Paving stones and patio stones can give you the entertaining area you need without all of the hassle and the upkeep wood requires. And the best part, it can be just as beautiful as wood.
Pavers – The “Green” Advantage
Most patio stones and brick pavers are permeable, which means water passes through them and into the soil below. This makes landscape pavers much more environmentally friendly than concrete or even wood.
Unlike pavers, other materials hold water on the surface, which can cause warping, discoloring, staining, and aid in erosion with the massive amounts of runoff generated. Pavers allow water to pass through them and into the soil so nearby plants are not starved for water and can continue to thrive.
They also hold up better under heat, rain, and snow and help save resources because they don’t have to be replaced as often.
Additionally, they’re safer for the environment because they don’t require sealers, stains, glue, or any chemicals that can leach into the soil over time.
It’s easy to see why pavers are the green way to go.
Creative Freedom
The final perk for this type of yard addition is decorative concrete pavers come in such a wide range of colors, materials, textures, and styles. Your imagination can run wild and you can be as simple or as creative as you wish to be with your designs.
Using patio pavers to create your outdoor oasis gives you the freedom to use your own creative flare and style and make an outdoor extension of your home that’s filled with just as much personality as the rest of your home!
