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I admit that I was once an alcoholic. I started drinking occasionally when I was in high school. Oh, the days of the youth! Parties, fraternities and the drinking spree! Until, I realized that twenty years later, I realized that I am hooked to alcohol. A single day won’t pass without an alcohol.

But I have to change my addiction (I finally admitted it that I am an alcoholic!) because I am now suffering from health problems. I enrolled in an alcohol detox program and was advised to eat fresh fruits and vegetables to flush gradually and naturally the alcohol that built up in my body. So, I bought a commercial greenhouse where I can plant my own vegetables. I don’t need to wait for the season when I wanted a certain veggie. That is the best thing of having your own commercial greenhouse (it did helped me in my alcohol detox program). I can also keep myself busy that I can now gradually forgetting and recovering from alcoholism.

Patio pavers add new beauty to a home and offers a truly custom appearance. Blending patio paver patterns will subtly let you know when you’re entering different areas of the garden. For instance, you may enter a back yard patio walking down a beautiful cobble walkway laid in an inviting running bond pattern and then as you approach the main patio surface that pattern can seamlessly fan out into a true random pattern that identifies the main entertaining area. Concrete will not give you that option.

Patio pavers are the best option when it comes to redoing a patio. Most people decide to replace their patios when their existing concrete is cracked, stained or it doesn’t meet the needs of their entertainment needs.

Installing patio pavers around your pool deck will add safety for your family and guests. As pavers get wet, the stone will not become slippery. Patio pavers are also convenient for below ground repairs. Many times pool decks have underground lines that sometimes need repairs. Simply lift your patio pavers in the affected area(s), make any necessary repairs and reset the original pavers. This will not leave any ugly patch lines and will not cost much to do.

Adding decorative borders of pavers around your patio or landscape planters will enhance your patio. Create a solid banding using the same sized paver in a contrasting color around rest of your patio pavers, or even through the patio. This will identify the end of the patio and the start of the planters. Use this banding in steps, around pool deck coping, around fire puts and so on. This will add a custom appearance to your patio pavers and will add new dimensions to your polished patio.

Manufacturers typically warranty your patio pavers against cracking or breaking for as long as you own your home. This warranty is unmatched by any other pavement material. It is safe to say a patio paver installation will last you a lifetime. You should never have to replace your patio again, and if you happen to stain or chip any pavers, you can easily fix the affected areas. If you barbecue often, or not often, and have ever dropped a greasy hamburger patty on your concrete, you know it stains. It will stain your patio pavers as well. The difference is you can replace the 2 or 3 pavers that are stained without touching any others. This eliminates costly repairs and eliminates the frustration of you having to look at that grease stain for as long as your patio is there.

Patio pavers are an affordable alternative to concrete. You can expect a new patio paver installation to cost between $8 and $12 per square foot from a properly licensed, bonded and insured contractor. Those prices are comparable to a decorative stamped concrete. With the cost of patio pavers going down and the attraction it creates, patio pavers are the main ingredient to giving your patio the facelift it deserves.

Pave stones are being installed throughout America like crazy. Places like city parks, residential developments, intersection and strip malls have chosen to use pave stones for simple reasons. pave stones are relatively affordable, beautiful, durable, allow for flexibility in design and offer an unmatched ease of access to any underground utility lines.

The increasing popularity also shows in residential markets, and for good reasons. Like concrete, pave stones have a price bracket which is usually equal to, or less, than stamped concrete. The benefits of installing pave stones over concrete, asphalt or gravel for driveways, walkways, patios or pools decks are clear. Pave stones are four times stronger than concrete; there is a wider selection of colors and textures available, prices are comparable, and the replacement of stained or broken stones is convenient. Cutting out bits of an old stained concrete driveway and re-pouring concrete will certainly stand out. All that is required with a pave stone patch to to simply shimmy out the stained stones with two flat head screwdrivers, put in the new stone, re-top the joint sand and you will never know there was ever an issue.

There is, however, a small amount of maintenance or upkeep associated with pavers. They should be swept or sprayed off occasionally to keep clean. Joint sand should be replenished if it gets ½ inch or so below the bevel line. Any weed growth should be sprayed with a week killer and if you pave stones are sealed, they should be resealed every two to three years. While this may seem like a lengthy punch list, these steps don’t take an absorbent amount of time and are a rare occurrence.

If you have any sinking or bowling in your pave stone surface it is most likely something that wasn’t addressed during the installation process and isn’t something that is considered a maintenance issue. This is caused from base failure, which is either from a lack of base or an unstable (usually clay) native soil that has absorbed some of the base. The good news is this can be an easy fix with pave stones. Again, simply pull the affected area up, make any necessary repairs and reinstall the pave stones.

We were recently asked the question “how do you pick the right paving stone”?

Paving stones come in a wide variety of shapes, textures, colors and sizes.
The most commonly installed paver (for residential use) is the Antique Cobble stone. Antique Cobble pavestones give a smooth surfaced look and are typically installed in a 2-stone pattern such as an I-pattern or running bond pattern. They are also the lowest priced stone.

Raising the bar a little offers you a tumbled paving stone. The tumbed texture comes from rolling the pavers around in a machine called a tumbler like they’re in a dryer, or, using a distresser which hammers the surface of the stone to give it a chipped / weatherd look. These stones are a great option for the recently built or renovated Tuscan style homes that have been flooding southern California’s suburbs. The tumbled appearance gives the stone a rich, authentic look that can highly compliment surrounding landscapes and other hardscapes.

The top grade stones are the multi-sized, tumbled designer styles. They usually include 4 or 5 stone sizes with tumbled edges. You generally see these stone types installed in estate homes or in largely paved areas.

Paving stone manufacturers go through numerous testing phases to make sure their products are compliant with ASTM, ICPI and ISO standards. 60mm pavers, used in residential applications are rated at 8,000psi. almost 4 times as strong as poured in place concrete. While the stone strength is impressive, there are still situations that would require the use of a thicker, stronger stone. Depending on your native soil conditions, any paved area that is expecting vehicular traffic in excess of 7,000lbs should require additional base material underneath the pavers, and could possibly require the use of an 80mm paver. These are usually found in commercial applications, however, many homeowners who have a large motor home, septic, trash or moving service driving over their pavers should seriously consider using the thicker stone option.

Most manufacturers are offering more and more blended color options. These will have a minimum of 2 colors and will have an un-uniformed blended between the two colors (i.e. in a charcoal / brown blend you will see stones that are all charcoal or all brown, and some that have a little or a lot of either color). Solid colors are also available, however, it make sense to me that if you’re installing cobble stones, your intent is to get away from the solid slab look and would prefer to have a stone that looked more natural looking color blend.

The final component of finding the right paving stone is to find a good design consultant and a good paving stone installation company. A good design consultant should be able to use the different colors, textures and sizes to compliment the surrounding environments and really use the pavers not as the focal point of the house, but as the frame of the picture. Using different patterns in different areas to exaggerate the functionality of those areas can make an impressive impact and really give your project that final touch. Again, it is imperative that you find a quality installation service provider who will do the job right. It won’t matter if you picked out the nicest stone with the most complimentary colors and textures. If the installation is done poorly, it will show and it will not be pretty.