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Patios and walkways are a great way to compliment your home or business.
It also gives safe passage to and from without trashing your landscape or
carrying in material to your floors and carpets. We have helped install
several different types of layouts. Grand walkways are a great place to
put your French drains. If needed, stamped concrete can be done in several
colors and patterns, even with budget restrictions there is a walkway and or
patio for you.
If the ultimate goal of landscaping is to make an outdoor
living space, then a walkway or patio might become an essential part of your
overall landscape. Walkways and patios are often grouped together, but serve two
different purposes within the landscape.
A walkway is used to move from one place to another. This in
itself can take on a number of different functions. Walkways can be built from
the driveway to the front door, can transport foot traffic from the front to the
back of a house, or they can be used for a casual stroll in the garden. A patio,
however, is typically found in the backyard and is mainly used as a place for
people to congregate and relax.
The number of different uses for paths and patios leads to a
number of different building methods and materials. The first major distinction
in building materials is the use of a prefabricated concrete material or natural
stone. As with any choice, there are pros and cons to each material.
Prefabricated concrete comes in an almost endless number of shapes, sizes, and
colors. These are generally referred to as concrete pavers. They are similar to
brick pavers and are sometimes grouped together, but are much stronger and
longer lasting than a typical brick paver.
These products offer an incredible amount of freedom in style
and design. Individual paver shapes include, circles, triangles, squares, and
rectangles, and can be arranged in an array of patterns to suite your needs.
A properly built paver patio or walkway will never crack like your typical
poured concrete walkways and patios.
The freezing and thawing cycle of winter is the natural enemy
to any path or patio. To ensure a path or patio will last, proper construction
is essential.
1. The first step is to prepare the
area on which the pavers will sit. During this step, it is also necessary
to create the proper elevation and slope to prevent standing water.
2. The second step is to install an edge to
keep the pavers tight against one another. The edging material is
typically plastic, steel, or timbers depending on the look you want to achieve.
Once the edge is installed, the pavers are ready to be placed.
This is where patterns and designs can be created. The pavers can be cut with a
concrete saw enabling the use of many patterns and designs, as well as filling
any gaps to create a more complete look. Following the installation of all the
pavers, sand is swept into every gap to "lock" the pavers into place ensuring
the pavers do not move.
Limestone
or flagstone are two of the most popular products for a natural path or patio.
They are available in fewer colors but can provide a more natural look to your
walkway or patio. The lure of natural stone is in the shapes of the stones; no
two pieces are the same.
Every shape is different, thus there are an
endless number of patterns and designs. Natural stone does
not have the strength of concrete pavers and is generally
more porous in nature.
Natural stone may also break more easily if not
installed properly, and can be more susceptible to freezing and thawing
problems. An edge is not always necessary when installing a natural stone
walkway or patio, as opposed to a concrete paver. They also do not always
require a compacted stone base, but they must always have a sand base.
Natural stone will also typically have large gaps
between each piece due to the unnatural shapes of each stone. In some cases, the
gaps can be many inches wide and are filled with sand, pea gravel, mulch, or
grass.
Installation of a patio or walkway is very time consuming. However, if it is
done right the first time, a patio can last for many years.
Cost can also be an issue when building a patio or walkway. There are obviously
a number of different options, but a high quality natural product can have a
material cost double that of a high quality concrete paver.
Installation costs are almost impossible to estimate without
seeing the work sight. Soil conditions,
access, and product selection are major variables that change at each job site.
As a general rule, natural stone costs more than
prefabricated concrete.
Durability is also an important factor to consider. Concrete pavers are clearly
stronger, but depending on the specific use of your new patio or walkway, either
option can be utilized.
Finally, there is the all-important aesthetic
appeal. This is a category where natural stone is often a big winner, but with
all the designs and patterns available in the concrete pavers, it is really a
matter of personal choice.
So which product is better, concrete pavers or natural stone? There is no
clear-cut better product. Natural stone and concrete
pavers can both be used to create useful and beautiful patios and walkways.
If durability is your main concern, however, we
will typically recommend concrete pavers.
