They deserve the same attention to detail as does the home itself. Perhaps the most important decision you will make in planning your home’s paved venues is the selection of the right paving product.

Brick pavers, that is genuine clay paving bricks, have a timeless appeal that imparts an image of classic elegance to homes of any style — from traditional to ultra-modern. In fact, many of the finest homes in America are graced with courtyards, terraces, garden paths and drives paved with brick. Adding a brick walkway or driveway can also add great value to your home. In every way, your return is far greater than your investment.

•With Brick Pavers you CAN choose your color and know what the final product will be. With Stamped Concrete their are many things that could factor into your final results such as the powdered dye and the concrete not being thoroughly mixed together. It is also possible to get a bad batch of concrete which would result in discolored pavement.

•With Brick Pavers you can always get a perfect match even many years later if you decide to add to your existing project. With Stamped Concrete matches are impossible.

•With Brick Pavers if it is necessary you have a product that is repairable without noticing any repairs were made. With Stamped Concrete their ARE NO guarantees and once that cement cracks their are no repair methods.

•With Brick Pavers when creating elevated patios you will have a beautiful border contrasting with a natural stone or block retaining wall. With Stamped Concrete you will have a cement face that is prepared to look like block.

•With Brick Pavers you will have a product that is more durable and flexible than any other product because they are small individual pieces enabling them to be able to move with the climate unlike Stamped Concrete which is poured in big slabs which poses a problem when the frost gets underneath and shifts the concrete causing it to buckle and crack.

Pool Pavers Materials and Safety
Concrete, brick, and stone are the 3 primary raw materials that pavers are made from. Each of these materials is suited for pool paving applications because they can withstand the constant effects of pool waters. It is important to note however, that stone can meet the exact desired effect of poolside paving because sandstone, limestone, and slate are evergreens, thus their ability to produce a matching effect to garden features is great.

One of the key features that pool pavers create is safety. Pavers are made to catch the chosen and desired effect of color and texture of the poolside area, whilst at the same time they endure a high wear and tear resistance, and a non-slip surface that is capable of lasting quite a long time. Hence, this feature of pool pavers is very important because of nature of kids and others to run around and play games on slippery and wet surfaces.

Positive attributes of pool pavers

Affordability
Durability
Strength
Easy installation
Non-slip surface
Easily repairable
Wide variety
These key attributes are the sole basis of why many people chose to use pavers in landscaping poolside areas and creating the nicest possible outcome. Pavers can create a most incredible effect by supplementing the landscaping and authenticity to pool surrounds.

Affordability

Pool Pavers are a very cost-effective alternative to flooring the surrounds of your swimming pool areas. Particularly if a mortar-less method of installation is applied to your Pool Pavers.

Durability

Pavers around the pool are quite durable, it is important however, to choose the right type of Paver material if you have a salt water pool. Simply consult your manufacturer for advice.

Strength

The right type of Paver for the pool areas will be strong enough to withstand the effects of water splashing, foot traffic and the effects of salt water.

Easy Installation

Pavers can be so simple to install around the pool, particularly if you are not using mortar to hold them in place, in this case it is probably easy enough for you to do-it-yourself.

Non-Slip Surface

The key advantage to Pool Pavers is knowing that they will be slip-resistant, for it is so important to know that your family will be safe when playing around the pool and enjoying themselves.

Easily Repairable

The great thing about Pavers is that they can be so easily repaired, simply by removing and replacing single Pavers. Pavers are very cost-effective when it comes to repairs and maintenance.

Wide Variety

Pool Pavers are so versatile and the patterns and design possibilities are endless. Pavers can create a range of looks to suite your pool area, for they are available in various colors, textures, shapes and sizes.

Retaining Wall Design
Retaining walls are used to give support to vertical sloping land. By installing retaining walls, such sloping land can be leveled and hence be of greater use. Plants, trees and gardens can be incorporated, to once useless land.

Retaining walls also have a less functional use, which is a visual or decorative purpose. Retaining walls can be used in the garden to add to the landscaping design, such as surrounding flower beds or to accentuate feature gardens.

With the use of colored bricks and pavers, decorative stones and various timbers, retaining walls can add that aesthetic appeal to the garden grounds.

Retaining walls are also used for the construction of highway walls, parking lots, erosion walls and bridges.

Factors to Consider in Building a Retaining Wall

Building a retaining can be easy enough for do-it-yourself installation, however the higher the slope the more difficult it becomes to construct. When the slope of the land becomes too high and steep, a structural engineer is required. The reason for this is that many structural factors must be taken into consideration and resolved to prevent destabilization of the wall.

So the gravity of the situation where a retaining wall is being considered is very important. The retaining wall has to be able to do the same job that the soil presently does. Therefore the type of soil behind the wall must be considered, or better yet a drainage system can be put in place. This will allow water to be released from behind the wall, and hence put less weight pressure on the wall.

A Michigan Landscaping Contractor would carry out such work as; planting trees, lawns, shrubs, plants and any other decorative vegetation. The person would also install paved patios, walkways, pathways, decking and driveways. They would install water features, fences and irrigation systems, along with any general Michigan Landscaping Maintenance you may require.

Let us now list some of the services provided by a Michigan Landscaping Contractor.

Michigan Landscape Maintenance

Turf/lawns care and maintenance
Tree care and maintenance
Pest control
Water feature maintenance
Plant maintenance
Erosion control and re-vegetation
Renovate Landscapes
Irrigation systems

Michigan Landscape Constructions
Install, design and build
Plans and tech specs
Commercial and Residential projects
Hardscapes: patios, decks, walkways, driveways and pathways pavers
Drainage and irrigation
Water features, rock features
Landscape Lighting installation
Plan and install Landscape Renovations
Retaining Walls and fences
Sod Lawns

Tips for Hiring a Michigan Landscaping Contractor
It is very important to get the right contractor for your Michigan Landscaping Project, for a great job will increase the value and appeal of your property. Landscaping is an investment and you want to ensure returns on it, so invest a little time when choosing your Michigan Landscaping Contractor.

Following are some suggestion when selecting a Michigan Landscaping Contractor:

Plan your Michigan Landscaping project thoroughly, so you know what you want from the Michigan Landscaping Contractor precisely, particularly the quality of materials you want.
Obtain a free estimate, preferably a written estimate, detailing work, materials and total price.
Check that the Michigan Landscaping Contractor is licensed and has insurance. You want to make sure that you are protected from any liability.
Really go over the estimate thoroughly. If it is too cheap be cautious, cheap does not always mean the best end results.
Check out some previous job references and perhaps pictures of them.
You can even go and see the work youself. Many very good contractors have customers that are happy to show off their good work.
If the Michigan Landscaping Contractor is keen and seems to have good references, give them a go, they don’t have to work for a large well known company. Sometimes the little guys put in the most effort and most quality.

It is very important to obtain a detailed written contract!
Always ask about the guarantees on a job and the materials used.
Communicate with your Michigan Landscaping Contractor; ask any question or query anything you feel unsure about.
If they do a great job, enjoy it and refer them to friends and family!

For instance, fences offer privacy and safety. Fences can also provide solid property lines for defining the division of yards. The famous adage “good fences make good neighbors” is testament to the importance of clear boundaries in a community.
A series of retaining walls correct a large, awkward slope that would otherwise be hard to use or cultivate. ­Fences or walls can be used to divide up areas within a yard for different purposes. If it’s important to have grassy areas for children to play in or for pets to use, you may need to section these areas off from hard surfaces and vegetable gardens. Perhaps most helpful, however, is how walls can improve the general topography of a yard. There’s nothing like a steep, awkward slope to make a perfectly large yard uncomfortable and unusable. If the slope is steep enough, it may be worth putting in a retaining wall to correct it. Several different kinds of retaining walls exist, but they all serve the same purpose. Essentially, they hold back sections of soil so that you can separate your yard into levels of flatter surfaces. Retaining walls also prevent soil erosion.

Among the different kinds of retaining walls are gravity, piling, cantilevered, gabion, anchor system and concrete block. Each of these uses a different process for holding soil back, and the best kind for you might depend on your situation and preferences. To retain their durability, all retaining walls need some sort of drainage outlet. This is because water can accumulate in the soil and push against the wall. For reasons such as this, you should seek expert advice before attempting to build a wall yourself .

Another function of hardscaping is to provide shelter. Gazebos and overhangs are two examples of outdoor shelters that allow you to use your yard more. They can protect users from a light drizzle or shade them on hot, sunny days.

Lastly, if you’re the kind of person who abhors mowing the lawn, hardscape can cut down on that chore significantly. Paving walkways or — even better — putting in patios will reduce the amount of grassy area in your lawn, giving you a very low-maintenance yard.

You should consider these practical functions first and foremost when developing your hardscaping plan so that you can design around the important features.

Although vegetation is certainly important, it’s just one element of landscaping. The other is known as hardscaping, also called hard landscaping. As opposed to the plant life in a yard, which is called softscaping, hardscaping has to do with all the nonplant design elements of a yard. In other words, all the paved walkways, walls, patios, fences, lawn ornaments and rocks constitute your lawn’s hardscape. Hardscaping represents the foundation and anchor of landscaping plans. You should plan your hardscaping carefully and implement it before starting to softscape.

Hardscaping incorporates several design elements to enhance the appearance of your yard. It provides a fluid continuity from your home’s interior to the yard and from your yard to the surrounding landscape. The solidity and permanence of hardscape also offers an aesthetic contrast to the vulnerable and transient vegetation.

We sh­ould note that under its strictest definition, hardscaping encompasses all deliberately positioned inanimate outdoor surfaces. This includes public sidewalks, streets and even parking lots. Nevertheless, designers typically use the term to refer to home landscaping, and that is what this article mainly focuses on. General principles and materials, however, apply to all types of hardscape.

Like urban hardscaping, lawn hardscaping isn’t just about aesthetics. Hardscaping serves some very useful and practical functions.

Brick Pavers Have a Timeless Classic Elegance

Brick pavers, meaning authentic paving brick made of clay, have an appeal that is timeless. Brick paving can bestow an impression of classic elegance to houses of any style, from the uber-modern to the totally traditional. As a matter of fact, some of the finest Michigan homes are endowed with drives, garden paths, walkways, terraces, and courtyards made of brick paving. Brick imparts a soothing and stately ambiance. Plus it is imbued with warmth and an inherent comfort. It simply does not ever go out of style. Moreover, including a brick paving driveway or walkway will add a lot of value to your house.

How Brick Paving is Manufactured

Some of the primary elements of the earth, fire, water, and clay are combined together in order to form brick pavers. Since this paving material comes from the very earth, they imbibe a natural kind of harmony to any landscape design. Made of special blends of shale and clay, brick pavers are molded and pressed into shape by hand or by machine.

After the bricks are pressed into shape, they are first dried and then fired at about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, until the particles are fused together into a very strong bond. In fact, so strong are paving bricks that they have the ability to withstand loads that exceed 12,000 lbs per square inch. Part of the reason brick pavers are so strong is because of the density they achieve in the manufacturing process. And this density is also what makes them resistant to most types of stains.

Paving Bricks Come in Earthy Colors

Paving bricks have a natural tendency of having earthy blends or tones of colors such as brown, red, ten, greenish gray, and cream. These colors are typical of the various regions or areas that the clay is mined from. Brick pavers that have darker shades or blends of light and dark occur due to the flashing process, by which they get a permanent color. Because of the high temperature that is used to fire brick pavers the color they are imbued with lasts forever without ever fading.

Brick Pavers Come in Many Designs

One of the best parts about brick paving is the innumerable options of designs available because of the patterns that can be created by using various textures, colors, shapes, and sizes of bricks. Hence, there is a diversity of products that lie within the broad scope of brick paving, which range from the extruded brick of these days, well-known for the preciseness of their looks to the old-fashioned charm of waterstruck brick made by hand. Characterized by the rich colors of the earth, the patterns of brick paving can range from the intricate to the classically simple, and can be laid either by using mortar or even without it.

They deserve the same attention to detail as does the home itself. Perhaps the most important decision you will make in planning your home’s paved venues is the selection of the right paving product.

Brick pavers, that is genuine clay paving bricks, have a timeless appeal that imparts an image of classic elegance to homes of any style — from traditional to ultra-modern. In fact, many of the finest homes in America are graced with courtyards, terraces, garden paths and drives paved with brick. The appeal of brick in both aesthetic and practical. Brick presents a quiet but stately elegance, yet is still warm and welcoming. It never goes out of style. Adding a brick walkway or driveway can also add great value to your home. In every way, your return is far greater than your investment.

The primal elements of clay, water and fire come together to form brick pavers. They bring a natural harmony to every landscape design because they are the paving material that comes from the earth itself. Comprised of selected blends of clay and shale, paving brick is molded and pressed into shape either by machine or by hand. After a brick has been formed under pressure, it is dried and fired at nearly 2,000 degrees F until the particles fuse together to form a very strong bond. Paving bricks are so strong that many can withstand loads exceeding 12,000 pounds per square inch. Part of their strength is related to the density achieved when manufacturing. It is also this density that makes paving brick impervious to most stains.
The colors of paving bricks tend to be earth tones or blends of muted colors, typically red, brown, greenish gray, tan and even cream. These colors are characteristic of the clays mined from the earth and vary with the source area or region.Darker colors and blends of dark and light brick arise from the process of flashing, which imparts a permanent color into the paving brick. The high temperature at which clay paving brick is fired allows the color to endure forever without fading.

One great advantage of brick pavers is the almost endless number of design options available through patterns created using brick of various sizes, shapes, colors and textures. Within the broad category of genuine clay pavers lies a diversity of products ranging from hand-made, waterstruck brick with their old-fashioned appeal to modern, extruded brick known for their precise look. Featuring colors drawn from a rich palette of natural earth tones, patterns range from simple to intricate and may be laid using mortar or without it.

The type of brick, the intricacy of the design and the type of installation (mortared or mortarless) you have chosen should all be considered when determining whether your paving project is best suited to a do-it-yourself or professional installation. For example, because antique-style, hand-made brick, by the nature of their design and manufacturing process, will vary in size, they demand more artistry in patterning and should probably be installed by a mason skilled in adjusting for the variability. While this type of paver may not be the right choice for a do-it-yourselfer, it creates a soft, rich look that can’t be duplicated. Hand-mold brick could be a crucial design element in achieving historical accuracy through the use of simple, traditional brick paving patterns.

Many manufacturers have adapted to modern technology brought from Europe and are now producing brick pavers with unprecedented accuracy in dimensions. This more modern paving brick is well-suited to complex designs and patterns which require a high degree of uniformity among the individual paving brick.

Paving brick is available at your local brick distributor’s showroom, your best source of information on paving brick, including do-it-yourself installation tips and names of qualified installers in your area. You can visit the showroom of a brick distributor and select your paving brick just as you would the brick for a home. Because genuine clay pavers are made from the same material as the brick on your house, brick companies can easily provide paving brick to match or complement the brick on an existing or new home.

Most people assume that any paving product that looks like brick is, in fact, brick. Not so. Paving brick is made of clay, the traditional source material of brick manufacturers. Concrete pavers, which may appear similar to their clay counterpart on the shelf, are actually a very different product.

Concrete pavers, similar to concrete block, consist of cement and aggregate. Formed in molds, a vibration process provides the combined materials with density. Over time, the units gain strength due to the curing or hardening of the cement. Colors other than gray are achieved by adding pigments to the mixture of cement and aggregate.

Because it is not inherent to the material, the pigment added to concrete pavers can erode, eventually exposing the color of the aggregate and perhaps resulting in a complete change from the original color of the concrete paver. Dark pigments in particular can fade over time. Unfortunately, once the color has faded, it is impossible to bring the color back to its original appearance without replacing the concrete paver.

Like modern, extruded brick pavers, concrete pavers are manufactured with highly accurate dimensions and are typically available at large home improvement retailers. Retail malls and commercial real estate have done a great job utilizing concrete pavers, but they are used less frequently in upscale residential. “Why,” you might ask? The answers are simple.

Clay, like all quality materials, keeps looking better and better over time. It ages well and wears well. Brick, on a house or on the ground, conveys a sense of permanency–it just says “home.” Brick is loved for its natural origins, its rich tonalities and its uniqueness. Like snowflakes, no two bricks are alike. Be aware of the statement your home is making. Genuine clay pavers provide a warm welcome that will endure, and even improve, after years of enjoyment.