Brick pavers for driveway??? Thoughts?

Kritchlow

Kritchlow

Final Approach
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Kritchlow
We are building a house and not sure whether or not to do the driveway with pavers. I understand this will cost $$$ (10k ?), but that’s okay. If it’s much more than that we will scrap the idea.

Does this involve a lot of maintenance? I realize there may be weeding to be done, but what about the long term costs?

I LOVE the way it looks and it’s our forever home.

Just want opinions in order to learn what I don’t know....

Thanks
 
IK04 said:
Consider sculptured concrete instead. It can be made to look like pavers and be ZERO maintenance.
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Love the idea.... that was an option for our pool area but the builder said that can crack to the tune of big repair bills...???
 
What are the dimensions of the "runway"?

Some materials may make more sense, and then a transition to the more decorative part of the approach.
 
Ravioli said:
What are the dimensions of the "runway"?

Some materials may make more sense, and then a transition to the more decorative part of the approach.
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Don’t have the exact dimensions, but the garage is set back 20 feet from the road (close due to large footprint of house on smaller property), and it’s a three car garage.
 
You can also do some pretty cool combos between concrete and pavers
 
Kritchlow said:
Love the idea.... that was an option for our pool area but the builder said that can crack to the tune of big repair bills...???
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We had it on a walkway and around the pool in a previous house. The builder is right. One crack and the whole effect is ruined.
 
Ken Ibold said:
We had it on a walkway and around the pool in a previous house. The builder is right. One crack and the whole effect is ruined.
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Thanks for the affirmation!!!!
 
ejensen said:
I has binders that help the sand stay in place with rain/wind and stabilize the bricks
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Unfortunately, they're still vulnerable to gophers/moles.
 
I own a landscape company and pavers are our Specialty. Drives can be done but need to be sure to use the proper paver and requires a lot of extra base material. Poly sand in the joints is a must. The benefit of pavers are they can be fixed. Where stamped or regular concrete cracks your stuck with it. If you have any questions pm me and I’ll give you my number.
 
Do you live in an area where you have to shovel snow?

Pavers might be tough to clear.
 
Matthew said:
Do you live in an area where you have to shovel snow?

Pavers might be tough to clear.
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Coming from snow country myself, that was my thought too. Not to mention the effects of freeze/thaw cycles. Our city has been dealing with that for year. All of the downtown sidewalks are pavers, and they are always trying to find solutions for the buckling caused by freezing.
 
Where ?

It's a pain with snow.

It's also a pain anywhere it is humid enough for algae.

Make sure they are made for driveway work and not wall bricks. Wall bricks crumble to red dust after a few years.
 
They look nice and will perform as well as concrete if the subbase is done properly. Read up on the subject, and specify what subbase you want the contractor to install.

If you don't specify exactly what you want, the bids you get will be impossible to compare and you won't get the best quality work.

I would avoid stamped and dyed concrete.
 
3393RP said:
They look nice and will perform as well as concrete if the subbase is done properly. Read up on the subject, and specify what subbase you want the contractor to install.

If you don't specify exactly what you want, the bids you get will be impossible to compare and you won't get the best quality work.

I would avoid stamped and dyed concrete.
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Assuming our builder would steer us in the right direction...
 
Kritchlow said:
We are building a house and not sure whether or not to do the driveway with pavers. I understand this will cost $$$ (10k ?), but that’s okay. If it’s much more than that we will scrap the idea.

Does this involve a lot of maintenance? I realize there may be weeding to be done, but what about the long term costs?

I LOVE the way it looks and it’s our forever home.

Just want opinions in order to learn what I don’t know....

Thanks
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I did pavers for my RV parking place,, In a year they were all broken and rough sharp edges sticking up.
I removed all of them, dug down 12-18 inches, and filled with 1/2" crushed stone, every time it settled I'd rake it level again, now after 4 years it is as hard as concrete.
I keep the weeds out and it looks great.
 
Good foundation will make whatever you put on top look better. A bad foundation and the best looking surface will fall apart. Go deep, pack it down in layers and include stress relief. If I were going to do pavers, I would do them in 4 foot squares in a half inch rubber grid.
 
Kritchlow said:
Love the idea.... that was an option for our pool area but the builder said that can crack to the tune of big repair bills...???
Click to expand...
It shouldn't crack any more than a normal concrete surface, because that's what it is. We did this to a driveway, looks great. Around here they call it "stamped concrete". Too bad my new driveway is 550 feet; most of it is gravel, and will stay that way.
 
We had pavers in our Orlando home. Owed it for 8 years. No issues other than power washing and the occasional Round Up and/or fire ant treatment.

Looked great.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
It shouldn't crack any more than a normal concrete surface, because that's what it is. We did this to a driveway, looks great. Around here they call it "stamped concrete".
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Depends on the soils you have underneath and the temperature range you are dealing with. Something that works on a sandy soil without frost will crumble on a clay with wet/drought cycles and deep freezes.
 
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