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Manufactured stone patios/driveways
Anyone here have any experience with outfits like Systems Paving for doing hardscape work like patios or driveways?
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... not enough time for all the timeshares ® -
Nope, but I had a new walkway done in Nicolok Pavers and they look great!
Nicolock Interlocking Paving Stones and Retaining Walls -
Looks like the same materials, and they're local to me, too.Originally posted by GrayFal... not enough time for all the timeshares ®Comment
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They are very attractive and made it thru a New York Winter just fine...I had it done ina herringbone? pattern.Originally posted by Spence
I will see if I can find my camera and take a picture tomorrow.Comment
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Spence- out of curiosity I took a look at their product and installation. Having put in another brand but similar paving system many years ago (we were one of the first to put in a pavingstone driveway in this area anyway back in 1993) I can give you some long- term feedback.
First of all, let me tell you it was the best thing we ever did. As a matter of fact, it was quite funny the winter after we put it in. In the NY area that winter had a tremendous number of ice storms and, actually, this past winter with those awful Feb./March ice storms was the first winter since we put in the driveway that we have had more than half a day with any ice on the driveway. We live in a cul de sac on a bit of a hill, and have an 83' driveway. The first winter we should have sold tickets to view it; we were the only driveway that was clear all winter, and people used to pull up and stop and stare for a few minutes several times each day. It was comical. We noticed lots of people in the area put them in the following year.
That said- the pros of putting them in for a driveway- better traction, esp. on a hill. Never have to resurface like asphalt- so no on-going expense every 5-8 years and you don't have to worry about the slickness after resurfacing (which was one of the reasons we put it in). When it gets icy, if you have any sun on your driveway the ice will melt and the water will drain through, so the ice doesn't reform. Any residual snow/ice just melts much faster. Looks almost brand new 14 years later.
Cons- expensive (it was about 2.5X an asphalt driveway; don't know the current price difference). Despite what they say, you do get some moss between blocks- not a huge problem, but needs to be powerwashed every other year. You can use a snowblower, but not a plow.
A comment on their installation- a sand base is fine for patios. Driveways are a different story becuase of heavy weight. I had researched this a lot before putting it in and used a top notch installer. He strongly rec. a dry mix base (sand and dry cement) for the driveway, because he said otherwise tire lines would be visible after a year (that there would be sinking). When watered down during the installation the dry mix gives a more supportive base. I can tell you that we live in NY, so while we don't have the winters that some areas have, we have had our share of snow/ice. After 14 years I can notice a few areas of slight settling, esp. where the gutter drainage empties into the driveway, but you probably would never notice it even if looking for it (I am a neurotic perfectionist
). Seriously, having it installed that way has made a tremendous difference.
One other suggestion as to color selection- if you have trees on the property, esp. in the area of the installation, consider using one of hte more mottled color selections. Part of our house is red brick so I chose the red tones and was going to opt for the solid color and the installer rec. the mottled, because staining from leaves, which will happen over time, looks natural. Another good suggestion. If you looked at my driveway you would think that it was installed last year, except that now the tumbled marble look is more commonplace and mine are octagonal with the small squares.
Last but not least - pattern: I personally would be concerned about the real tumbled marble look with the big spaces on the surface which is the newest look. From experience over time some moss does grow, despite what they tell you. I would opt for the ones that butt close together at the edges so that there aren't big surface spaces. I know my brother put the tumbled ones in for a patio and landed up putting dry cement in the joints (which I venture to guess will give him trouble over time). The tumbled look is nice, but will require more maintenance (powerwashing to clean the joints, which is a tedious job).
HTH
PS- this is what happens when I can't sleep- I get long-winded (more than usual :-))- anyway- one other tip: if you are using them on stairs, the installers love to sell the bullnosed edging finish or, in the case of the tumbled look, the asymmetrical natural looking edges. They are more aesthetic than the traditional 90 degree edges. However, I can tell you as a physical therapist that they are not as safe going up and down stairs and, if you live in a climate where you can get any snow/ice, that type of edging can be trecherous. People get sold on the "look" and, in my opinion, those rounded edges or uneven edges are an accident waiting to happen, esp. as people get a little older. The traditional squared off edge or mixing the pavers with using something like slabs of bluestone of the stairs are much safer in the long run.Comment
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We used system paving.
We redid our front and back with System Paving about 3 years ago. Patios and driveway. After a year of dealing with other contractors remodeling our house, we were pleasantly suprised to find someone who was fast and efficient. They did our project in less than 2 weeks(our project was good size) start to finish.Originally posted by Spence
We do not deal with snow here but Earthquakes and tree roots are a concern. If a earthquake should cause some cracks or damage we can have them fix just that part of the patio or driveway.
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