4 Mistakes to Avoid for Homeowners When Installing Concrete Pavers

Concrete pavers in a patio and entryway with white columns and nice shrubbery

A paver project, such as building a paver patio can add thousands of dollars to your home’s value. It can also help you negotiate a higher selling price when you’re ready to sell your home.

Even if you don’t plan to sell your home anytime soon, installing concrete pavers can add elegance to your property, whether you use them in the driveway, for a retaining wall, or as a patio.

That doesn’t mean that your paver project will automatically be a home run. There are plenty of mistakes that homeowners make when they decide to install pavers. These mistakes can cost more money in the long run.

Read on to learn what the top mistakes are and how you can avoid them.

1. Poor Design and Planning

Homeowners can unknowingly be short-sighted in planning a hardscaping project. They will often choose to piecemeal a hardscaping project to minimize costs. Unfortunately, this can lead to an inconsistent exterior look that doesn’t appear well-designed.

Once you start installing concrete pavers, it becomes difficult to make changes to your plan. So, you want to have a clear vision as to what you want your home’s total exterior, including landscaping, to look like.

The answer? Map out your plan for your home’s exterior. Not just for the next year, but for the next 5-10 years. This is easy to do using landscape design software.

2. Filling In the Base

Installing concrete pavers seems like a great DIY project that will deliver a high ROI. But it can backfire when homeowners often don’t get the installation right. This happens more often than one might think, primarily because the pavers aren’t set on a solid foundation.

They’ll often dig up a shallow area for a base, maybe 2-3 inches. Then they will backfill the installation with dirt that doesn’t get compacted. The end result is that the pavers will settle because the surface underneath isn’t stable. And as they settle, the pavers will move about.

You’ll need to start with a base of at least 4 inches, cover the dirt with gravel, and then compact the base to reduce or eliminate settling.

We highly recommend installing a Silca SoilGrid to give you a strong base as well as improved drainage.

Landscape construction contractors cutting the Silca SoilGrid with a power saw.

3. Lack of Drainage

Your hardscaping project needs to have a direct flow of water. Otherwise, heavy rain could completely ruin your project or damage your home.

When you make your plan, be sure to have a way for water to drain properly. This could be as simple as installing gravel under the pavers to allow water to travel away from the pavers and your home. As mentioned above, the Silca SoilGrid is an excellent alternative to help avoid drainage issues.

4. Laying Pavers for Looks

When you start to lay pavers, you’re likely to want to have a symmetrical pattern. This could be a long line that runs throughout the project. When you lay your pavers this way you’re compromising the integrity of the project.

Long lines that are created when laying pavers side by side will shift and settle more over time. You can avoid that by creating an interlocking pattern where four corners don’t meet on any pavers. Run a search on patterns for laying pavers to see lots of attractive options, or simply ask a professional at Southwest Stone Supply.

Colorful stone pavers making a classic-looking driveway surrounded by a neatly trimmed lawn

Installing Concrete Pavers the Right Way

Installing concrete pavers can add beauty to your home and increase the value. You may be tempted to install pavers on your own, but there are many mistakes that can happen along the way. 

You’re better off hiring professionals to do the job right the first time. Contact us today to find out more about installing pavers and to get an estimate.

Give Us a Call!

Like this? Please share!

Want to read more about pavers and hardscapes? You may find these posts helpful!