Customers are learning that pavers are more durable as well as attractive
Published in the April 2-15, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
When South Valley residents and businesses want to get quality work in having pavers installed for patio, driveway, pool or other improvement projects, they call Bob Traina of Pavers by Design. Traina started his business in 2011. When he’s not putting in pavers, he does volunteer work in the Morgan Hill community. Morgan Hill Life asked him about his business and why pavers can add value to a home construction project.
What are the advantages of pavers over ordinary concrete or brick materials?
Customers have been doing their research and they are starting to realize that paver stones are not only more attractive, they are much more durable and flexible. Pavers also come in a wide range of colors, textures and sizes, and the cost has come down to be very comparable to concrete. Most of us live with clay soil or on a slope that will move over time. This movement is not favorable for a ridge product such as concrete, or flagstone which needs to sit on a concrete base. Ridge products will crack and when water gets under them the soil will move even more, causing more problems in time. Pavers sit on a deeper compaction of base materials which helps stabilize the installation and should last a lifetime and beyond.
What basic advice would you give people when they are considering installing pavers in their homes and businesses?
The best advice is to use a reputable contractor that has a California state license, they are bonded and insured and has an ICPI Certification (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute). I know it is very tempting to try to save money, but choosing an unlicensed crew or landscaper that did some work in the neighborhood is not a good investment. Unfortunately these installations are typically the paver jobs you see a year or two later that are moving, opening, growing weeds out of them. I do get calls to repair these and usually the only way to fix is to start over with the base.
Why would you recommend that customers look for professional installation of pavers for their patios and driveways compared to installing them on their own?
I have worked for a lot of home owners that installed pavers themselves in the past. Some did a nice job, and some not so nice. Most of them say they would not do it again, that’s why they called me. They realize there is a lot of earth moving, tons of materials coming and going. Hundreds of wheel barrel trips moving base rock and most importantly compacting it in layers. This requires having to rent a plate compactor a few times during the many weekends of laboring. Installing the pavers is the easy part – if you think moving thousands of pavers is fun. Cutting the edge stones precisely and installing the border stones correctly is very important. After all that work compacting, the borders hold the entire job tightly together (so plastic or aluminum edging, although easier, is not recommended). We install a concrete bond beam edge under the borders. This curbing edge restraint is the best choice and can be enlarged for sloped areas that require more holding strength.
What is one job installing pavers that you are particularly proud of?
I was fortunate to be asked to bid for a large project at Guglielmo Winery here in Morgan Hill. They were looking for a design that would complement their outdoor entertaining space and replace most of the existing lawn with a large paver pavilion. The design we installed has a beautiful earth-tone color cobble pavers with an accented lighter color border and inner band. We also replaced a circular section with border accented pavers and seat wall — that is a popular location for the wedding ceremonies.
For more information, call (408) 465-9229
