Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog

What is the future, then, of brick pavers?  Have all creative avenues been blocked owing to their new popularity or are there people out there discovering new ways of experiencing the art of driveway and Piazza construction? The answer to that touches on our personal and community expectations regarding our outdoor environments.  I am more than pleased to say that the future is very bright indeed, as can be seen in this tiny sampling relating to the possibilities inherent in the paving art.

Brick pavers have evolved to such an extent that pictures such as the one above now represent a possibility that never existed before in a non-modular form.  The freeing up of ideas based on modularity and small sectioned pieces represents amazing possibilities for the enterprising designer.

Here are some other examples of what could happen and has: The first one below was designed on a computer using musical references in a mathematical formula….”resonances”, I believe the architect mentioned. It is from a Toronto, Canada plaza outside a facility that features music. I can only imagine the contractor scratching his head over the placement of the pavers, lol. Like many architects, they design, we install.  “Figure it out and make it work.” is a common enough statement.  Just the same, it is a fascinating bit of work, beyond doubt.

Here’s your standard average serenidpitous piece of driveway reckoning, a little on the whimsical side and surely not for everyone.  I just enjoy the fantastic sort of element of it all, myself and, yes, I would use it.

Look out!  This one is a mind blower, lol, all pavers.

Aside from the whimsical, however, are other sizes and style of pavers a bit more standard, yet still interesting, allowing many different possibilities as well. These are your larger compressed concrete pavers that are also seeing wide usage any more:

Here is a variety of more standard pavers from the “tumbled” editions below in the prior post. These have some definite benefits over the tumbled variety especially when sealed with a “wet” looking sealer. The glossy appearance gives them a glossy sheen which really brings out color.

They start out much like in the picture below. Once installed and “grouted” with dry sand swept between the cracks, we then wash them off and apply this sealer for the above look. In fact, the first picture is a similar brick color as the one below. We actually opted not to seal the one below for reasons of budget and the overall effect, inasmuch as it is not the main driveway. But for anyone who might be interested, we generally do begin where we can establish a straight line, then work out from there during construction.

Here are a few more examples of non-tumbled pavers and their finished look:

Here’s a before an after look at a set of pavers we finished with the same sealant material, giving a glossier look as opposed to where we began.

I just love this “Bishop’s Hat” pattern of bricks. This is call “Cream and Tan” which seems to typify it very well indeed:

Others, the first one sealed with a semi gloss treatment, then those after, without sealant at all:

Originally, brick pavers were all designed to adhere to a strict sort of glossy perfection, all snugged up and colorful and astoundingly exact. But newer technologies developed a system of “tumbling” brick pavers which allowed them to thrash around inside a rotating container filled with sand and a few other pavers and which took off all the sharp edges and yielded a very interesting look – more weathered, almost antiqued. What it allowed was an interesting sort of sense of history right away.

The muted tones and apparently irregular edges of the tumbled product became another approach altogether.

Here’s a standard “tumbled” paver look that goes all the way around front:

This next one is paired with the one following it. It’s a downright huge patio using rough, tumbled pavers with an interesting laying pattern. Click the pictures to enlarge, especially the second one:

Click to enlarge

Another “rough” style paver (tumbled), offers some “antiquing” to a newer project:

Same place from the other side of the house, leading to the rear:

Same place, just walking around the house more:

We’ve been here before in this blog, and recently, but I thought these still bore a look, considering the theme:

At any rate, one can see how these do indeed look far rougher and more sort of “historical”. The cracks are always sand filled and the surfaces are generally easily walkable. Yes, care has to be taken to select pavers which won’t cause accidents from such things as high heels or walking canes – the pavers can get pretty chipped and miss entire corners – but that’s easy to do. Next, I will contrast these tumbled pavers with the fully intact varieties.

Sitting outdoors on our patios can get quite addictive.  Sometimes those gorgeous Summer nights can make us want to linger into the cooler hours – even quite late – alone or with a loved one and just savor what the quiet side of Nature and modern life has to offer.  It can be equally nice, or even nicer, to spend a cool afternoon or evening outdoors, simply because it is just so darn fresh and because it offers a sanctuary from the madding crowds. Many times, unfortunately, it is just too cool to really enjoy, in spite of how alluring the prospect of an hour or two out of doors might seem.

Fire pits are the modern landscaping alternative to outdoor heaters.  Their gentle flames remind us of the stark importance that fire itself has played in our development as a species.  Fire is the one element of nature which serves the most constructive and destructive services of our lives at the most immediate level. Fire cooks, but it also warms.  Of all the 4 primary elements, fire is the one most often lacking in our lives. The addition of fire into a landscape is an amazing element. In the modern push towards more outdoor living and comfort in 4 season climates, the  elevation of the constructed fire pit to an aspired-to factor in our landscapes is an interesting turn.

Whether a fire pit is an introduced item of some artistic interest, such as the pre fab piece above, complete with some rustic seating around it, or whether – as in the picture below – it is a literal “pit”, mixed into the floor mix among this cement in a Reno patio, they provide that warmth that can extend a party or a simple outdoor sojourn for hours.

The fire pits shown here are all gas-fed with controls, of course, allowing a certain amount of flame to generate the desired heat.  Dials are hidden below the brass caps which control the volume of gas used to generate the level of heating desired. Typically red lava rocks which retain heat so well, are placed over the grids where the gas emits and, as the top picture shows, artificial wood pieces can even add a semblance of rustic charm and authenticity.

Nor is this to say that gas-powered fit pits are the be-all and end-all.  The picture below shows a simple construction where we excavated a hole, laid in a grill, built up the sides with mortar and local rock and allowed this family to burn wood when they chose.  It worked marvelously and is often the focal point for parties.

In the end, fire pits and constructions dedicated to providing heating outdoors of any kind are a terrific development in landscaping construction.  They allow us to spend yet more time outdoors, away from televisions and computers and give us that chance we so often need to commune with nature and with one another, late into otherwise cool nights. Naturally, the innate fascination we find regarding fire itself – the licking flames and fire behavior in general – are among the most fascinating scientific and spiritual subjects in our entire history.

If you enlarge this picture, you can see the gas line feeding this fire construction from the bottom.