‘Landscape Pavers’ Articles at  Dream Retreats, Arizona’s Premier Landscape Contractor and Design

With the current recession that plagues us; there is growing concern of the number of unqualified landscapers that are working within the landscape contracting industry.  Concern of unqualified landscape contractors is growing within many Homeowner Association Communities who are trying to uphold standards regarding landscapes within their communities to aid in maintaining home values in an already challenging housing industry.  HOA’s aren’t the only segment that this concern is growing among, many licensed, experienced landscape contractors and manufacturers of building materials are also being affected by unqualified “landscapers.” Professional landscape contractors are being undercut in bidding wars with these so called landscapers along with manufacturers are being affected by the bad name their product is getting because these “landscapers” will almost always blame the product not the installation when their work begins to turn bad.

There are numerous unlicensed, unqualified, uninsured landscape contractors within the Phoenix area that many homeowners are hiring to provide landscaping services especially in the area of concrete landscape paver installations for new driveways, patio’s, sidewalks and pool decks.

Dream Retreats landscape paver pool deck

Landscape pavers are an alternate to poured concrete surfaces that provide brilliant color, shapes and sizes that can provide “curb appeal” and value to homeowners.  There are currently several different manufacturers here in the Phoenix area that produce superior products at reduced prices due to the collapse of the building industry.

The success of any landscape paver project depends on the willingness of the installer to install pavers correctly.  This often seems to be  the big problem!  Almost all paver installations should be installed over 2″ of base material (referred to as ABC) that needs to be compacted with 1/2″ to 1″of finish sand over the ABC to provide a proper bedding platform on which the pavers rest.  To do otherwise results in project failure (heaving and shifting movements that look like ocean waves) that often gets blamed on the paver itself, when in fact it is the installation process.  If paver projects are installed correctly by a licensed, experienced contractor, they will provide a lifetime of beauty and functional service.

There are a flood of purported contractors that leave business cards on homeowner doors.  Many of these are people that have no business being in business.  The only attraction they present to the unsuspecting homeowner is the cheap price.  Many of the prices we see out there are below the cost of what a legitimate installer can charge, let along the idea of making a profit to enable them to stay in business.  Usually it takes a year or so for paver project failures to present themselves- by then the cheap-guy in long gone.  Try calling him to stop by to correct the problem – more than likely he is long gone and you are stuck with a mess.  The blame for these failures are then unfairly placed on the pavers themselves.

Dream Retreats landscape paver patio

Thankfully, there is an organization named “I.C.P.I. of Arizona” short for “Interconnecting Concrete Paver Institute” that can provide homeowners with certified and licensed contractors to call for bids.  Dream Retreats is a landscape contractor that serves the Phoenix  area that is ICPI Certified.  At Dream Retreats we have gone through the professional training and certification through the ICPI Institute.  We will provide to homeowners the professional proper installation of landscape pavers.

We all know that adding an outdoor living space to your backyard landscaping is a great way to enjoy the fabulous Phoenix weather. But what many people struggle with when thinking about their landscape remodeling project is where to start and what essential elements to include. So if you are one of those folks thinking about remodeling your backyard landscape and adding a great new outdoor living space here are 3 essential elements to start with.

Of course all landscape remodeling projects should start with a great foundation. The most important foundation of any outdoor living space is the patio and patio extensions. Also, if you have a pool make sure that you tie the patios and pool deck areas together so you achieve good “flow” throughout the entire backyard. So many pools and backyard landscapes were originally installed separately with neither the landscape contractor nor pool contractor coordinating the overall landscaping design.  When landscape remodeling, there are a lot of options to choose from in order to achieve a great new patio space and tie it all together. The most popular, decorative and affordable are landscape pavers.  With all the landscape remodeling and pool decks remodeling going on throughout the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas, today’s paver manufactuers have developed their product lines to give you a reason to choose landscape pavers for almost any landscape remodel challenge.  The new line of thin landscape pavers can be placed right over existing concrete avoiding the cost involved in removing the existing concrete. Patio extensions can then be added over a prepared base to tie it all together. Once you’ve decided on the footprint for your outdoor living space then the fun begins.

Next, decide where you would like to add an outdoor bbq. Whether you decide on a custom outdoor bbq with barstool seating and a wet bar or keep it simple with a nice cart model, an outdoor bbq in the backyard is an essential way to enjoy your outdoor living space, eat healthy and have family and friends gather ‘round.

The third element, of course, is a patio fireplace or a backyard fire pit. From September to May when the evenings turn cool and sometimes downright chilly a custom patio fireplace or built in backyard fire pit will add the warmth to keep your family and friends enjoying the great new outdoor living space you’ve created.

Are you tired of looking at your ugly gray concrete patio? Or how about your cracking and peeling pool deck coating?  Are you worried about the cost and mess involved in removing all that concrete in order to update your pool deck or landscape?  Well I have a great solution for you to beautify your front or backyard landscape or redo your pool deck without having to go through all the cost and hassle.  The latest products in the market are the new thin overlay landscape pavers.  These pool deck pavers can be placed right over the top of your concrete patio or pool deck.  They can also be used to extend any patio or pool deck!

The best choices for pool decks are the new white cement pavers from Arizona Block or the travertine pavers.  Both are cool on your feet, look great, and have coping pieces that finish around the pool without having to remove the pool deck or damage the tile or pool interior.

If you’re considering extending your current patio to create a larger outdoor living space, thin overlay pavers are a great choice as well.  The paver can be placed on the existing concrete and then extended out into the yard on a prepared crushed granite sub-base.  This is a great way to beautify your current patio as well as achieve the appearance of a larger overall space since it’s all one type of material.

In either case, using thin overlay pavers is a great way to improve your landscape patio, or pool deck without the hassle of removing the existing concrete.  Check out these jobs we did in Scottsdale and Chandler.

Thin Overlay Pavers for a patio & patio extension

Thin Overlay Pavers used for a pool deck