NH Walkway Construction

Concrete Paver Walkway in NH

Old looking bricks are cool but an old looking walkway is not. If your brick paver walkway is splitting apart, sinking at the steps or rolling away on the edges, it can be a sign of a more serious problem. Just as a foundation is critical in the structural stability of a house, the same is true for a walkway or patio.  Much research has been done over the past 10 years to improve the longevity of brick paver construction, and as a result there are new tools and techniques that help the builder produce a stable product that withstands the forces of nature over time.

Did you know that brick pavers are used in seaports? With the unloading and loading of heavy containers all day, brick pavers are proven to be the most stable and cost-effective pavement option. Europe has been using brick pavers for decades to pave streets and parking areas. This is especially true in Holland where the land has been built up on massive ocean dikes and the ground is subject to settling. The pavers are simply pulled up, a new gravel base installed, and the pavers are put back in place. This is what a road crew looks like in Holland!

So if brick pavers can be used for road traffic, why is my walkway settling? The answer is in the base. In New England we are subject to freeze and thaw cycles and the soil tends to be a loamy clay which can hold water. It’s possible the walkway was not dug deep enough. If it is in a poor drainage area, it could be that clay subsoils are migrating up through the gravel base. In that case, a soil stabilization fabric should have been installed between the site soil and base material. More commonly we find the wrong base material was used (such as stone dust), or the base was not compacted properly. If the edges are rolling, chances are PVC edge restraints were not installed to keep the bedding layer from washing out.

If this has happened to you, it’s not all bad news. Remember Holland! Paver walkways and patios can be easily removed and repaired. But before replacing them, have us come out and inspect the base before reinstalling them. It’s possible a quick repair can be done without replacing the whole walkway.  If it’s a problem with the base, and the base failure continues to happen, you will forever be pulling up pavers, fixing them, and putting them back. It would be better to build the right foundation and reinstall your pavers once and for all. Unless of course you’ve always wanted to work on a Holland road crew!

Share This Article

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top