New Berlin homeowners hardscaping is gaining popularity. When your deck or concrete patio needs replacement think about replacing it with brick or concrete pavers installed by Bob's Grading Inc.  

Brick Streets Making Comeback!

By Steve Lake

Almost every town had them, at one time or another, those solid brick streets that used to lead the way all over the cities and towns of this country, that is.  German Village a small village in Columbus Ohio is one of the best known examples of communities who still get around on brick streets. Anyone who has visited that area knows the rumble of their tires passing over the ancient bricks covering the roadways.

Today Bricks are making a comeback with new more road-friendly designs and patterns to bring back the warm, friendly look from yesteryear.   Today’s paver bricks are an eco-friendly material that reduces the expense of repairs and/or resurfacing.  Other advantages of the brick road, aside from esthetics are bricks last for over 100 years and make small road repairs easier to manage as well. 

There are some who might think that Brick streets are a natural way to slow down the flow of traffic in town and in small villages.  New curbs, sidewalks and brick streets give a warm look and an identity to the road.  There is definitely a place for Brick and Paver streets although they would not be practical or comfortable on highways or expressways.

The higher cost of a brick road project is most likely offset by lower maintenance and less resurfacing.  That certainly would be a relief to those of us who loiter in our cars and trucks at summer resurfacing sites. Most agree the bricks slow traffic and enhance property values too.  The 2.5 inch bricks are usually laid over 4” of sand and 6” of concrete which explains their long life. Broken bricks and repairs are less intrusive to traffic and in most cases faster to manage. Today there are new designs in snow plow blades made of flexible materials to handle snow plowing in the winter.

If restoration is your interest then there are companies like Historical Bricks in Iowa City Iowa where reclaimed bricks are gathered, sorted and resold for driveways, walk ways. John Gavin at Historical Bricks says there is a market for older salvaged bricks and his company ships them all over the nation. Gavin’s company ships between 40-50 million pounds of reclaimed brick from Iowa all over the country.

In any event whether the cities or towns in and around your area are planning to resurface their streets you might want to put in a word for Brick and Pavers as a option to concrete and asphalt.

Sometimes there are brick streets under layers of decaying asphalt and in places like Winter Park Florida the city and residents liked the bricks so much better they decided to repave the city in Brick.  This led to residents adding brick walks and driveways.

Cumberland, Maryland had a downtown area paved in brick and in 2004 added another 6 square miles to Cumberland streets.  As the seasons change this would be a good time to do a little marketing to see if your company can get in on the rebirth of brick streets.  Homeowners often upgrade to brick and pavers too.

Brick is back: clay pavers make a comeback in city streets and backyards

Historical areas like Bostons Beacon Hill have maintained their brick sidewalks for more than 200 years. Other communities, like Pittsburghs West Chester Borough, are emphasizing their history by creating new brick-paved districts. But not all cities who are choosing brick are doing it for historical authenticity. Large metropolitan areas are also choosing the material for areas with a distinctly urban feel. In Houston, for example, 19 blocks along the new state-of-the-art light rail corridor downtown was paved with brick. According to Guy Hagstette, director of Planning & Development of the Houston Downtown Management District, while other segmental paving products we have used are very durable, the aesthetics just dont hold up over time. The main benefit to clay pavers is their rich color and resistance to fading and staining.

Main Street is a special place, and we knew we wanted clay pavers."

The clay paver revolution is not just for these large-scale projects, though. Homeowners across America are increasingly using the product to bring the same rich look to their own backyards. They are discovering that the product made from the earth is the most natural choice for all their paving needs. Do-it-yourselfers find that laying clay pavers makes a great weekend project and saves them labor costs, as well.

"Trends in home improvement indicate that outdoor spaces, such as patios and enclosed courtyards, continue to be just as important to curb appeal and market value as the gourmet kitchen and luxury bathroom," notes Ted Corvey, paver director for Pine Hall Brick. Smart Money magazine estimates that landscaping and hardscaping can increase home values by as much as 15 percent, while the National Association of Realtors found that outdoor rooms can deliver 77 percent return on investment at sale time — and theyre less expensive per square foot than additions or kitchen or bath remodels.

While genuine clay pavers make the perfect "floor" for these outdoor living spaces, they are strong enough for a driveway and can even be continued into the garage for a unique upgrade to a space where design and beauty is often forgotten. Many people are surprised to learn that clay pavers are actually stronger than most other paving materials with strengths reaching up to 36,000 pounds per square inch (psi).

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