Even though Unit Paving Inc specializes in Value Engineering through permeable interlocking pavers, we are well aware of one inescapable fact: like any other product or service, ours will not be for everyone. Residential and commercial paving projects take so many different forms that a one-size-fits-all solution would be impossible. However, we’re also well aware that a number of myths surround permeable pavers. If you’re going to make a good paving choice, it should be on the basis of facts, not fiction. Let’s dissect a few of the bigger whoppers we’ve heard over the years.
Site Analysis is a Pain
As long as you’re dealing with an experienced paving company, site analysis is no more complex for permeable interlocking concrete pavers than it would be for any other paving method. A bit of soil testing, load bearing ability analysis, thought given to installation options, and permitting processes is quick and painless. It certainly beats the alternative favored by cheap or less-experienced contractors — namely, a haphazard installation that doesn’t take the pavers’ subsurface into account.
Permeable Pavers Aren’t as Strong
This makes a certain intuitive sense, since an unbroken expanse of concrete or asphalt looks strong on the surface. However, because they’re impervious, those surfaces are actually more vulnerable to damage from stormwater, ice, and other stressors. PICP surfaces are strong enough to bear heavy loads and high traffic.
ADA Compliance is Dicey
Simply not true. As Masonry Design Magazine reminds us, major pavement manufacturers subject their products to rigorous testing for firmness, stability, and skid resistance. As long as your contractor is versed in ADA requirements and installs accordingly — Unit Paving is, and does — you need not worry about whether your paved surface will be compliant with the relevant sections of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Permeable Pavers are High Maintenance
Nope. Many of your maintenance needs — cleaning, clearing leaves and snow, removing weeds every now and again, dealing with the occasional anthill — aren’t going to be any different with a permeable paving surface than they’d be with traditional concrete or asphalt. In other respects, the fact that permeable surfaces absorb water rather than allowing it to pool and collect means that you’re dealing with lower maintenance because of factors like pollutants, ice, flooding, and the like.
Permeable Pavers All Look Alike
This is perhaps the easiest myth of the bunch to dispel. Permeable paving materials come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, just like the rest of the hardscaping materials used by Unit Paving. Not only will you have a plethora of choices, but we can also mix and match colors and shapes to liven up your project to add a bit of contrast and visual interest.
Of course, we cannot possibly cover every last myth you’ve heard or permeable paving question you have in the form of a blog entry. That’s precisely why we encourage you to contact Unit Paving Inc. We bring skill, experience, and taste to your next paving project in the Carolinas.