Interlocking pavers and paving stones may be viewed as a design trend for home improvement and landscaping beauty today. Probably on the top of most Southern California homeowner’s list of projects to add more beauty to their yard or outdoor living areas is installing pavers for any paved surface in their yard. There are far more benefits to increasing curb appeal and aesthetic values at home to use paving stones in your yard.

#1 – The undeniable handsomeness that pavers lend to every portion of your landscape and lifestyle.

#2 – Reduced maintenance labor and costs. Paving stones require no resealing or resurfacing to remain as lovely as the day they were installed for decades, perhaps a century which offers all property owners a fantastic savings in the cost of keeping their home (or business) a viable and ready for sale commodity in the marketplace without emergency measures.

#3 – Freedom from climate and earthquake stability. While all areas of the country experience shrinking and expansion of soil, Los Angeles and most regions in Southern California have ground stability issues due to our expansive natural soils and the ever present rumbling of earthquake tremors. Paving stones, unlike any other hardscape material, presents you with the option of having retaining walls, gravity walls and pavements in all areas of your property that are free of damage because nature caused the ground to shift.

#4 – No unsightly cracks in driveways, patios or pool decks. Pavers for patio are undeniably beautiful but they also provide you with an easy to clean surface that will never be rendered hideous by stress crack and the never disguised repairs that result. The same can be said of keeping your driveway and pool deck free of cosmetic issues that can instantly detract from the market value of any property whether commercial or residential. This is a bigger problem in earthquake prone California, than the coldest regions of the USA.

#5 – Superior structural soundness. Weighing out the checks and balances offered from all pavement construction methods for properties and public thoroughfares, paving stones have proven their prowess many times over on a global basis. If the streets of California were built of pavers, your car would have far less stress problems and the operating cost of your county would be seriously reduced. To you, as a property owner, interlocking pavers present the ultimate in structural soundness for your driveway, patio and all other spots around your home or business that a hard and permanent surface is needed.

Pavers for driveways and pavers for patio are different and yet offer you the same benefits along with decades of low maintenance and unbeatable beauty. There are less expensive and immediate cures to increasing curb appeal on a residential or commercial property, but they are all short lived in comparison. The curb appeal of anyone’s home is of utmost importance. Add in the many decades of low to no maintenance value of having pavers for patio, driveways, walks and pool decks. The mathematical equation will always lean heavily in favor of installing paving stones for the best value possible on your property.

Developing an excellent variety of delicious recipes to cook on your paver stones grill is all part of the adventure in having an outdoor kitchen. Whether you are gearing up to lay on a succulent spread for a crowd on the paving stones patio or just your family, a many faceted culinary repertoire is going to add a whole lot of interest to your lifestyle. Sometimes we forget just how delicious many vegetables are grilled on the open flames.

Here’s an excellent southwest dish that melds a selection of veggies for an exciting Tex-Mex taste. Adding some lime tequila marinated chicken or steak to create a balanced gourmet paver stones grill meal and you are sure to have a winner of a menu for the weekend. Other sides like creamy cole slaw and dirty rice might also be the perfect choice when feeding a large gathering of paving stones patio guests.

Since this week’s Stone Patio Gourmet recipe grills sealed in foil packets, you’ll have no problem adding meat for a meal completely cooked on your paver stones grill. This makes it an easy gourmet treat even the newbie grilling artist can tackle with confidence. Quick to prepare, your stuffed peppers will be ready to start cooking in just 20 minutes and ready to serve in 25 minutes.

Stuffed Southwest Peppers ala Stone Patio Grill
Serves 4… increase ingredients as needed for hungry diner count.

Ingredients:
2 Red bell pepper, medium
6 Green onions, chopped
2 cups Thawed frozen corn (fresh in season)
1/3 cup Chunky medium salsa
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 Bacon strips

Preparation:

• Completely defrost the corn; you won’t want it frozen for best results on your paver stones grill.
• Cook the bacon and when it has cooled, crumble it up. This is a end of grilling topping.
• Wash the peppers and cut in half, removing the core and seeds. Set aside while you whip up the stuffing.
• Chop the onions and put them in a bowl with the corn and salsa. Mix up well and spoon the concoction into your pepper halves.
• To keep everything intact on the paving stones patio grill, you want to wrap each pepper individually in an 18” long piece of tin foil. Place your pepper in the center of the foil, and then wrap it up to seal tightly.
• Preheat your paver stones grill to medium heat.
• Place your yummy pepper packets on to cook. It will take about 25, maybe 30 minutes. When done, they will be tender-crisp but not ready to pull off the paver stones grill rack just yet.
• Open up the tin foil packets. Carefully! You will need to reseal them to finish your cooking. Sprinkle cheese and bacon crumbles, reseal and return them to the grill rack for another 5 minutes. When they are ready to serve, the cheese will be nicely melted.

If you are a sour cream and heavy salsa fan, adding more tasty toppings is always welcome. If you have timed the meat grilling right, your fiesta of an outdoor feast is ready to serve up and dig into. Once you get into the wonders of laying on tantalizing meals on your paving stones patio, there is no limitations on how many gourmet menus you can put together. Its amazing how much richer life can be with the right patio design.

When you installed that beautiful, solid slab of concrete for your patio, you thought it was real slick. You'd have the best slab on the block for grilling outdoors. It has a wide expanse; it fits your massive deck table and chairs, plus plenty of room for the grill and coolers, with standing room to boot. You got twice the patio space than their little paving stones postage stamps.

You got a deal alright, but poured concrete develops cracks that make the San Andreas look like your mother-in-law's wrinkles. The ground shifted again, and now every time you walk across your patio you trip, the neighbors are enjoying some great "Three Stooges" moments. They're chuckling because while you will be repairing the massive crack in your patio, they're getting their virtually maintenance free paving stones patio ready for Superbowl Sunday.

When you consider lasting, low maintenance architecture in your outdoor living space, nothing compares to using pavers for patio surfaces. Once installed,your pavers deliver an astounding finished surface that is almost free of maintenance.

Here are just a few reasons why interlocking pavers are the best investment for area flooring in your outdoor landscaping projects.

• Natural flagstone is beautiful to the naked eye, and it's unique surface texture makes it ideal for creating dynamic walkways around your property. Due to the uneven surface however, natural stone flagging doesn't provide a good patio surface where furniture and solid footing is always required. Not only that, unlike pavers, the larger expanse of the stone will crack from earthquake stress.

• Travertine, a beautiful and popular form of cut limestone, is recommended for use in most patios. The fact that it is a form of limestone unfortunately means that it's far more porous than manufactured paving stones. This results in easy marring of the surface and stains that require bleach to clean, making it a poor choice for chemical-treated pool surroundings or around an area where you prepare and serve food. Travertine also molds easily, so in areas where water may collect mold and algae will quickly grow.

• Natural stone pavements like the ones listed above have a hefty list of cleaning solutions that you cannot apply to them due to the damage to the surface of the stone. While there are some cleaners that require caution when using, you can use almost any type of solvent on paving stones without damaging the surface. Pavers for patios can be cleaned with all manner of abrasive and acidic cleansers.

Interlocking pavers are far more rugged than their appearance suggests after installation. They are sturdy, durable and designed to withstand extreme weight even on a very small surface area. A woman in high-heel shoes exerts the weight of an elephant on the heel when standing still. Your patio can withstand that, and then some.

So next time your mother-in-law wants to visit, invite her over. When she comments on the fragile look of your patio installation, inform her that she is yet again wrong. Your pavers can withstand the weight of a large vehicle, an elephant, or her hefty self in her favorite pair of Bingo pumps.