Could you handle completely skipping over the driveway when it comes to freshening up the yard this spring? How much money do you think you would save if the next normal driveway maintenance project was in 100 years? It gets a little expensive dumping money on an annual basis into resealing and repairing all the cracks in your pavement. There is only one way to bypass that inevitable spring home improvement bill, because repairing the drive is a constant issue in California. If you had interlocking pavers in your driveway, I guarantee you’ll never have to worry about cracks and peeling again.
Seriously, pavers for driveways last up to 100 years.

You see, paving stones are extremely unique and also the strongest type of pavement known to man. They lock together like a jigsaw puzzle when properly installed. Since a specially cut joint sand is used in the thing spaces between each paver, there is not ever any cracking in the joints. The entire fill area of pavers in driveways is permanently held in place with the edge restraints. There are never any issues with the edge decomposing or falling apart with an interlocking pavers driveway. Grass won’t creep into the drive either, because the base and edging used will keep the lawn more firmly put in place.

Tired of resealing that smelly asphalt driveway?

You will never have the oily stench of blacktop wafting about on the midsummer breeze again if you switch to having an interlocking pavers driveway. Imagine being able to tip toe barefoot across your driveway in July and not burning the bottom of your feet. It is not the wise thing to do on an asphalt driveway, but quite comfortable with the much cooler surface of paving stone driveways. Unlike blacktop, pavers don’t require sealing at all and remain as beautiful as the day they were installed for many, many decades.

Interlocking pavers look great without any fuss.

The heat of the sun and direct UV rays will not fade the lovely color of your driveway pavers over time. Whatever coloring your new paving stones driveway has, that is the color it will remain forever more. The surface appearance of interlocking pavers is the same color all the way through each paver. Unlike tile, poured concrete and asphalt, the beauty of paving stones is not just skin deep. No other type of driving paving material could provide you with a no maintenance surface and looks that just go on and on into the distant future. Only paving stones for driveways will stay so stunning for up to 100 years.

Pavers are four time stronger than poured concrete.

They are also a million times better looking. Paving stones add so much variety and definition to any paved surface around your home. Besides your house though, the driveway is the biggest thing in the average sized yard. Only the lawn will make up as much weight as your house when it comes to the big picture from the street. Between the stunning beauty and the value it adds to your real estate price points; interlocking pavers in the driveway save you hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars over the course of the next ten to fifteen years. Imagine how much annual home improvement money a paver driveway will save you over the next century.

It may be midwinter, but there is still nothing like tantalizing menus grilled to perfection for the weekend’s highlight meal. The rain will be cleared up by Friday night, leaving partly cloudy skies and sun on Saturday and Sunday. A bit exhilarating temperatures for lolling about on the paving stones patio, but nice enough to do the cooking on your paver stones grill.

The finish on this week’s Stone Patio Gourmet entrée will add a lot of sizzle and warmth to the event. Just be sure you don’t try that last step inside the house, it would never do to catch the ceiling on fire. Without the dancing flame finish, your gourmet trout will not taste nearly as delicious as when you follow the recipe. Instead of having your guests all crowded around the window or door wall, enjoy a last minute toast in the open air. The grand finale flare of your fine cuisine finesse will be mighty impressive to the paving stones patio witnesses.

Flaming Lemon Trout ala Stone Patio Grill
Serves 4.

Succulent fresh trout grilled with lemon and onion basting sauce will be really fast to prepare and cook. Perfect for enjoying that paving stone patio and built in grill any day of the week, all seasons of the year.

Ingredients
4 Fresh trout fillets
3 Green onions
1/2 cup - Lemon juice
1/4 cup - Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon - Sugar
1/4 teaspoon - Salt
Dash of Black pepper
3 Oz. - Gold rum
Herbs: Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme

Preparation

• Warm the oven to 250, when it reaches temp turn it off.
• Sprinkle your serving platter lightly with each of the listed herbs and place it in oven to warm.
• Wipe a little oil on the grill rack to prevent the flaky fillets from sticking when you turn them.
• Preheat your paver stones grill on medium heat.
• Thinly slice the green onions. Add to a bowl with lemon juice, oil, sugar, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly to blend.
• Place your trout on the paver stones grill rack and baste them immediately with your lemon and onion mixture. Then flip the fish and baste the opposite side.
• Wait 2 minutes and baste the fillets sizzling on you paving stones patio grill. Wait 1 minute and flip again.
• Baste the newly exposed side of the fillets on your paver stones grill rack. Wait 2 more minutes and baste again. When the fish is done (8 minutes total), use up the remainder of your basting sauce.
• Pull your finished trout fillets off the paver stones grilling rack and arrange on your hot herbed platter. Lightly sprinkle the herbs over the surface of your finished fish.
• Drizzle the rum over all the fillets.
• Light the platter on fire and yell out “Oompa!” (Don’t forget to add gusto to the exclamation.It makes the flaming finale so much more dramatic.)

There you have it a masterpiece of light, scrumptious fish that is simple and easy to whip up a meal in just a few minutes time. Don’t even try to make this fish recipe on your stove; it must be prepared on the paver stones grill to be right. Serve this up with a loaf of crusty artisan bread, steamed wild rice and a nice salad of mixed greens and assorted vegetables for a wonderful complete meal. You’ll be happy to have this particular recipe for any month of the year when the paving stones patio crowd needs feeding in a hurry and you don’t want to sacrifice taste and first impressions.

While it may be practical for construction crews and cement companies to drop a long, narrow, skinny, and unappealing walkway ripping through your front yard, it is by no means the ideal way to greet yourself or friends and family who pay a visit to your doorstep. We homeowners prefer to have softer, casual even meandering pathway to guide us from the street or driveway to the warm, welcoming embrace of our home. Pavers allow you the customization you need to build the walkway that is most appropriate for your wants, desires, and décor.

Build the Primary Path You Want

Interlocking pavers let you mold the sidewalk to the dimension and design you want, allowing you the control to dole out whatever welcome feelings you care to impart on friends and guests. If you want to allow for a more intimate approach to your home, go with a paving stones design that lets two people walk abreast. We're not accustomed to walking single-file by nature. We aren't a pack of animals. It was uncomfortable in second grade, and it's still uncomfortable today. Having a width of 42" or more will let guests stroll to your door, side by side, as nature intended. This will make your home more inviting, and provides far better curb appeal.

Depending on the space in your front yard, and the distance between your front porch and the driveway, your sidewalk can become a canvas to capture your creativity. Interlocking pavers come in a variety of colors and shapes, and thanks to the material used, you can fashion all manner of shapes, accents and patterns to fully customize your walkway. No matter what you do, it'll be hard to find anything like it.

Creating a Topic of Discussion

One of the most welcoming approaches to the front entry of a home is one that passes through a decorative area. A great example would be dead center in your path, the pavers widen into a circular location. In the center is an open dirt area with beautiful flowers ringing a low fountain with an aesthetically pleasure water-spray. This break in the path made of pavers adds a stunning visual to your homes front approach and can also provide a little conversation piece when friends and guests come to call.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

You can also improve the front sidewalk appeal of your home by incorporating large planting beds along the sides of your path. These narrow beds filled with colorful flowers can lead the eyes of even passers-by to a central planting area. You can use various twisting or spiraling designs in your paving stones as they split around the planting area and join again on the other side, disappearing behind the ornate and artful design you've created in the middle of your property.

The design of your walking path is only limited by imagination and knowledge. Knowledge can come easily, but it pays to take time studying your land. Determine what will work best for you, then call a professional to help you design your new path from artistic paving stones. Then reap the reward of your home being dressed for curb appeal success for decades to come without any further pavement investment.