Creating a functional yet beautiful outdoor space is a priority for many families. While there are several options available for landscaping, one of the most often overlooked but highly advantageous options is paving. Paving can essentially transform your family garden into a practical, versatile area that also enhances the overall appeal of your home.
Pavers, along with well chosen plantings can help make any family garden come alive, and spending time in it is a delight. This is why so many people are turning to paved family gardens. The benefits of pavers also include helping beautify the space, cutting down on maintenance, and giving your more time to enjoy the family garden and having to spend less time maintaining it.
Keep in mind that pavers say a lot about you. Regardless of the material you choose, whether it’s tile, concrete, stone, or brick, pavers are the first thing most visitors will experience when they come to your garden.
Table of Contents
What are Pavers?
Pavers, also referred to as paving stones, are specially shaped stones made from cement, brick, or stone that are usually used as floor option in many outdoor spaces. Pavers can be used on walkways, driveways, patios, pool decks, and fire pit surrounds.
There are four common types of paving materials available for residential applications. Stone pavers are the oldest, then clay, and more recently interlocking concrete pavers, and porcelain pavers, which are very new.
Here are some of the benefits of paving your family garden and why it’s a worthwhile investment.
Better Accessibility
One of the main reasons why you would want to pave a family garden is the improved accessibility it provides. A paved surface provides a level and stable foundation, which makes it easier for everyone, including kids, the elderly, and individuals with limited mobility to move around the garden. This ensures that everyone in your family and your guests can enjoy your outdoor spaces comfortably, no matter their physical limitations.
Increased Function
Incorporating paved areas into your family garden will let you create functional spaces outdoors. Paved pathways, patios, and seating areas essentially provide designated areas for dining, relaxing, or entertaining your guests. You can also adorn these spaces with outdoor furniture, fire pits, or barbeque setups, which can transform your garden into an extension of your home.
Enhanced Safety
Paving can create a safer environment for kids to play in the garden. Unlike slippery or uneven surfaces, such as grass and gravel, using the right paver in the right area can help provide a secure footing, which reduces the risk of falls, trips, and injuries.
Paved areas will also ensure that people are properly guided on where to walk on, which can help avoid accidents and people stepping on things that shouldn’t be stepped on.
Easier Personalization
Unlike a grass surface, a paved garden is much easier to organize and customize. You have complete control over the colour of the paving, the size, texture, shapes, material, and type of pattern used. Paving’s unparalleled versatility also means that you can easily design something that not only suits the exterior aesthetic of your property, but also the needs of your family.
Whether you go for natural stone, classic brick, or contemporary concrete or porcelain pavers, this versatility will let you achieve a more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing family garden design.
Durable, with Minimal Maintenance
Modern paving can potentially last for more than 2 decades, when installed and maintained properly. For the best results, the paving should be installed by a professional team, annually power washed and weeded and cleaned annually.
Paved surfaces typically require minimal maintenance, compared to wood decks and other similar alternatives. You don’t need to worry about staining or sealing the wood every few years. You also don’t need to worry about replacing rotten deck boards. Paving also doesn’t require watering, mowing, or using potentially harmful chemicals to keep it pristine.
Easy to Repair
Since the paved area is made up of many small parts, replacing broken, cracked, or damaged interlocking pavers is a relatively easy process that won’t leave evidence of patchwork behind. So, if you drop something heavy on a paver and crack it, or you spill oil on it, you can just take out damaged pavers and put in new pieces.
In fact, you can simply crush the damaged paver with a hammer and break it out of there. When you install a new one, you can add in some Polysand, clean the excess off, and you’re good to go.
Improved Drainage
Properly installed paving can help manage water drainage in your family garden. The permeable paving options, like interlocking pavers and porous concrete allow water to filter through the surface and replenish the soil, which reduces the risk of waterlogging and improves the overall drainage.
This will help to not only preserve the health of your plants, but also prevent soil erosion and potential damage to your property.
Increases your property value
Paving will significantly enhance the aesthetic appeal of your family garden. Having neatly arranged pathways, well defined borders or spaces, intricately designed patio spaces, will help create a sense of order and add visual appeal.
Moreover, a beautifully paved garden will help increase the value of the property, such that it will be more attractive to potential buyers, if you do decide to sell it in the future.
In closing
Spending time outdoors in your beautiful family garden is undoubtedly a great way to enjoy your time. This is probably why you should consider enhancing your yard by having a professional team design and install your very own paved family garden. Since there is a great variety of options to choose from, be sure to take your time and have fun choosing the pavers to lay in your garden.
Paving your family garden offers much more than mere aesthetics. From increased accessibility to functional spaces, paving is a wise investment that can enhance the function and look of your outdoor area. The easy repairs, minimal maintenance requirements, and enhanced property value are further reasons why you should consider incorporating paving into your family garden.
