Poured concrete vs paver patio and I picked wrong the first time

Last spring I was stuck between doing a poured concrete slab or a paver base for my backyard patio. I went with concrete because I thought it would be quicker and cheaper at around $1,200 for materials. Six months later I had two cracks running through it from the ground shifting after a wet winter. I ended up tearing the whole thing out and putting in pavers on a compacted gravel base with edge restraints. The pavers cost me $1,800 but they've held up perfect through two freeze-thaw cycles so far. Now I'm looking at the old concrete chunks piled behind my shed wondering what to do with them. Has anyone else made the switch from concrete to pavers and regretted not doing it sooner?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielb432mo ago

Learned that lesson the hard way too.

jessicac282mo ago

oh totally, i get what you're saying. but it's not just about learning the hard way lol. the thing people mess up is thinking they can just wing it with a generic approach and it'll work out. like, you gotta actually pay attention to the details or you'll end up making it way harder on yourself than it needs to be. i've definitely been there where i skipped a step thinking it was no big deal and then had to redo the whole thing.

benc5320d ago

oh man, i used to be the complete opposite on this. i was one of those people who thought i could just wing it and it'd all work out fine, you know? like i'd skip the prep or the planning because it felt like a waste of time. but then i had a few projects totally blow up in my face and i had to start over from scratch. it was such a pain. i mean, seeing someone lay it out like that and having to redo the whole thing yourself really changes your perspective. now i actually get why people say to slow down and do it right the first time. it saves so much headache in the long run.