With summer upon us, it’s an excellent time to think about remodeling your outdoor living spaces. One excellent, eco-friendly upgrade to consider is replacing patios and walkways made from impermeable paving materials – such as traditional concrete or stone, asphalt, or plastic – with permeable paving.
Why Use Permeable Paving Materials?
Permeable materials are porous and allow water to flow through rather than collecting at the surface. This has several benefits to our environment:
Reduces water runoff, which reduces the amount of water flowing through our sewer system during periods of heavy rainfall, which lowers the risk of flooding and helps to reduce the amount of pollutants flowing into the bay.
Filters solids and some pollutants before they can get into the soil and the water table.
Reduces standing water that can attract mosquitos and other pests.
Maximizes natural irrigation by allowing water to seep into the ground, reducing the need for additional watering in surrounding areas.
Can keep you cooler and save energy by reducing the so-called “heat island effect,” which raises the air temperature of urban areas, increasing the use of air-conditioning.
What Are My Choices for Permeable Paving?
Permeable (also known as pervious or porous) concrete, unlike conventional concrete, is made to allow water to pass through it. It can be used for patios, driveways, pool decks, and walkways.
Permeable interlocking concrete, stone, or clay brick uses individual pieces of concrete, stone or brick interwoven with open spaces of grass or other permeable ground cover between them to allow water to seep into the ground. They are laid over a layer of gravel or sand to filter out some solids and pollutants.
Resin-bound paving uses a mixture of clear resin and gravel or other materials to create an aggregate that allows water to move through the surface.
Of course, loose materials like gravel or crushed stone laid over sand are great, natural-looking permeable paving for areas like garden walkways that don’t need firm, completely even surfaces.
How Do I Get Started?
As with any remodeling consideration, it’s important to consult experienced professionals early in the planning process. Your architect or general contractor should be able to refer you to companies familiar with the kinds of materials you’re considering and are experts at installation.
A professional paving company should be able to answer your questions about what materials are suitable for your project, their costs, and what kind of maintenance you’ll need to do to keep it looking sharp.
The bottom line is that there’s a permeable paving solution to fit almost style or budget. Paversearch has information, resources, and videos and photos to give you some ideas.
This post first ran in 2016.