Video: Hardscape Material Options

SAN JOSE — Host, Sarah Rutan: When planning for a new driveway, walkway or patio, the first thing you’ll need to decide is what kind of material you want to use. Today we’re in San Jose with Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Roger Van Alst of Black Diamond Paver Stones & Landscape to learn more.

Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Roger Van Alst: A lot of times, I get asked what are my choices for hardscape? Hardscape being the, you know, the surface that either is going to be used for a patio or a driveway or a walkway or even a pool deck.

Let’s talk about driveways. For a driveway, there’s typically three choices. Someone can go with asphalt, they can have concrete – poured in place concrete or stamped concrete – and then, of course, there’s paving stones. Asphalt is inexpensive, on the initial installation. It’s a little bit flexible, so it can move with ground movement before it will crack, and also asphalt is a product that can be used over long expanses, which is why it’s seen often in roadways. The disadvantage of asphalt is that it will crack over time. It does need to be maintained, so it’s important that it be crack-filled and sealed which does increase the cost over time. And it’s not as attractive. It has, you know, one color. Just black.

And also there’s concrete. So, concrete comes in two forms. You have regular poured-in-place flat concrete. You can also have stamped concrete. The flat work concrete is attractive and strong, but it is just one color, of course. And concrete, especially in California, will crack with the earthquakes. It is pretty much guaranteed to crack.

Paving stones are the third choice. They are a slightly larger investment up front, but they’re very cost effective. You can pick from various styles of color and pattern. Also, if someone needs to access utilities underneath the paving stones, like a water line or an electrical line, they can lift the pavers, fix what’s underneath, and put them back and they would never know the difference. They’re earthquake resistant because they can shift and move. And also pavers are absolutely beautiful for someone’s patio or driveway.

Host, Sarah Rutan: To learn more from local, top rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified Expert Reports at experts.diamondcertified.org.