If you’re adding a paver patio to your backyard, one of the biggest challenges is where to find the right pavers that are the perfect combination of style, practicality, and of course budget. To ensure you get the best outcome for your project, here’s where to find the right patio pavers for a backyard design in Bergen County, NJ.
Most landscaping companies will sell pavers from one or at most two manufacturers. This is good in that they have established a relationship with a manufacturer and know their products inside-out. This helps them make fast recommendations for a range of patio pavers that could meet your needs.
However, working with just one or two manufacturers will limit your design choices. Every manufacturer has its own style. If the style isn’t what you’re after, you could end up settling for patio pavers that are close... but not quite perfect.
When you source your patio pavers from a landscape supply or masonry supply, you’ll have access to a broader variety of manufacturers. And, since some of these pavers will be installed in an outdoor showroom, you can see what they actually look like installed in all kinds of weather. You’ll be able to take home samples from various brands and compare them side by side in your own outdoor space. This is important because you’ll want to choose pavers that complement your home as well as the vegetation in your landscape.
For example, your patio space might be surrounded by mature trees - unlike the masonry supply yard, which is often in full sun. The light quality of your backyard will affect the style of pavers you choose. While it’s common wisdom that light pavers make a space look bigger and dark pavers make a space look smaller, when there’s a big contrast between light-colored pavers and a lush, green landscape, the patio will actually end up looking smaller because of the contrast.
This means that you might want to take home samples of pavers that are a bit darker (from mid-toned to dark greys, for example) that will blend in with your wooded patio setting and thus make your patio appear larger.
When it comes to practicality, a masonry supply will also have both traditionally-installed and permeable pavers on hand so you can compare the two and decide whether to go with permeable pavers or not.
The other factor to consider is that by working with a variety of manufacturers, a landscape supply will be more likely to have a style you like in stock. Even with the materials shortages brought on by the pandemic - and these shortages have not recovered yet - you have a better chance of getting a paver from another manufacturer that is close to the style of your ideal paver, if that one isn’t available.
If your patio is a DIY project, the experts at the masonry supply will also help guide you in the behind-the-scenes materials you’ll need as well as the best installation practices
for a successful patio project. Substrate, bedding sand, edge restraints, drainage, and other elements of a well-built patio are not where you want to cut corners.
If you’re adding onto an existing patio and you don’t want your addition to look like an afterthought, your masonry supply experts can guide you in choosing complementary pavers and creative ways to integrate the two, such as using a border made using the existing paver style or elevating the addition by one step to give the new space its own character.
Related: 5 PATIO PAVERS PERFECT FOR SMALL SPACES IN BERGEN COUNTY AND SUSSEX COUNTY NJ AREAS
