Concrete VS Pavers. Which is Best for Your Home?

When creating an outdoor living space, you want to be sure to choose the right hardscaping material for this long-term investment. The most common options homeowners decide between are concrete or stamped concrete and pavers. There really is no wrong choice here, but there are a few differences between the materials that you should be familiar with before making the investment. What are the pros and cons for the long-term value?

Concrete VS Pavers

Maintenance

Although concrete is known to be very durable, we have a saying in our industry that describes its inevitable future, “There are two types of concrete, the kind that has cracked… and the kind that will crack.” Due to the inflexible nature of concrete, after a few years you may start to notice cracks developing from settling underneath the concrete. If this cracking worsens, repair prices can start to get quite expensive because typically the only way to repair cracked concrete is to replace it.

On the other hand, if your pavers begin to shift or settle, the repair will be incredibly easy and quite cheap. This is due to the flexibility of the interlocking design used with pavers. Usually, a repair is as simple as lifting out and replacing one or two blocks, your hardscaping will look brand new once again.

Regardless of whether you choose concrete or pavers for your outdoor living space, you should be sure to seal them both properly to preserve their original aesthetic for as long as possible.

Appeal

There is nothing wrong with choosing concrete for your outdoor living space, it just happens to be the blandest option. When trying to keep costs as low as possible, this may not be a concern. Pavers offer maximum customization on the other hand, meaning you can tailor your hardscaping to perfectly match your outdoor living space and create a beautiful end result. The intermediate option is stamped concrete, which attempts to mimic pavers at a lower cost, however, the dyes used often fade over time, leaving much to be desired.

Resale Value

Because of their beauty and versatility, pavers offer by far the highest resale value and long-term appeal. As the baseline option, concrete offers the lowest return on investment. Even still, fresh concrete surrounding a home is a sure way to get an extra boost in resale value. Naturally, stamped concrete ramps that return up even more.

Cost

Concrete is the cheapest of the most common hardscaping options. Because of the added benefits of stamped concrete, you can expect to pay a little more for that upgrade. The costliest option of the three is pavers, as each piece generally must be laid individually by hand.

Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal with Eddington Landscaping

At Eddington Landscaping, we help our customers create the perfect landscaped yard for their needs. Since 2011, we have worked to help homeowners, property management companies and businesses create the perfect landscapes that meet their budget and maintenance requirements. To learn more, call us today at (512) 432-4866 or request a quote here.