Pavers vs Concrete for Edmonton Driveways, Patios and Walkways

Concrete steps into a paver patio
Concrete porch, paver landing
Paver driveway with charcoal border
Paver path, poured pad beyond
Concrete steps into a paver patio
Hardscapes/Pavers vs concrete

Why we lay
pavers.

We chose pavers and built the company around them. Here's why, and the few jobs where concrete makes more sense.

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Better looking, and it lasts longer.
Stone only
It is the one thing we do all day
― The short version

Better looking, and it lasts longer.

For a big flat pad out of sight, like an RV pad or a shed base, concrete is the sensible answer. We will tell you that and point you at a concrete crew.

Where the surface is part of how your property looks, stone is worth the difference. More colour and pattern to work with, and it can be lifted and reset instead of broken out.

Plenty of yards want both. We will happily lay our stone up to a slab someone else pours, and detail the transition so it reads as one project.

― Side by side

Pavers vs concrete.

Five of these go to pavers and three go to concrete. Any page that gives one material a clean sweep is selling you something.

Factor
Pavers
Poured concrete
The cheque you write first
A little more, and it buys the base work and the hand-set finish that make the difference later.
✓Less to start. One pour covers more ground than a crew can lay by hand.
The April thaw
✓The joints take up the movement stone by stone and the surface comes back flat.
A slab has nowhere to put the strain, so it hunts for a weak point and splits.
The day something goes wrong
✓We lift the bad patch, put the base right, set your own stones back. No scar.
Saw it out, pour again, and live with a rectangle of newer, brighter grey.
Design options
✓Sweeping curves, banded borders, three tones, a change in level, herringbone laid on the diagonal.
A flat grey field, or tinted and stamped at extra cost.
Big, plain and out of sight
More than you need. Concrete fits this job better.
✓The right choice for RV pads, shed slabs and garage aprons.
How long your yard is a job site
Longer. Every stone gets placed, tapped and checked against a line.
✓Form it, pour it, float it, then leave it alone to cure.
What a buyer sees from the curb
✓Reads as a landscape somebody designed, and it photographs beautifully in a listing.
Reads as practical.
Twenty winters from now
✓Tired joints and a little settle, both of which we can reset to near-new in a couple of days.
Whatever cracked in year six is still cracked, and the only cure is a jackhammer.
― Choose concrete when

When concrete is the right call.

01

The RV or trailer pad

Big, rectangular, load-bearing, out of the sightline. There's no design case to make and pavers would just cost you more for the same function.

02

Garage aprons and shed bases

A flat slab that needs to take a vehicle or a structure. Simple geometry, no curves to justify hand-laying, and the price gap is real.

03

You are moving in a year or two

If the plan is to sell before the next lease is up, a slab does the job for less and you will not be around for the cracking. Spend the difference on something you get to enjoy.

Cheaper now. Costlier by year twenty.
One reset
Versus patch, patch, then replace
― The real number

Cheaper now. Costlier by year twenty.

Concrete costs less up front. We won't argue with that.

What the quote does not show you is the rest of the story. A slab cracks somewhere around year six, gets patched in year ten so there is a paler grey rectangle in the middle of it, and by year twenty somebody is standing in your driveway with a jackhammer quoting a full replacement.

The same twenty years on a paver surface is one lift and relay. Your own stones come back up, the base gets corrected, and the drive looks the way it did the week we finished it, for a fraction of a rebuild. If you intend to still be living there, stone is the cheaper surface and it is the better-looking one the entire time.

― Choose pavers when

Three reasons people pick stone.

01

The driveway people slow down for

A banded border, a colour that picks up the stone on the house, a diagonal running pattern that draws the eye to your front door. Guests comment on it before they are out of the car, and you get a small hit of satisfaction every single time you pull in.

02

A backyard you go out into

Patio chairs that sit level on a warm, dry, textured surface instead of rocking on grey concrete. Bare feet in August, a fire pit ringed in charcoal stone, and no puddle in the low corner after a storm. It stops being the space behind the house and becomes another room.

03

A listing photo that does the work

Buyers cannot read a compaction report, but they can see a finished landscape from the curb. A paver drive and walk photograph like a renovation, and they hold that look for decades rather than fading into a cracked, patched grey.

― FAQ

Common questions

Depends on the size and shape of the area. We'll price your actual project so you get a real number for your own yard.

No. We only do stone. If your project is better in concrete we'll tell you and point you to someone good.

A good pour lasts a long time. But concrete has to relieve stress somewhere, so if the ground moves it shows, and you can see the repair.

Often the smartest answer. Concrete behind the garage, stone on the driveway and front walk. We detail the join so it looks planned.

It's a real option. The colour sits on the surface though, so it fades and needs resealing. Paver colour goes right through the stone.

― Edmonton homeowners · 5.0★ Google rated

What our clients say.

"

I highly recommend Brick Lawn Landscaping. They were AMAZING start to finish. They removed all our dead sod from 3 dogs and installed turf and it looks fantastic. Job was done on time, did everything perfect, great communication, went over everything and at a great price too!

Jenny C.
Google review · Artificial turf
"

Ben and his team were professional, reliable, and did an excellent job. Ben paid close attention to the details, communicated well throughout the project, and made sure everything was done right. We’re very happy with the results and would definitely recommend them!

Anthony V.
Google review
"

Had Ben and his crew replace a 10' x 10' patio that had slumped/ sunk after some concrete work done. The finished result was very nice, level and clean looking. Very happy with result. Did the job in just over one day. I would have them do any stone work for me in the future.

Mike K.
Google review · Paver patio
"

Very happy with the work done by these guys. The team was friendly and reliable. They paid attention to detail and made sure everything was exactly how we wanted it.

Evin M.
Google review
"

Did a great job on our yard very pleased with how it turned out, workers were good and easy to deal with, they finished the project quickly and did a high level of work!

Steve B.
Google review

“I highly recommend Brick Lawn Landscaping.”

Jenny C. · Google review · Artificial turf

“Ben and his team were professional, reliable, and did an excellent job.”

Anthony V. · Google review

“Had Ben and his crew replace a 10' x 10' patio that had slumped/ sunk after some concrete work done.”

Mike K. · Google review · Paver patio
G
★★★★★
5.0· Verified Google reviews
Read All →
Keep reading
Paver walkways
The most common place pavers win outright.
Paver repair & relay
The repairability argument, in practice.
All hardscapes
Driveways, patios, walls and outdoor living.

Ask us what your project needs.

We will walk your property and tell you where stone is worth it and where it is not. If concrete is the right answer for your job, you will hear that from us instead of a sales pitch. No charge either way.

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