Planning your paving versus grass areas around the house can be a bit complex and a little expensive if not done correctly. There is always good reason to leave some grass patches for the children or for the animals to play on. Paving an entire back yard can end up looking very bland even if an expensive paving block is used. Home owners should always try to get an even balance in the paving and grass areas. They should not only see paving as a way around cutting the grass on a regular basis but they should also look at the overall look and feel of the possible new look if they are contemplating selling their house anywhere in the future.

Paving has been around for thousands of years but only recently is it being used in many different areas around the house. As mentioned earlier, you may find that you do not want the time consuming job of mowing the lawn but remember that a few grass areas are always welcome to the overall look and feel of a property. Paving is not always the ideal solution to all of your problems even though it is affordable and easy to lie. Paving is often a subliminal item and is mostly noticed only if it is tardy and breaking down. A good looking driveway is often sublimely accepted and lures a potential buyer to come inside to look further.

Selecting the right paving block or brick can be quite daunting as there is such a wide variety of types, shapes and colours to choose from. One thing that you have to consider is whether you will be driving on them or just walking on them. If you are going to pave the driveway or a place where cars are going to drive or park on, then you have to ensure that the bricks are designed to carry the weight. Your driveway paving needs to be tougher than any other paving around your property. You also need to decide whether you want uniformity with the brick selection or if you are going to use different bricks for different places around the property.

Once you have selected the brick and the colours that is  paving going to be used and exactly which areas are to be paved, it is time to either get ready to pave yourself or call in an expert to do the job for you. A suggestion is that you use a dark brick on the driveway which will not need a lot of maintenance and then consider using a light colour on all your borders as it defines the paving areas. On the other areas you could use any colour even a light colour but then again, consider using a darker colour for the borders. Your budget will determine how much of the area you can afford to pave although you can pave different sections at different times.

One thing that should be stressed here is the purchasing of good quality bricks. Poor quality bricks will look good soon after the job is completed but will more than likely break down, crack and even dissolve back to cement powder within a couple of years making it necessary to pave once again.. If you decide to lay the paving yourself you will have to be confident and have some guidelines regarding how to pave. If the paving is laid badly then it will look awful and this can make the whole area look bad. Having stressed the importance of a good quality brick, I now need to highlight a couple of important things that need to be done before laying a single brick. Scarify and clean the area which has to be paved, remove all grass and weeds, set your water run off levels, moisten the soil and then compact the ground with a plate compactor which can be hired at most hardware stores. Now that you have prepared the area correctly, you are now ready to lay those bricks. There are plenty tips and advice columns where you can get much needed advice before embarking on paving your property yourself, and I recommend that you get well acquainted with paving before spending and possibly wasting your money.

If you are in any doubt about laying the paving then it may be an idea to seek professional help. The professionals will be able to not only lay the paving but also be able to advice on the best way to clean the paving once laid. If you clean your paving correctly, it will last for far longer and need less maintenance. If the outside of your property looks as good as the inside then you will be adding value to your home. If you are aiming to sell it then this is very important as first impressions really do count.