Brick pavers reward precision more than almost any other surface on a property. Tight joints, crisp borders, clean cuts around a curve and a herringbone field that stays square from the back door to the far edge of the patio are what make brick look expensive. They are also the first things that go wrong when the wrong crew builds it.
If you are planning brick paver work on a higher-end home, whether that is a front walk, a patio, a driveway or all three, choosing the contractor is the decision that sets the ceiling on how it turns out. Here is what to look for.
What does a brick paver contractor actually do?
A brick paver contractor handles everything between your idea and a finished, flat, draining surface. On a typical project that means layout and design, excavation, hauling away removed soil, building and compacting the base, setting edge restraint, laying and cutting the brick, compacting the finished surface and filling the joints. On larger projects it also means steps, landings, seat walls, lighting sleeves and the grading that carries water away from the house.
Laying the brick is the part everyone sees, but it is a fraction of the work. The base underneath and the drainage around it decide whether the surface is still flat after ten Michigan winters.
Why does brick need a specialist rather than a general landscaper?
Brick, whether clay or concrete, is less forgiving than larger-format pavers. The units are small and uniform, so a joint that wanders or a course that drifts out of line shows across the whole surface. Classic brick patterns like herringbone and basketweave multiply the number of cuts at every edge, curve and transition, and every one of those cuts is visible.
Clay brick adds its own demands. It is cut differently, it is less tolerant of a sloppy base and it is often matched to the brick on the house, which means the contractor has to think about color, size and bond pattern as part of the architecture rather than as a catalog choice. If you are still weighing clay against concrete, our overview of brick paving in Southeast Michigan covers how each holds up here.
A crew that builds hardscape as its core trade does this work every week. A company that fits a few paver jobs between mowing routes may be capable, but it is fair to ask how often their crew lays brick specifically and who will run your job day to day.
Should one contractor handle the walk, patio and driveway together?
On most higher-end properties, yes, or at least one contractor should plan them together. Brick that runs from the driveway to the front walk to the back patio reads as one design only if the color, pattern, borders and elevations were worked out as a whole. Built piecemeal by different crews over different years, the same brick can end up in three slightly different blends with steps and transitions that do not quite line up.
Planning the whole property up front does not mean building it all at once. A design-build contractor can draw the full plan, then phase construction over several seasons so each piece fits the last. It also means one company is accountable for grades and drainage across all of it, rather than each crew solving only its own corner. Driveways in particular need a deeper base than patios and walks because they carry vehicle loads, so the plan should account for that from the start.
How do you judge a brick paver contractor's past work?
Photos of finished projects show you the day the crew left. What you want to know is how the work looks after years of freeze-thaw. On the heavy clay soils common across Macomb and Oakland counties, a thin or poorly compacted base shows up within a few seasons as dips, heaving and edges that spread.
When you look at a contractor's past brick work, in person if you can, check:
- Whether the pattern stays straight and square across long runs
- How cuts are handled at curves, borders and the house foundation
- Whether joints are consistent in width and still full of sand
- Whether borders are tight, with no rolled or sunken edge units
- How the surface meets steps, doors, the garage apron and the lawn
- Whether water sheets off cleanly or sits in low spots after rain
Ask for projects that are three or more years old, not just this season's.
What should you ask a brick paver contractor before hiring?
A short conversation tells you a lot. Useful questions for brick work include:
- Are the crew members who lay the brick your own employees or subcontractors?
- How do you handle cuts in a herringbone or basketweave pattern at curves and edges?
- What base depth and edge restraint would you use on our soil, and why?
- Can you match or complement the brick on our house?
- How will water drain away from the house and off the surface?
- What does your written warranty cover, and does it include the base?
- Do you request MISS DIG 811 utility locates before excavating?
Specific, unhurried answers are a good sign. So is a contractor who asks about your soil, your downspouts and how the space will be used before quoting. For a fuller checklist of what a written proposal should spell out, see our guide to choosing a paver patio contractor.
How do you compare quotes from brick paver contractors?
Only on the same scope. Two quotes for the same square footage can describe very different projects: one with a deeper compacted base, fabric over the native soil and concrete edge restraint, another with a thinner base and plastic edging. On paper they look alike. After three winters they do not.
Ask each contractor to name the brick product, pattern and border, the base depth and material, the edge restraint, the jointing sand and the drainage plan in writing. If a number is much lower than the others, the reason is almost always in one of those lines. Our paver patio cost guide walks through which choices move the total and which ones you should not trade away.
When should you start talking to contractors?
Fall and winter are the right time to design, compare bids on a matched scope and get onto a builder's calendar. Spring is the busiest season for hardscape, and the most experienced crews fill their schedules first. Starting the conversation now means your project is designed, priced and scheduled before the rush instead of waiting behind it. If you are still settling on materials, our guide to how to choose brick pavers is a good place to start.
Looking for a brick paver contractor in Southeast Michigan?
Great Lakes Landscaping designs and builds brick paver walks, patios and driveways from our Chesterfield headquarters, together with the grading, drainage, walls, lighting and planting that make hardscape part of the whole property. See our paver installation service and the rest of our hardscape work, then contact us or call (586) 754-7336 to talk through design, materials and timing for your project.