Plastic permeable pavers - good or bad?

[Haywood]

Looking for opinions or advice on permeable pavers. I'm in the process of building a new house with a workshop/garage in the rear. I don't really want to put in pavement, mainly because this area will be highly visible from the rear of the house and I don't care to stare at a parking lot's worth of pavement Gravel is an option, but I'm going to be keeping my Camaro in there and I really don't want the tires picking up a bunch of gravel and flinging it into the paint every time I drive it. So I stumbled across the plastic permeable pavers the other day, from what I can tell grass grows through it but the plastic panels actually hold the weight.

Does this stuff actually work as advertised? And how long does it last? Also, all the installation pictures look flat, does it work on a hills? The driveway area I'd be using this for drops about 9' in height over 50'.

 

[willymakeit]

This has been around for years and apparently works well. They used to be concrete pavers.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I do not know about cost, but there are concrete pavers that are permeable and look exactly like regular pavers, and sre not much more expensive. I went with standard pavers for my place!

Jim

 

[premierplayer]

I'm not farmiliar with the plastic units. We (the Co) have installed the concrete 'grass pavers' on many sites, gradual grade changes have not been an issue.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...nEozV0gGP14GwCw&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQ9QEwAQ&dur=796

 

[BillK]

I do not know about cost, but there are concrete pavers that are permeable and look exactly like regular pavers, and sre not much more expensive. I went with standard pavers for my place!

Jim

Jim,
The whole idea of the ones he is talking about is that you cannot see them, or just barely so. The area looks like it is grass but you can drive over it without hurting the grass and creating ruts. They have them in the parking lots at the Baltimore Zoo and they are pretty neat. I am thinking about using them in one area of my yard also.

I think this is something similar to what the original poster is referring to:

http://www.boddingtonsonline.com/pr...protection/bodpave-85-porous-grass-pavers.php

 

[JimVonBaden]

Jim,
The whole idea of the ones he is talking about is that you cannot see them, or just barely so. The area looks like it is grass but you can drive over it without hurting the grass and creating ruts. They have them in the parking lots at the Baltimore Zoo and they are pretty neat. I am thinking about using them in one area of my yard also.

I think this is something similar to what the original poster is referring to:

http://www.boddingtonsonline.com/pr...protection/bodpave-85-porous-grass-pavers.php

Ahhhhhh, missed that. Yeah, those are cool, and would serve his purpose. There is a guy here with them that look great!

Jim

 

[TommyK]

Installed about 50,000 sf on a job a couple of years ago. They work fine. They can be installed on hill. Might want to put some extra pins in to hold them until you get the topsoil in.

 

[Haywood]

Ahhhhhh, missed that. Yeah, those are cool, and would serve his purpose. There is a guy here with them that look great!

Jim

Yeah, you've got a great looking patio but I'm hoping to keep the grass back there. Because of the hill and where the shop is located, I wouldn't be surprised if close to half of the backyard would have to be covered. I was picturing a product like what BillK posted. And thank you for that link too, that place has it cheaper than anywhere else I've found!

Glad to hear the hill shouldn't be an issue, and if its strong enough to be used at a zoo parking lot then my little amount of traffic shouldn't be an issue.

The cement pavers would be an option too. Personally I like invisibility of the plastic pavers though.

 

[Strouty]

I've heard of an have experience with both types of pavers but I personally like the look and ease of use of the solid concrete pavers. I've always used Belgard pavers (follow the link) and have never been disappointed. Their site is great with tons of pics and ideas too!

Good luck!

If you work for them why don't you just tell us, or did you just sign up and post for the paver company for fun?