According to the manufacturer, each 1.5-pound panel of Gator Base used as a paver base replaces 240 pounds of compacted aggregate.

Saving time, labor and money is high on every business's list. A recently released hardscape product asserts that it provides those benefits to paver contractors.

Called Gator Base, it's created for pedestrian applications and is marketed as a substitute for compacted crushed stone as a base for paver and natural stone installations.

CAccording to its manufacturer, Alliance Designer Products, the product replaces five inches of traditional base, which not only reduces the amount of excavation required, but also saves a company the cost of a truck and driver on the road as well as the dumping fees. And, unlike crushed stone, this new technology requires no industrial equipment to install.

CEach 24-inch by 36-inch panel has an interlocking tongue and groove system and is manufactured using lightweight high-density polypropylene. For proper drainage, all panels are equipped with channels for water evacuation along a one degree slope as well as with five drainage holes per 16 square inches.

Other benefits of this system as cited by the manufacturer include the panels being 100 percent recyclable, and easily transportable to difficult areas to access areas such as hills, stairs and other tight workspaces.