By Michelle Brown, consultant to Pavestone Company

The design turned into a full-scale courtyard complete with a 14-foot paver circle patio, and expansive free-flowing paver walkway with a natural stone bridge, a 16-foot creek with two water falls and 12-foot by 10-foot koi pond.
Photos courtesy of Pavestone

Warning, generic suburbia is spreading. Cookie-cutter homes are sprouting up faster than they can be purchased by their future homeowners. Take a drive through any number of neighborhoods nationwide and you can expect to see near identical houses with the same mailbox, the same tree placed in the same spot in the center of the yard, and the same flower beds with the same seasonal plants and flowers.

Segmental concrete retaining walls and interlocking concrete pavers are resilient even under the most adverse environmental conditions. Wind, water and traffic are no match for them. They are sturdy and strong enough to withstand the forces of nature?EUR??,,????'??+even freeze-thaw conditions.

Somewhere, we have lost our individuality. The charm of yesterday?EUR??,,????'???s neighborhoods with unique homes and outdoor living areas is fading away. But, it?EUR??,,????'???s not too late.

Generic suburbia can be stopped.

Just ask the owners of a home in Eden Prairie, Minn., who decided it was time to raise the bar in their neighborhood. By incorporating segmental concrete retaining walls and interlocking concrete pavers, they transformed their own slice of generic suburbia into an extraordinary outdoor living space. The finished design features a raised patio and a free-standing wall enclosure in the backyard and an amazing, one-of-a-kind front yard courtyard design showcasing two water falls and a beautiful pond filled with koi?EUR??,,????'??+a Japanese fish that is traditionally considered to be lucky.

In the event of damage or cracks to concrete retaining walls or interlocking pavers, all you need to do is lift the affected area and install a replacement. No need for a wide-scale repair that disrupts the atmosphere and inconveniences the homeowner for lengthy periods of time.

Prior to the makeover, there was nothing especially appealing about the front yard. The home sits on a corner lot and was somewhat screened from the street by dead crabapple trees which had succumbed to a fungus. The yard consisted of the original, unattractive landscape mirroring that seen throughout the neighborhood.

The homeowners turned to Craig Frisk, an award-winning landscape designer with Superior Lawn in St. Bonifacius, Minn., to transform the ordinary yard into extraordinary piece of artwork. They specifically requested a new patio off the back deck and a new front sidewalk on their design list. Other than those requests, Frisk was given an open and blank canvas to work with when conceiving the ultimate design. ?EUR??,,????'??The homeowners really didn?EUR??,,????'???t have much of a pre-conceived vision for their yard, they just knew they wanted something different,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??I started with several ideas about an entry way patio and it grew from there into a full-scale courtyard complete with a 14-foot paver circle patio, and expansive free-flowing paver walkway with a natural stone bridge, a 16-foot creek with two water falls and 12-foot by 10-foot koi pond.?EUR??,,????'?? An arbor echoes the one piece of architectural interest in the house, the peak over the garage. It provides a clear entrance and boundary for the front yard courtyard.

The landscape architect chose these stones not only because of the wide variety of colors available, but because of the sheer ease of installation the products offer. It is also very easy to make curves using them. He says, ?EUR??,,????'??It is very difficult to make a radius with some of the other free standing products on the market and they don?EUR??,,????'???t look very good when you try to use them in that way.?EUR??,,????'??

Frisk?EUR??,,????'???s design needed to consider major grade changes in the terrain. These had to be adjusted to meet the grade of the proposed patio and pond. In addition, retaining walls were needed to accommodate the grade changes. Free standing walls were then put on top of those retaining walls.

Since the home sits on a busy corner lot, privacy from the neighbors and the street also needed to be taken into account in the finished design. In fact, the creek and pond features were included not only for their aesthetic beauty but to act as a sound screen for street noise. Water runs under the natural stone in the paver path to the koi pond creating a tranquil sound that blocks out some of the din of traffic.

To give definition to the living space as well as some screening, a free-standing wall was used. ?EUR??,,????'??The wall is only 21 inches, but it really gives a feeling of privacy and acts as a buffer from the road,?EUR??,,????'?? Frisk explains. ?EUR??,,????'??The pillar units provide a nice anchor and scale to the project.?EUR??,,????'?? He says that although the pillars were functional to the structure of the free standing wall, they also provide visual interest. ?EUR??,,????'??The pillars were also used in the installation of the arbor to provide a solid base for the arbor columns.?EUR??,,????'??

As the Eden Prairie home shows, the design possibilities incorporating segmental concrete retaining walls and interlocking concrete pavers is only limited by the creativity and vision of both the homeowner and landscape designer. The uses for these highly-versatile products are endless. They are available in a variety of colors, styles and textures that can be used to reflect the natural setting and harmonize with the hues of adjacent buildings and landscaping.

Another plus is that they are exceptionally easy to use. Frisk says he chose the products not only because of the wide variety of colors available, but because of the sheer ease of installation the products offer. ?EUR??,,????'??It is also very easy to make curves using them,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??It is very difficult to make a radius with some of the other free standing products on the market and they don?EUR??,,????'???t look very good when you try to use them in that way.?EUR??,,????'??

Segmental concrete retaining walls and interlocking concrete pavers are also extremely durable products, so you can be confident in knowing your project will endure the elements for years to come. With high-product density and low-product absorption, they are resilient even under the most adverse environmental conditions. Wind, water and traffic are no match for them. They are sturdy and strong enough to withstand the forces of nature?EUR??,,????'??+even freeze-thaw conditions.

In the event of damage or cracks, they are quite inexpensive and easy to repair. All you need to do is lift the affected area and install a replacement. No need for a wide-scale repair that disrupts the atmosphere and inconveniences the homeowner for lengthy periods of time.

When you are called on to change the mundane into marvelous, segmental concrete retaining walls and interlocking concrete pavers are a perfect design choice that is economical, versatile and easy to use. Make a statement and incorporate them when creating unique, one-of-a-kind outdoor living spaces for your clients. Be the cure for generic suburbia.