With the prospects for a (mostly) self-employed concrete finisher dwindling every day here in Bend, one often finds themselves looking into other venues as a means of survival. It’s no mystery that the construction market here is WAY down from where it previously rested, even four months ago. If you live here you don’t need me to tell you that. And if you work in construction here, then you too have seen the cobwebs on the bid wall at Bend Plan Center. I think it’s pretty safe to say it could get a lot worse; the previous month being probably the best indicator of things to come.

Thus my merry crew and I have broken into another realm: Paver Stones. Y’know, the pretty bricks that cobble the walkways and drives of some of the upper crust areas of Bend? I have to admit, that this time, the yuppies have got it right. Pavers LOOK GREAT, age in roughly the same fashion as concrete, and require less demolition to replace than a cement sidewalk. Cost wise, they’re a bit pricier per square foot, but you get what you pay for. I think paver stones are an option that anyone installing a small walk or drive needs to look at, as I can’t stress enough how good they look. The downside to these wonderful bricks is the time/labor of installing them. A large drive that could be completed in a day of concrete pours might take a week or more using pavers. (assuming a small crew on both.) The labor toll is heaver on the pavers as well, though you wouldn’t think it. While laying the mud down, and screeding it on a concrete pour might seem fairly labor-intense, it doesn’t hold a candle to pavers. Every aspect of laying paver stones involves hauling something, somewhere.

First the area has to be graded, (you move the ground around) then you lay your base material, (you move rocks around) followed by your compaction sand. (you move sand around) Finally, you lay out, and set the bricks. (yup, you move them around too) Afterward, you sweep in your mineral compound, (move it around) and spray the whole thing off. (I guess, you’re moving... water around?) Unless you hire a team of specially trained labor-monkeys, we’re talking tons and tons of moved material, per man. Not the best practice for people that love the long term health of their spines. Another closely related factor is the effort required to repair small mistakes along the way. Regarding concrete, any small mistakes can be cut/filled, and generally troweled out. Whereas with pavers, any mistakes that occur along the way can only be remedied by taking the misplaced material out, and replacing it. (again, moving things around) At no point, during any of the large building projects around Bend that I’ve been a part of, have I come home as dead dog tired as I did after one day of busing paver stones. It’s that rough.

Though I consider myself a better tradesman for having the knowledge of the paver process under my belt, it’s not something that I enjoy doing in the least. The inevitable fact that at some point, I’ll be laying the damn things gnaws at my psyche like a splinter working itself slowly under one of your fingernails. Each one I do gets a little bit easier mentally, but the physical beast that is pavers lies there, sleeping. Dreaming of when it will awake from it’s slumber, and wreak havoc upon the poor denizens of lower-backsville.

So if you’re considering using pavers in your next project, I don’t want to dissuade you from considering them as a valid option as they’re both practical and beautiful. But at some point during your decision making process, please, please, please -

Think of the spines.

Now Eating: Président Brie on some ol' grocery store baguette.
Now Listening To: "The Mosquito Song" - Queens of the Stone Age