NEW BELGIAN BLOCKS AND PAVERS
Our outdoor improvements continued while I nursed my sore leg. See “Calling 888 Rapid Response Team,” dated September 8, 2026, and “I Feel So Naked,” dated September 15, 2026, at sharonmarkcohen.com.
We had a new driveway, edged with new Belgian blocks, and a new patio installed, and that was my entertainment for the weeks I sat elevating and icing my very sore leg during a soaring heat wave. Fortunately, we had central air conditioning installed at the end of last summer (see “Let’s Talk About Central Air,” dated September 9, 2025, at sharonmarkcohen.com).
The comfortable room temperature was a plus. I also had a bird’s-eye view of the work being done by lifting the blinds over the den windows, where I was on the couch day and night for weeks.
Originally, we planned to have the intrusive root of our Sycamore Tree cut back where it was lifting the patio pavers, smooth the soil, and return the pavers to a proper pitch so rainwater would travel away from the house. That morphed into a major decision, and we agreed to have them install a totally new patio to replace the worn pavers.
I designed the trim for the new patio, alternating the very light and very dark gray pavers. Pavers utilizing the same pattern now grace the driveway apron. The contractor said he never used that pattern in ten years of doing this work, and he liked the idea so much that he is putting it on his website. Coming soon at https://www.pavecraftpavingandmasonry.com/
With that decision finalized, we went to the next add-on. We agreed to have our Belgian blocks removed, since many became level with the ground. Instead, a new trim of raised Belgian blocks graces the entire length of the driveway on both sides.
The contractor added additional Belgian blocks to create a large trim encircling a Maple Tree next to an area that had been used as a second patio of blue slate. He removed the slate and had his workers cut and lay the tiles, creating accent walls around the flower beds, shrubs, and trees. He suggested paving the area where the slate had been and using it as a turnaround and/or additional parking spaces.
We couldn’t do all that work without replacing some of the broken or worn sidewalk panels around our property. It was an added expense but worth every penny.
Hollow sleeves under the new driveway allowed new electrical wires to run through and connect to power in the detached garages. Another sleeve was strategically placed to provide access to a water sprinkler system under the driveway. That allows the sprinklers to be used on either side of the property. See “Decisions, Decisions,” dated July 14, 2025, at sharonmarkcohen.com.
We finally made that decision and hired a local company, in business for decades, to install a watering system. Since it rained torrentially throughout the summer, we kept the system off until the new grass seed was planted.
To complete the patio/driveway project, the contractor’s team washed all the patio furniture, power-washed the steps, and sprinkled lawn seed where the grass had been torn up to do the work. Of course, to add to the backyard beauty, we had the gas grill serviced and bought a new cover.
With the project completed and me finally being up and about, we had our neighbors over to inspect the work. Roger, an architect, approved. He said the new, larger patio is like having another room in the house. Now that they extended the pavers across the width of the three garages, it’s as though we’ve added a few rooms.
The contractor said the project was the talk of the neighborhood. Quite true. Our newest neighbor, living in the house directly across from our driveway, whispered to me, “Are you selling?” I assured her we did the work for two reasons. One is to enjoy the improvements, and the other is to make the house more valuable and easier for our children to sell someday. Without a doubt, her house value just went up.
Our neighbors behind our house, college professors, were conveniently away at their apartment in Paris for the summer, and in their absence they offered to let us use their driveway. Since I wasn’t driving while my leg was healing, we kept one car in our garage. My husband parked the other in front of our house during the day and in the neighbors’ yard at night. Overnight street parking is not allowed in our town.
Between the brutally hot weather and the torrential rains, we stayed off the driveway for weeks. That gave the asphalt time to settle, and it prevented tire tracks. The most fun was keeping the entire project a surprise for our children to find when they visited.
P.S. The new grass is growing in! Soon, we will have the garage trim painted, a few more plantings, and the outdoor work will be completed. Come and see!!
