Pavers That Let Go

Greater eco-awareness, plus stormwater fees, have put permeable pavers on many homeowner wish lists.

Unilock’s permeable pavers are designed with unique spacer bars and have a wider gap between the stones, allowing rainwater to seep through and absorb naturally into the ground below.

This chart shows how frequently landscape designers tend to include some type of hardscape in their residential designs. As you see, almost every home project has at least some hardscapes—and more and more frequently, they include a special kind of paver that allows water to pass through. These are called porous or permeable pavers.

The concept of permeable pavers is not new, but the technology has improved. Thanks to permanent spacing systems and pervious cement, the pavers have increased stability and require less maintenance.

Note also that permeable pavers now have a tangible return on investment (ROI) in many municipalities.  According to Ecopiatech.com, about 2500 communities in the US now have some kind of stormwater utility fees (SUF).

How much money could permeable pavers save homeowners over the long haul? Some communities have a straight cost per square foot of impervious surfaces.

Others, such as Seattle, break fees down by usage. In that city, drainage rates for stormwater are tiered, based on the percentage of impervious surface. For properties with 86-100% impervious coverage, the annual fee is $188.24 at this writing.

For properties that fall into the “Medium” category, which includes properties with 36-65% impervious surface, the annual rate is $127.08 per 1,000 square feet.

If a permeable driveway installation reduced the impervious surfaces on the property to 50% coverage, the annual rate would fall, saving the homeowner $110.09 annually.