Typically we just plow the area that the car sits in and even then only really when it's going to interfere or is over the top of my boots....LOL usually it's hardpack. My neighbours just raise their blade on their blowers so that they aren't scraping ground. Well some do - my next door neighbour obviously doesn't since I have his gravel all over my lawn....LOL Yardvaark - you make a good point about the mess of gravel - its' one of the reasons I'm hesitant....we just installed HW floors and the neighbours said the same thing about the dust on the bottom of your shoes. We were really looking into the pavers and still might do it as a DIY. We have to pull up our back patio first I think to see if it's something he wants to tackle (it's all heaved - don't think it was installed properly since the edges aren't secured). He really liked the idea of being able to pop them back into place - but I'll be honest, only one person in the entire neighbourhood has it (so I don't know if it would stand out too much - it would also likely cost about 2% the value of the home to do with labour which seems a little high for mostly unmoving storage), same with the concrete. Plus the concrete is only a year old. I think I'd want to see how it weathers....I have seen some in nearby places with some pretty rough looking spots. I kind of like the idea of doing the gravel as a phase and see what we want to do from there. My guests will have to leave their shoes on the road....LOL I am hoping to do this in the late spring next year after the thaw has settled..... Thank you everyone for the insight.....definitely way easier than trying to come up with the pro and cons list myself. PS. Fori - We didn't lift the trailer, we rolled it up onto the patio slabs for distribution at the three points you mentioned plus the 4 feet....It's level and not much different than going over a bump in the road. My parents would not be happy had I broken their camper ;)

Here's the link showing the asphalt going down after the paver edging is set. Just requires some care. To be doubly secure of a firm edge, I would anchor the paving stones with an edging restraint. (Not shown.) The one-inch cap on our driveway was put down by the previous owner, within the last 15 years, I gather from the neighbours. The section pictured began falling apart after the POs removed the dumpster they used to "pack"; no protective plywood was placed under it. You can also see the crack patterns that are everywhere. I don't know when these started reappearing. (It's a teardown, so I don't care much.) Since the expected useful life of an asphalt driveway is ten years, according to HUD (see table C-3), I'd say they got their money's worth.

I'd think, not knowing any specifics, that having the driveway done first and then go back and do the surrounding pavers makes the most sense. Having the pavers installed just so the asphalt guys can come and pave and probably upset the paver install would make that scenario a poor choice IMO. Good luck though!!!

This is another drawing of my planned project. The scale is horrible, but I just wanted to include it as an overview of everything I already have on my plate. Keep in mind, I'm not a landscaper or engineer. I've never tackled anything like this before, so I am trying to maintain some simplicity wherever possible. Briefly, I will be relocating some of the old pavers to a row along one of our back fences. I will be constructing a retaining wall along the adjacent fence for an additional garden area, where I will attempt to relocate a good portion of dirt I excavate for the new patio area. I understand your point about wanting it to be a more visually interesting space and not just a simple addition. To that end, I plan on putting a paver bench in that corner, around a brick fire pit. I don't love the idea of two rectangles, but I'm trying to keep it simple and doable. Oh, and I also have to grind down an old ash tree stump where the fire pit is currently located, along with whatever roots might be in the area of the new patio. The tree beside the old patio is actually much closer than I indicated in my first drawing. Because of that, and because of how much more excavating would be necessary to account for that grade, I abandoned the idea of expanding that patio further into the yard. I figured the step might provide some nice separation between the two areas, perhaps allowing us to use the old space as more of an outdoor dining area. I just wanted to illustrate just how much work I'm already planning on doing (mostly by myself), and how much thought I have put into this, so you don't think I'm just discounting your suggestions. I want to do it well and do it right, but I also need to keep it somewhat simple, otherwise it'll never get done. *I neglected to include the garden along the house in my drawing, which will remain.