I have no idea if they will work where you are? And no idea why no one else does it? Are you in California? Did you check your HOA or zoning rules? I would drive around further than just your neighborhood to see what others have. Take photos. What do others do in your neighborhood? Crushed stone or cement?

I think the pavers would look great.

But... Pavers need a lot of prep work. There are reasons people hate them but usually its because they were not installed properly to begin with. The soil underneath shifts and can create a nightmare of unstable stones making a challenging path. But pavers are also durable and can be repaved or fixed.

Odd, pavers are used often where i live ( So Cal, both at my modern beach home $ desert home ). The second pattern pic you posted are similar to mine except mine don’t have the shells. I’ve had pavers for years at another home also , they looked like new when I sold. Mine are ADA compliant , smooth not like the older cobblestone looking ones used years ago.

We have TechnoBloc pavers for our front walkway and have had no issues with them over 4+ years. Yes they take some prep work (the landscapers, not us lol) to dig/level/gravel/set etc. Then they sweep a sand-like mixture over them that settles into the grout and hardens after they wet it. I'd do it all in other places if there was an opportunity. I live in western New England.

We do have them cleaned every year and resealed every two years.

These are ground down to be smoother but are still non-slip. There are no rules against them, I just don't see them being used around my neighborhood in Santa Monica. I see formed cement on most modern homes around here. I don't like to hear that they might need to be power washed and sealed so often since this would be about 1200sqft.

This pic is not quite my situation but they would be coming right off the sidewalk like this and it would be a long stretch to the back. Maybe too commercial looking?

@Paul F ….. that pic looks identical to mine on our walkway. I have large poured in place concrete pavers in our atrium. i’ve never had mine power washed or sealed, I don’t know what that’s about? In any event we love ours , we live in similar locale ( Newport & La Q ).

We have pavers for driveway, front entrance and back patio. We’ve had some issues with moss growing between them but that’s likely a sand issue. Otherwise we love them and think they look awesome. They are extremely common where I live and I would say are consider nicer than a concrete driveway or patio area.

I think those pavers would look great with your house.

Ok, I drove around I see pavers in high end areas. It kind of skips the medium neighborhoods. I see some settling on some and lots of plant growth between the pavers. I would assume that some seeds entered from the top and sprouted in the sand or could it be just poor installation and growth from below?

Weeds happen. After five years I feel unavoidable to be honest. We power wash each year and redo sand occasionally

I suspect the primary reason you don't see pavers more often is due to cost, both to install and to maintain over time. Concrete will be cheaper, but pavers look nicer. One downside to pavers, aside from cost, is if you want a smoother surface to play basketball on or you're concerned with someone tripping by catching an edge (low risk but it's not as smooth to walk on as concrete). Drainage can sometimes be harder to manage with pavers too. I would probably consider it in areas where you care most about how it looks.

I've had pavers and I won't ever get them again. No matter how well you prep the underlayer, they eventually become uneven--earth shifts, it's just a fact of life on the planet. (Something we in the NY metro area just experienced--a 4.8 magnitude earthquake. But I digress.)

Also, even with using polymeric sand, which is supposed to inhibit the growth of weeds, eventually it breaks down and you get weeds growing in between the pavers. And if you have ants or other insects, you will get lots of them crawling up to the surface and you'll see anthills in the cracks. Ugh.

Can you use a different type of natural stone, like bluestone or sandstone, with mortar between the stones? That is what we replaced the pavers with, and it's SO much nicer. No more hand-picking or spraying weeds.

Check into pervious paver options, too. These allow rainwater to penetrate the soil and prevent run off. Better for the environment. They do require special, deeper preparation of layers of gravel and sand and wider gaps to allow water to filter out. I suspect that architects are suggesting concrete because of the modern aesthetic of your beautiful home.

Maybe I’m just lucky but I’ve had pavers in 3 different home for many years, never had a problem with settling ( & I live in So Cal so some earth movement ) & never had a weed problem. Maybe it depends upon the quality of the installation process.

With all due respect, you may not have had a weed problem since you live in such a dry climate, it's difficult to get anything green to grow. Here in the northeast, we have lots of humidity and damp soil, so weeds grow everywhere.

My pavers were installed by a very reputable landscaper, so I doubt there was a problem with the installation.

@ Diana Bier , I wouldn’t describe my climate as “dry”:since my house is on the water ( harbor ) a few blocks from the ocean. Foggy mornings & evenings are common & “May Gray” & “June Gloom” are coming up. My irrigation hasn’t been on since September due to the unusual amount of rain this year.

Make sure you understand how it should be installed and what maintenance is involved.

My HOA here in Florida decided to replace our concrete driveways with pavers due to cost. Pavers here were significantly cheaper.

We now are now starting to issues. No one the board stayed to oversee the project. Installation was done incorrectly. There is future maintenance involved and they were not aware. In other words they didn’t do the research. Don’t get me started.

Pavers can look lovely and I understand your preference. Just do your homework.

Ok K Laurence, I guess you aren't in a dry climate. And you're lucky you don't have a weed problem. I was just relating my experience as a homeowner, not a professional.

Pavers are not care-free. I have three brick paver patios in my shady back yard in Ohio. They have seasonal eruptions of weeds through the sand and underlayment. They also have the occasional depression caused by energetic chipmunk burrowing tunnels beneath the bricks. Heaving from tree roots also occurs. Yes, I have seasons in Ohio. I have to weed my patios. I also have to power wash them at least every other year to remove the growth of moss and mildew. And then I have to restore the sand that gets blasted out from between the pavers. Like Diana Bier’s situation…yes, they are work. I have noted that people who use them for driveways in our part of the world see sag in the bricks and pavers from compression by car tires. So, over time, compaction of the underpinnings does occur, despite all the techniques used by reputable brick layers. Just affirming that pavers and bricks as patios and driveways aren’t fool proof or care free. Especially in the Mid West!

Concrete also has to be power washed to keep it looking clean. If there is settling, it can crack, which doesn’t happen with pavers. But sand and ants probably won’t be a problem.

They both have pros and cons.

Weed block underlayment is what we have used under our driveways, front walks and patios. On Cape Cod where a solid surface often is not allowed because drainage is the operative goal. Pebbles, larger than the grooves in your sneakers and tires, for obvious reasons, are used.

Thought this article might help you.

https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/patio-materials

For your installation maybe you could do stones and areas of greens would look lovely.

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Finally getting to the pavers! The insurance company was stalling on the outdoor coverage for my fire renovation. The dam finally broke. I thought the gold sand color was perfect because it about a 3/4 a mile to the ocean. However, now I'm looking at the 3 color samples before ordering.... Ivory, Gold and Mist (grey) and still lean toward the gold maybe with a enhancing sealer to darken them a little bit.

I thought I should check out the grey mist since I have light grey awnings and in the back there will be poured in place cement pony walls topped with glass to define the 2 rentals private yards. Maybe the gold is too close to the stucco color? Any opinions would be appreciated!

Here they are darkened with water.

I have a pavers patio around my in ground pool. Do pavers or bricks.

I used the 12" x 24" Artistic Pavers, Shellock pavers all around my pool and patio. I used the ivory/white color.

I much prefer pavers over asphalt or cement. Yes, they can settle, but it is easily fixed by lifting the pavers, adding more substrate and then replacing the pavers. Cracked cement or asphalt isn't fixed as easily and never looks good once it has been patched.

To be honest I don’t love any of those pavers Paul. The speckled shiny bit seems outdated to me and not good. I would want something more simple.

This is such a personal thing, but for me and in general, pavers look better hand's down.

Concrete is the "builder's basic" option around me and so I know that is coloring my perception. However as other have said, once concrete cracks....you're pretty much done. There is no way to repair it so that it looks really good (again, IMO). Yes, pavers can settle - in which case you lift them up, re-level the base, and you're good as new. Not a hard job for any landscaper or even a handy home-owner to tackle.

And yes, depending a bit both on climate and to some degree the kind of prep/substrate, sometimes weeds or moss can grow in the spaces between them. Again, not a huge issue to me. Again, I understand different people value different things differently, but I'd rather spend a bit of time making my pavers look nice than to have concrete.

To me, a beautiful paver sidewalk, patio, or driveway adds a lot of character to a home - and again, when they are done well, enhance curb appeal and bring value. Concrete is just there. Perfectly suitable sidewalk or driveway material, but certainly nothing special either.

stamped concrete is another option

I'm sold on them. @Westcoast Hopeful I know you say they look outdated but I've never seen anything like it in this area... abalone pieces with iridescence in the sun. I think the most sand-like is the gold color so I decided to go with that.

I found a place with some great 36" box multi-trunk king palms. Luckily I told them I was putting in pavers, they said to let them place the trees before the pavers are installed so as not to damage them. I hadn't thought about that.

I ended up going with some giant fruitless olive trees. 16' tall for fruitless was quite a find... about a dozen had just been taken out of the ground earlier in the day and put in boxes, so I had the pick. This one is crazy symmetrical if you look at the base.

WOW outstanding. I love the olive trees. This is going to be a lovely oasis.

These trees look stunning. Will they have enough to save for roots to grow and safely hold them up etc?

Pavers will give texture and interest