Comparison
Permeable vs Standard Pavers
Standard pavers shed water at the surface into conventional drainage. Permeable pavers infiltrate it through stone-filled joints into an open-graded reservoir, which can satisfy post-construction stormwater requirements and reduce or eliminate detention structures — at the cost of a deeper base and vacuum maintenance.
Permeable pavers
- —Infiltrates stormwater on site; supports LID and LEED goals
- —Can reduce or replace detention basins and piping
- —Open-graded base doubles as water storage
- —Requires periodic vacuum sweeping to keep joints open
- —Never use bedding sand or polymeric sand in the joints
Standard pavers
- —Shallower base and lower material cost
- —Conventional sand-set assembly, widely understood by crews
- —Requires surface drainage design and downstream capacity
- —Impervious for the purposes of stormwater calculations
Side by side
| Criterion | Permeable pavers | Standard pavers |
|---|---|---|
| Stormwater credit | Yes | No |
| Base depth | Deeper, engineered reservoir | Conventional aggregate base |
| Joint material | Clean angular stone | Joint sand |
| Maintenance | Vacuum sweeping | Sand top-up |
| Cost | Higher assembly cost | Lower |
The verdict
Specify permeable where the drainage or code requirement exists, or where infiltration replaces expensive site drainage. Use standard systems everywhere else and zone them together — permeable parking bays with standard drive aisles is a common, cost-effective split.
Frequently asked
- Do permeable pavers cost more?
- The assembly costs more because of the deeper open-graded base, but savings on detention, piping and site drainage often offset it.
- Can permeable pavers freeze?
- The open-graded reservoir drains freely, which generally improves freeze-thaw performance compared with a saturated dense base.