Paver Labyrinths

If you want a precise had-cut paver labyrinth that is an amazing work of art and will last for 100 years, see paver artist Marty Kermeen at www.labyrinthsinstone.com. The cost will be comensurate with the weeks of work, generally into six figures for a full-size Chartres labyrinth. We and Marty also offer an exact replica of the Chartres labyrinth, made with stone from the same quaries in France, with each piece identical. The cost is one million dollars.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, we have been able to lower the cost of paver installations by using water-jet technology to pre-cut some of the more complicated details, such as the perimeter arcs on the Chartres labyrinth. This lowers the cost to the $30,000 to $65,000 range, depending on size and pattern. In most cases, Labyrinth Enterprises, LLC, engages Marty Kermeen as our installer. Then why not go direct to Marty? The cost is the same, and we offer additional design and management capabilities.

Our work is magnificent. Besides the pavers themselves, the bases are deep and solid (see Zion), and we go to great lengths to solve any soil or drainage problems. For the paver labyrinth at Valparaiso University (see Valparaiso) the ground had serious drainage problems. We invented our own drains and constructed an intricate systems of pipes beneath the labyrinth. There is no longer any problem.

At the University of Southern Indiana we were asked to install the labyrinth on a base of pervious concrete, which they would provide. We were skeptical, but it came out very well. We were approached by a park in Baton Rouge, LA, to install a labyrinth with pavers on asphalt, glued down, as is sometimes done for large patio areas. We found the technology too restricting to guarantee a labyrinth with the accuracy that we demand, and so we refused the job. Being of the "old school" when it comes to satisfaction and quality, we now have a new competitor: paver labyrinth kits.

SHOULD YOU BUY A PRE-PACKAGED PAVER LABYRINTH KIT?

Labyrinth kits are sold assuring the client that their local landscaper can install them (instructions are provided), even if they have never made a labyrinth before. The issue is one of standards. When we installed the labyrinth at the University of Southern Indiana (56-foot modified Chartres pattern), the brick layer's union asked us why we didn't use them. They watched us very critically during the installation process. At the end, they had to admit that it was far more complex and more difficult than anything they had ever seen before. Meanwhile, next to the labyrinth, the union installed some paver bench pads and small areas of walkway. The crooked lines and uneven surface (they put the pavers right on the base, without the bedding sand) was deemed acceptable for a sidewalk and for the utilitarian nature of the intended use. If they couldn't get a small pad straight, how could they do a good job on a labyrinth? Later I learned that they had also bid on the labyrinth installation, but we were lower. So their quality would have been much less and their price more. My intent isn't to put down the union, it is to point out that what we do does not relate equally to what they do. An art installation has a far higher standard for precision and accuracy. It isn't landscaping.

That being said, a project that would be a $50,000 kit installation might cost $60,000 or more done by us (plus some travel costs). We have a very specific specialty, which is to make labyrinths. I would like to say that means that we can command a huge fee, but in most cases, the labyrinth is the least expensive part of the project. Often the architect fees and landscaping are far more than we receive. It is common for us to find that the whole project was $250,000 to $300,000 or more. In such cases, hiring a professional is practical and worth the extra cost. But if a church or other customer just wants a modest labyrinth with a number of irregularities which will look good for then next five to seven years, then a kit may be the difference between getting a labyrinth, of any kind, or not. In such case, we hope they will get the kit. An alternative is to hire us to install your kit. The cost would be a little more than a local installer, due to travel expenses, but less than a full art installation. Or, hire us to come and supervise a local crew. Here is a tale about an unhappy do-it-yourselfer: Paver tale.

Both photos on this page are from a private residence in Telluride, CO. Note some of the details in the photo to the right. Paver bundles come with both square pavers and "twinkies" (half pavers). So we sprinkle the twinkies randomly throughout the labyrinth, adding variety and interest. You will not find any pieces smaller than a twinkie in the circles. The last kit labyrinth we visited (supervised by the same labyrinth company that sells the kit, which you would think would be their best work), the circles were full of "boogers" (pardon our language). These are small little spaces in which a tiny slice is whacked off of a paver and used to fill the small gap, rather than re-arranging the pavers, which would be extra work. Likely the installer considered it to be normal, having never installed pavers in any other way. Note, also, in the photograph, that the center is a grid, flowing in from the entrance. This involves a lot of extra cutting. Kits always use circle bundles, which form concentric circles that make the center look like a big target.

Since we design each labyrinth according to the project, we don't try to steer the client to a certain design or a certain size or color combination. Kits typically can come only in certain sizes and only certain colors. We can offer a Chartres labyrinth, for example, at its exact original size, namely, 42 feet 3 3/8 inches, in any available color. I don't know of any kit that can do that. Here's an analogy. Years ago, in the 1980's while living in Dallas, I worked for Richard Kingston, building harpsichords. We started with a pile of lumber and an elephant tusk (can't do that any more) and ended up with a beautiful replica of a two-manual 18th-century Flemish harpsichord. At that time, it was also possible to buy a labyrinth kit and assemble your own harpsichord. That there was a difference in quality is an understatement, similar to the difference between a custom-designed house vs. buying a kit home. We're glad musicians assembled their labyrinth kits and we wish people well who live in their cozy kit homes. They serve an important purpose making those products available at the lowest possible price. In the case of labyrinths, the price differential is far less than in my previous two examples, as both custom harpsichords and custom homes are many times the cost of kits. For a professionally installed labyrinth, the difference is only about 20-25% in cost. It really shouldn't be out of the reach of anyone wanting to get a unique work of art that will last for generations.

Let me add one more personal note. I am only a few years from retirement. If I never sell another paver labyrinth, I will be just fine. The person to whom this should make a difference is you. What are your standards? If you are the designer, how long do you want to take pride in this project? If you are the client, do you want to go beyond the ordinary? Yesterday I bought a new bed. I considered a number of headboard designs. Most were pretty common, but one stood out. It was solid oak and had interesting geometry. Further, it included sideboards, which you rarely see these days. The cost was -- you guessed it -- about 25% more than the ordinary ones. I'm going to sleep in that bed every day for the next few decades, just as people will will daily walk your labyrinth. I bought the upgrade, which pleases me greatly. I'm worth it. Is your project worth it? If so, please feel free to contact me (Robert). If you go elsewhere, we hope you get the best possible result. In either case, enjoy your labyrinth.

THE LABYRINTH COMPANY VS. LABYRINTH ENTERPRISES, LLC

You are about to make an important decision, so let's be frank. The largest kit maker is the Labyrinth Company, which has an advantageous position in the search engines (top of the page, where people click on the first choice). How are we different? Years ago, we both began by making canvas labyrinths. For both of us, the biggest problem was finding artists who could do a good job. Eventually, David Tolzmann made the declaration that he wanted to "take the art out of labyrinth making." Artists were too hard to deal with, weren't reliable, etc. So he went to a mechanical system, in which he prints all of his portable labyrinths by pushing a button on a computer (located iin his large basement). He was absolutely correct as to the efficiency, and now produces more canvas labyrinths than we do. On the other hand, we kept the art and the personal aspect in the creation of canvas labyrinths. We absorb considerable overhead having the world's only 8,000 sq. ft. labyrinth studio (see studio). Our success is due largely to our studio manager, Judy Hopen, who is the world's best labyrinth painter. She has now made more than 800 canvas labyrinths the old-fashioned way, personally, one at a time. Our canvas labyrinths should cost more than those from the Labyrinth Company, but we have kept the price the same to be competitive. So for the same price, people have a choice between a print and an original work of art.

This is the same distinction as between a kit and a custom labyrinth. Our installer, Marty Kermeen, is the best in the world, just as Judy is the best canvas labyrinth maker. In the case of paver labyrinths, we are forced to charge a little more than the cost of kits, but consider the difference in quality and spirit. Here is a summary that clarifies your choice.

Material

Here we have the same distinction between a smaller artisan company and a large producer. The Labyrinth Company's kits are made by Pavestone, which is the largest paver company in the US, I believe. They provide the pavers you can buy at The Home Depot, for example. The quality is, well, average. Let's be realistic here. Average is the top of the bell curve, where there are the most people. That's where the most volume is available. The Labyrinth Company is similarly addressing that segment of the customer base. We, on the other hand, use a paver company in the Chicago area (see http://www.pavelock.com/). They have only one factory, and deal wholesale only, to professionals. We find their pavers to be much more dense and free of flaws, efflorescence, and raveling (aggregate popping out), plus more consistent in color. They cost more, of course, and we pay for shipping. however distant it may be. Since Marty has been a good customer for 25 years, we can get personalized service, including special color runs for our orders.

Flexibility

The Labyrinth Company spent a lot of money (more than $50,000, I am told) to buy a special mold from Germany for making the turns for their kits. We make the turns using standard wedge shapes available from Pavelock. (For some reason, the molded pieces are smaller than the squares used for the paths, which seems inconsistent to us. Standard wedge shapes conform to the rest of the squares and rectangles for any given style of paver.) The disadvantage of a kit is that the paths must be a fixed size, conforming to the mold for the turns. So to make a larger labyrinth, you either make the center larger, or increase the number of circuits (concentric paths). To make a smaller labyrinth, you decrease the number of circuits. The kits are available in four colors, since they are pre-manufactured. Our work is all custom designed. We can make any pattern in any size. If you have a large space, we can expand the size of the labyrinth without changing the design. We also have a full palette of colors available, not just four. As you would expect from custom work, we can meet your needs exactly, without forcing you into choosing a pre-designed product.

Design

Our installer, Marty Kermeen, has been a landscape professional for 25 years, with a successful business doing upscale residential and commertial work. He has made some magnificent logos and hand-cut lettering in his work. Once he discovered labyrinths, he found his life's calling, giving his art a purpose. He now specializes only in making labyrinths. We have both visited kit installations, and Marty finds that the actual design, and how it is assembled, does not show a background in working with pavers. Indeed, David Tolzmann was in the environmental business prior to selling labyrinths. The way in which turns meet paths, the filling of spaces, and other technical matters, have some distinct shortcomings. The installers would therefore be following instructions which will not get the best possible result.

Installation

This is the biggest distinction, in which we are comparing a utilitarian kit with an art installation. Certainly there are some conscientious landscapers out there who will do their best work. But what does that mean? Another analogy can make our point. Polymer concrete labyrinths are our major contribution to the labyrinth world, making concrete a viable alternative to institutions. Previously, concrete was rejected because decoration was done through sand blasting and staining, which doesn't hold up over the long haul or under heavy use. Now, polymer concrete solves that problem. Not being contractors, we depend on the client to have the concrete poured by a local company. After it is cured, we come and iinstall the labyrinth pattern. We give very specific guidelines on how we want the concrete done, including curing, control joints, brooming, and finishing quality. Yet, when we arrive at the site, we never know what to expect. The quality varies from excellent to poor. In all cases, they are done by experienced concrete contractors, doing what they hacve done every day for decades. The problem is the difference between an art installation and a sidewalk or driveway. Even doing their best, they have little understandiing of what we expect.

The same is true with pavers. Most landscapers do grids to form sidewalks and driveways. Perhaps a patio will have a soldier course (perimeter pavers turned the opposite direction) or some diagonal lines. To do a circle, they buy a circle bundle, which comes with wedge-shaped pieces. They have not experienced anything as complex as a labyrinth. The Labyrinth Company directs clients to installers who have previously used their kits. But just as our concrete contractors were experienced, that doesn't mean that the quality rises above the standards of the kit instructions. In fact, the kit is designed to not require anything more than average experience and capability. that's the whole attraction. This is especially true with regard to the center (grid vs. "target -- see above -- a very important distinction in how the labyrinth looks), small gaps ("boogers" -- see above), and other details. In my discussions with David Tolzmann, he thinks we're crazy by shooting for such high standards, thereby increasing our cost and limiting our client base. He is, in fact, happy to leave that area to us. We accept. He is, once again, taking the art out of labyrinth making, while we are doing just the opposite. [Note: I am speaking here about paver kits. While I think much of David's work is average -- an evaluation with which I think he would agree -- he has done some beautiful custom work when the opportunity and budget have presented themselves.]

I have mentioned Marty Kermeen a number of times. He has his own company, of course. These are his websites: www.labyrinthsinstone.com and www.labyrinthbuilder.com. If you buy through us or go direct, the cost is the same. So we think two world-class labyrinth builders for the price of one is a good deal. However, it may be possible that Marty is already doing work in your area, or for some other reason he may give a special price. If you go direct, we won't feel bad. Please give him our regards. Here's an interesting point. Previously, all paver labyrinths were cut by hand, one paver at a time. That is still possible for those seeking the very best. It puts a Chartres labyrinth into six figures (see Audobon Park in New Orleans for an example, or Riverwalk Park in Naperville, IL). To make labyrinths more available, we have incorporated water jet technology to cut the most complex parts, including the lunations around the perimeter and the petals in the center of a Chartres labyrinth. These are done by computer-aided machines. We have found that Marty's work, by hand, is even better than that of the computer. It is actually quite amazing. He took an example to show a client, in which a petal cross fit into a single piece of surrounding stone. But the cross was wrapped in a single layer of Saran Wrap, and so it wouldn't fit. He had to remove the plastic wrap because the tolerance was smaller than that. Such accuracy is not possible with water jet, since the jet begins to wander about half way through the paver, whereas a cut on a saw is all the way through, evenly. We also offer an exact replica of the Chartres labyrinth, made of stone from the same quarry in France. The cost is one million dollars. We would be the best ones in the world for such a project. (I have personally been to Chartres 50 times over a period of 43 years, and plan to make it 51 in July, 2008.)

Philosophy

Frankly, as artists, we aren't the world's greatest business people. Our scope is too wide. We attend labyrinth conferences and do pro bono work. We train others on how to make labyrinths. We write and lecture about labyrinths, sacred geometry, and Chartres Cathedral. We're spread pretty thin, sometimes. This is true for most people whose mission is to promote the benefits and use of labyrinths. Even the most famous labyrinth people, such as Lauren Artress or Jeff Saward, make very modest livings compared to their knowledge and expertise. The Labyrinth Company is the exception, due to David Tolzmann's focusing solely on purveying labyrinths. Socially, he finds himself on the fringes of the labyrinth movement. In a way, he revels at being the black sheep. I appreciate that, as I'm a bit of a black sheep myself, in other ways. (For personal details, see my website www.robertferre.com.) Speaking of which, look at the difference between our websites. David Tolzmann's is sparce, to the point, easy to maintain (barely has changed for years). Ours is huge, with free instructions, articles, more than 300 links, and a lot of work to keep up to date (which isn't always the case, I admit). We consider it a public service.

Sometimes, I wish I were more like David Tolzmann when it comes to business. But then I get turned off by how aggressive one must be, compared to my normal laid back nature. For example, he has registered my personal name as a Google search word. If you search under "Robert Ferre" you will find his ad at the top of the page, plus another labyrinth ad by Neal Harris. The same is true if you search for Veriditas or Lauren Artress. Now maybe that's a normal business practice. Maybe Pepsi buys the search word "Coca Cola" so when someone goes there, the Pepsi ad will come up. I'm not sure whether such a practice abides by the ethical standards that Google posts under terms and conditions. In any case, I find it too aggressive for comfort.

Responsibility

The final issue with regards to kit vs. artist has to do with taking responsibility. We know of a number of instances in which labyrinth kits developed some problems. The recourse is not with the Labyrinth Company, as they only sold the materials. You must go to the installer for any satisfaction. Clever, no? We stand behind every installation. We don't specify a number of years, as we think the labyrinth will last for generations. Your grandchildren's grandchildren should walk that labyrinth.

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If you have read this far, I am sure you get my point and can understand the difference in your choice for a paver labyrinth. Whatever your choice, we wish you well and many happy walks.