Driveway pavers in San Jose CA - a base dug and compacted to carry your cars
Cracked slab or bare dirt where a driveway should be? We build paver driveways on a compacted base made for the weight of cars.
What goes into a paver driveway in San Jose?
A paver driveway is a surface of interlocking pavers set on a compacted base, so the pieces lock together and share the weight of your car, and in San Jose we build them for owners who want a driveway that's made to carry real traffic.
Most people who call about driveway pavers are looking at a cracked concrete slab, an old drive they want to extend, or bare ground where a driveway should be. The price moves with the size, how deep the base has to go for your soil, the pattern you pick, whether old concrete has to come out first and whether the work reaches the apron at the street. The schedule turns mostly on whether the city has to issue a permit before we dig. When I come out, I measure, take photos and write up what I found and what we'd do about it, so you get a figure for your own driveway instead of a guess.
How we lay driveway pavers
I start by measuring the driveway and marking where it runs, and then our masons take out the old surface and dig down far enough that the base sits on firm ground. We bring in crushed base rock, spread it in layers and run a plate compactor over each one, because a paver driveway is only as good as what's under it, and we dig and compact for cars, not foot traffic. We grade that base so water runs off toward the street and away from your house, then screed a thin bed of sand, lay the pavers in the pattern you chose, cut the edges to fit and set an edge restraint so the field stays in place. Last we sweep sand into the joints and run the compactor over the pavers to lock them together, and I check the slope and the lines before we clean up.
A driveway often runs into other work. On a sloped lot the cut for the drive may need retaining wall construction to hold the soil back beside it, and we build that wall before the pavers go down. If the brick steps, planters or porch next to the driveway are worn, our masonry restoration work repairs them with a mortar that suits the old brick, so the house and the new driveway look like they belong together.
Standard pavers with sand joints
This suits most driveways, because tight joints over a compacted base carry cars well and rain runs off the surface to the street or a drain. It's the simpler build, and it's where I'd start unless your lot gives us a reason not to.
Permeable pavers over open rock
These suit owners who want rain to soak in on the lot instead of running off, and they sit on a deeper bed of clean, open rock that usually costs more to build. I check whether your lot is a good fit before we recommend them.
What San Jose's rules and soil mean for driveway pavers
In San Jose, the city's Public Works department issues permits for driveways that are new, expanded or moved to a new spot. If the job changes or repairs the sidewalk, the curb or the driveway apron, the strip that meets the street, that permit comes from the city's Transportation Department instead. Which one applies depends on what your job changes, so we check with the city's permit office first, and when a permit is needed we apply for it as the licensed contractor and meet the inspector on site.
Ground is the other local factor. A soil survey puts south San Jose in the basins, the lowest part of the valley, where water had nowhere to drain off naturally until pumping groundwater and flood control improved it. Industry guidance calls for a deeper compacted base under a driveway than under a patio, and a thicker one on soil that stays wet or weak, since traffic, soil, drainage and moisture all set the depth. So at the estimate I look at your soil and tell you how deep we'd go and why. We're based in San Jose and work across the city and the cities around it, and we judge the ground the same way on driveway jobs in Campbell and Milpitas.
Paver driveways and patterns
Why call us for driveway pavers
I measure, our masons build
I come out to look at the job myself and take the measurements, and our own masons do the work while I check it as it goes up. The person who planned your base depth is the one watching it get compacted.
In business since 2013
We've done masonry work for 13 years, and I learned the trade under an experienced mason here in San Jose, starting with mixing mortar. That taught me to look at the ground first and to say so when I don't know something yet.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters on a driveway job, where we run a compactor and haul out old concrete a few feet from your house.
Sized within the front yard rule
The city says it's illegal to expand a driveway in a way that excessively paves over the front yard, and that can bring code enforcement and an order to remove the pavement. I lay out any extension with that in mind before we order pavers, so the work isn't at risk later.
On a paver driveway the base matters most, so I'd rather see your ground before I give you a number. Have the driveway's rough size handy and tell us whether it's new, an extension or a replacement in the same spot, and whether it touches the apron, then call (669) 234-3391 or use our contact page.
(669) 234-3391Get an estimate for your paver driveway
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure the driveway, take photos and write up what I found and what we'd do about it, and the estimate is free with no pressure to book.
Paver driveway questions from San Jose owners
How much do driveway pavers cost in San Jose?
Installed paver work in San Jose usually costs about $12 to $30 per square foot, and that's the area's usual range for finished work, not our price. A deeper base for wet soil, a herringbone layout with more cuts, permeable pavers or tearing out an old slab push a job toward the top. I'll give you a figure for your driveway once I've measured it.
Do I need a permit to replace my driveway in San Jose?
The city says resurfacing on your side of the sidewalk doesn't need a permit. To take out an existing driveway and replace it in the same spot, the city directs owners to the Department of Transportation at (408) 794-1901. We confirm with the city before we start, so you aren't left guessing.
What is the best paver pattern for a driveway?
Herringbone, a zigzag layout, is what trade guidance recommends where pavers carry cars every day, because it gives the most interlock and strength. Other patterns can look good, but they usually don't lock together as well under vehicles. We'll talk through a few layouts at the estimate, and herringbone is where I'd start.
Are permeable pavers right for my house in San Jose?
They can be, if the groundwater under your lot is deep enough. Permeable pavers are generally not used where groundwater sits within 2 feet of the bottom of the pavement, so that's the first thing to check. I look into it before we recommend them and tell you plainly if I can't answer it yet.
How do I keep permeable pavers soaking up water?
Inspect them and clean them out before the joints clog. Sediment and debris from trees, cars and nearby soil gather in the openings and slow how fast water soaks in, and timely inspection and maintenance can bring that back.
Can someone without a license lay my paver driveway in California?
Only on very small jobs. California's limit for unlicensed work is $1,000, and only for work that needs no permit, done by someone who employs no one. The state's contractor license board lists installing interlocking pavers under its concrete related services license, so ask any installer which license they hold.
Call Brickworks San Jose about your paver driveway
Call (669) 234-3391 before you pick pavers, so we can look at your soil first and you choose a pattern that suits your lot.
