Driveway pavers in Gilroy CA - a surface that stays flat and tight under your cars
Old driveway cracked, or pavers sinking and spreading? We build a packed base and a firm edge so your new pavers stay put.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Are pavers the right choice for your Gilroy driveway?
Driveway pavers in Gilroy are interlocking concrete pavers set over a packed base built to carry cars. They give you a driveway that stays flat, and if one area ever settles, it can be lifted and reset instead of torn out.
Most people call me when the old concrete has broken into pieces, or when a paver driveway someone else laid has started to sink where the tires run. Pavers make sense when you want a driveway that handles cars turning and is easy to fix in spots, as long as the ground under it is built right. The price moves with the size of the driveway, how much old surface has to come out, how deep the base needs to be, whether the lot needs drainage under it and the paver and pattern you pick. The schedule mostly depends on the digging, the base work and the weather. The written estimate I give you after the visit puts your own figure on all of it.
How do you know your driveway needs pavers or a repair?
Concrete cracked into pieces
When a poured driveway has broken into slabs that rock or tip, the ground under it has usually settled or washed out. Patches rarely hold for long, and every rainy season pushes more water into the cracks and under the slabs.
Pavers sinking where tires run
Dips in the wheel paths usually mean the base wasn't packed hard enough or water got into it. If you leave them, the ruts get deeper and the pavers beside them start tipping, so a small reset turns into a bigger one.
Gaps opening along the sides
Wide joints near the edges, with sand washing out of them, usually mean the edge has let go and the pavers are spreading. The longer that goes on, the looser the whole driveway gets, because each paver leans on the ones around it.
How we build driveway pavers that hold up
We put most of our effort into the base and the edge, because pavers that aren't packed down well and held in tight start to shift once cars roll over them. We dig out the old driveway and any soft soil, pack the ground underneath, then bring in base rock and pack it in layers until it's firm and sloped to shed water. Next we set the edge along the sides so the pavers can't spread. Then we lay them in your pattern, cut the borders to fit, sweep sand into the joints and run a compactor over the whole surface to lock it together. A compactor is a heavy vibrating plate.
A driveway rarely sits by itself. If yours cuts into a hillside and the bank beside it is creeping toward the pavement, retaining wall construction holds that soil back so it isn't pushing on your new edge. If the brick steps, columns or planters around the drive are crumbling, masonry restoration brings them back so the front of the house matches the new work.
Herringbone pattern for most driveways
Pavers set in a zigzag herringbone hold together best when wheels turn on them. It's what I suggest for most driveways, especially ones where you back out and swing around.
Running bond or basketweave for looks
These straight-line patterns suit a short, straight driveway or a house where you want that look, but they don't lock up as tightly under turning cars. If your cars pivot on the driveway, I'd steer you back to herringbone.
Permeable pavers so rain soaks in
Permeable pavers have wider joints filled with small stone, so rain goes down through them instead of running off. They don't suit every lot and they need more upkeep, which the questions below cover.
Get a written estimate for your paver driveway
Send your address, rough driveway size and whether the lot slopes. We'll reply within one business day, then I'll come out, walk the driveway with you and write up a free estimate with no obligation.
(669) 205-6449- Based in
- Gilroy, CA 95020
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about a paver driveway?
Here's how a paver driveway runs with us, from your first message to the walk around the finished job.
Call or send a message
Call (669) 205-6449 or use the form, and tell us your address and roughly how big the driveway is. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I walk the driveway with you
I look at the old surface, the slope and where water runs, and I ask how you use the driveway, like how many cars park there and where they turn. Your written estimate lays out the digging, base, drainage, edge and pavers, so you can see where your money goes.
Our crew builds and lays it
Our lead mason runs the crew through the dig, the base, the edge and the pavers, and I check in while the job is going. Most of the time goes into the base, the part you'll never see.
We walk the finished driveway
When the driveway is done, I walk it with you and point out what to keep an eye on, like joint sand that settles and needs topping up. That way you'll catch a problem early, whoever you call about it.
Why Gilroy homeowners call Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry for pavers
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to your Gilroy driveway myself, look it over and write the estimate, and our lead mason runs the crew that builds it. You're talking to the person who priced the job, so nothing gets lost between the visit and the work.
Learned at the yard and on the crew
I started behind the counter at a masonry supply yard, kept hearing what went wrong after the material left, and learned the trade on a local mason's crew before we opened in 2021. That's why I'll explain what's going on under your driveway before I talk about what to buy.
Licensed and fully insured on site
We're licensed and fully insured. If something gets damaged on your property while we're working, you're not the one left covering it.
Your satisfaction, guaranteed. When you're ready, send us a few details about your driveway or call (669) 205-6449.
Driveway pavers and drainage on Gilroy lots
On sloping upland lots around Gilroy, the ground is often a moderately deep, well-drained soil that sheds rain at a medium to rapid rate and soaks it in only moderately slowly. That doesn't describe every yard in town, so I check where your lot sits and how water crosses it before I plan the base. On a slope we pay close attention to where runoff from above reaches the driveway, because water that gets under the edge is what loosens a base.
We're based in Gilroy and work in the cities around it, and on jobs in San Martin and Morgan Hill we see plenty of sloped driveways where water is the first thing to sort out.
Questions about driveway pavers in Gilroy
(669) 205-6449You can drive on concrete pavers as soon as they're laid and compacted, because there's no poured concrete to wait on while it cures. That can shorten the time you're without your driveway, which helps if you've only got one place to park.
A weak or missing edge is the usual cause, because interlocking pavers rely on a rigid edge, like a concrete curb or plastic or aluminum edging, to stay together under cars. One driveway guide says that without it the pavers shift, the gaps widen and the joint sand washes out. Whoever you hire, ask how they'll build the edge on your driveway.
They're often worth it, because paver guidance recommends drain pipes under the base wherever cars drive on clay or other slow-draining soil. The same guidance says the small added cost comes back many times over in extra years of service. I'd rather plan for it at the start than dig up a finished driveway later.
Only on small jobs, because California's minor work exemption tops out at $1,000. It also covers only work that needs no permit, done by someone with no one else working on the project. The state's earthwork and paving license class covers digging, grading and laying paving, so on a full driveway it's fair to ask anyone you're considering which license they hold.
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen the driveway, because the dig and the base change more from one property to the next than the pavers do. Tearing out old concrete, a steep slope, drain pipe and a fancier paver or pattern all push the price up, while a flat lot with a simple layout keeps it down. I'll put your figure in writing after I walk it with you.
Permeable pavers usually aren't put in where groundwater sits close to the surface in the wet season, or where loose dirt and blowing dust would clog the joints fast. Leaves from trees and dirt off your cars also slow how quickly water soaks in, so they need regular checks and cleaning to keep working. On slow-draining soil, ask whether your base needs an underdrain, a perforated pipe that carries water out to a swale or outlet.
Related services for your driveway and yard
Retaining wall construction
A driveway graded into a hill often leaves a raw bank that slumps after storms, and a well-drained wall keeps that dirt off your pavers for good.
Masonry restoration
Tired brick steps, columns or planters can make a new driveway look out of place, and restoration repairs the worn joints and damaged bricks to match.
Service areas for paver driveways near Gilroy
Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry is based in Gilroy, CA, and we lay paver driveways in the 12 cities listed below, including Hollister and Watsonville. These are the cities with their own page, not the only ones we work in, so call if you don't see yours.
Gilroy, CA
Start your paver driveway with a visit
If you can tell me where water stands or runs after a rain, I'll know where to look first when I walk your driveway.