Hardscape and pavers in San Gabriel: the base is the job

They solve different problems. Concrete is usually cheaper up front and gives an uninterrupted surface. Its weakness on expansive clay is that when the ground moves, concrete cracks, and a cracked slab is repaired by replacing a section that will never quite match. Pavers are individually small units with joints between them, so ground movement shows up as a settled area rather than a crack, and that area can be lifted, the base corrected, and the same pavers relaid. On moving soil that flexibility is worth real money.

Efflorescence is a whitish haze that appears on new concrete pavers as moisture carries soluble salts from inside the unit to the surface, where the water evaporates and leaves the salt behind. It is a normal property of cement-based products, not a defect, and not a sign of bad installation. It typically weathers off over several months to a year of ordinary rain and traffic. This is the reason experienced installers usually advise waiting before sealing: sealing early traps the haze under the sealer, where it is far harder to remove than if it had simply been left alone.

An at-grade patio inside your property line often does not, but the answer depends on the specifics and it is worth a direct call to the city building department before work begins. What reliably does require permitting is anything touching the public right of way, which includes the driveway apron, the sidewalk and the curb cut, and retaining walls above a certain height. Stormwater requirements can also be triggered by adding a significant area of impermeable surface. Settle in writing who is responsible for pulling the permit, and treat a contractor who suggests skipping it as a contractor to pass on.

A common target is around a quarter of an inch of drop per foot of run, sloping away from the house. On a twelve foot patio that is roughly three inches of total fall, which is more than most homeowners picture and is one reason a finished patio can look subtly tilted when you know to look for it. Less fall than that and water sits on the surface after rain and finds its way into the joints and the base. More is uncomfortable to walk on and awkward for outdoor furniture. The fall also has to lead somewhere; slope alone is not drainage.

Excavation depth and base depth in inches; the base material and the number and thickness of compaction lifts; whether geotextile fabric is included; the paver by manufacturer, line, colour and thickness; the bedding layer material and depth; the joint sand type; the edge restraint method; the drainage design and the point where water discharges; who pulls any permit; how existing material is demolished and disposed of; the payment milestones; and the change-order rate. Bids that state these numbers can be compared. Bids that say installed pavers with a square footage cannot.

It is sometimes possible and it is worth asking about, since it avoids demolition cost. The existing slab has to be structurally sound, meaning no significant cracking, no rocking sections and no drainage problems, because any movement in the slab will be reproduced in the surface above it. The bigger practical constraint is height. Adding an overlay raises the driveway by several inches, which affects the transition at the garage door, the apron at the street and any adjoining walkway. Where the slab is already failing, an overlay is a way of paying twice.

No. Tegula Stone connects homeowners in San Gabriel and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley with independent hardscape specialists. Those specialists are separate businesses that set their own prices, carry their own licences and insurance, and sign the contract with you directly. We do not perform the work and we do not vouch for any particular contractor. Verify the licence with the California licensing board yourself, ask for addresses of recent work you can drive past, and get the base depth in writing.