Overview
A driveway carries the heaviest load on your property and takes the worst of the BC weather doing it. Cars, delivery trucks, standing rain, and the freeze-thaw swings that pull most surfaces apart over a few winters. Whether it lasts 25 years or ripples in three comes down almost entirely to what's under the pavers, not the pavers themselves.
Here's how we build the base. We dig out 8 to 12 inches of native soil depending on the load and how the ground drains. We lay woven geotextile so the base and the soil never mix. Then we bring in crushed road base and compact it in lifts, three to four passes with a plate compactor between each, until it's dense enough that nothing below the surface can move. The pavers and the bedding sand go on top of that, and a concrete edge restraint locks the whole field so it can't spread at the sides.
The choice most homeowners weigh is permeable versus sealed. Permeable pavers let rainwater drain straight through the surface, which matters on lots with stormwater limits or nowhere for runoff to go. Sealed driveways shed water to a swale or drain. Your slope and your municipality's drainage rules usually decide it, and we'll tell you which one fits your lot on the site walk instead of selling you the more expensive option by default.
What moves the price is size, how deep we have to excavate, whether there's old concrete or asphalt to tear out and haul away, the paver line you pick, and any drainage work the lot needs. If you want real numbers, our paver driveway cost guide for South Surrey breaks the ranges down. Pavers don't crack the way a concrete slab does, and if a single stone ever settles we can lift and re-set it in about 20 minutes rather than cutting and patching. See recent driveways in our work.
What's included
What we offer
- Minimum 12" excavation, soil assessment and amendments if needed
- Geotextile fabric installed according to manufacturer specs
- Drainage installation when it's needed
- Base, then bedding material, compacted in lifts
- Edge restraint on every open edge
- Final compaction and polymeric sand finish
- Open graded base and jointing for all permeable installs
Process
How we
approach it.
- 01
Site walk
We look at slope, drainage, and the condition of your existing driveway. All of that shapes how we price out your options.
- 02
Tiered proposal
Design, finish, and maintenance options all affect the price. You get three options so you can pick the one that fits your needs.
- 03
Build
We design and build to your selected scope. Progress photos and daily updates so you can track where we are.
- 04
Completion
After the polymeric sand, you can use the driveway within 48 hours. Our team gives you the maintenance playbook so you know how to protect the investment.
FAQ
Quick answers
How long does a driveway take?
Three to five days for an average 600-square-foot driveway, from excavation through the final compaction pass. Bigger lots, or rebuilds where we're tearing out and hauling away old concrete first, usually run about a week. The base work is what takes the time and it's the part you can't rush, so we'd rather give you a real five-day window than promise three and cut the compaction short to hit it.
Will it crack like concrete?
No. Pavers don't crack the way a poured slab does. Because the surface is made of individual units set on a flexible base, they move independently if the ground shifts instead of splitting, and if a single stone ever settles we can pull and re-set it in about 20 minutes. A concrete crack, by contrast, has to be cut out and patched, and the patch never quite matches. That's the main reason we build in pavers on driveways that take real load.
Permeable or sealed?
It depends on your slope and your municipality's stormwater rules. Permeable pavers let rainwater drain straight through the surface, which matters on lots with drainage limits or nowhere for runoff to go. Sealed driveways shed water to a swale or drain instead. We'll tell you which one actually fits your lot at the site walk rather than defaulting you into the more expensive system, and we'll flag it if a bylaw makes the decision for you.
Workmanship warranty?
Two years standard, and three years on premium builds. If anything settles, shifts, or opens up in that window, we come back and make it right. Most issues that ever show up do so in the first season as the ground finds its level, which is exactly why the base work matters so much and why we stand behind ours rather than disappearing once the invoice is paid.