Driveway pavers in Yuma AZ - a paver driveway built to stay tight and level
If your driveway is cracked, sinking or just worn out, we can replace it with pavers set on a packed base and a firm edge.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Is a paver driveway worth it for a Yuma home?
Driveway pavers in Yuma, AZ are concrete pavers set on a thin bed of sand over a base of packed gravel, and we put them in for homes in Yuma and the cities around it, usually to replace a cracked slab or add parking.
Most calls I get start with a cracked or sunken concrete slab, or with a driveway that works fine but looks tired next to the house. What you'll pay depends on how big the driveway is, whether an old one has to come out first, how deep we have to dig to reach firm ground, any curves or borders that mean extra cuts, and which paver you choose. The schedule turns mostly on the tear-out and the digging, and on whether the work reaches the sidewalk or street, since that part needs a city permit before anyone digs. I walk the driveway with you and explain what I see before I write an estimate, so the figure you get is for your driveway and not a guess.
How can you tell your driveway is ready for pavers?
Cracks across the concrete
Long cracks that run across a slab, or edges that have lifted or dropped, usually mean the ground underneath moved or the slab wasn't thick enough for cars. Water gets into every crack, so they widen and break off in chunks, and patches rarely match or hold for long.
Low spots in tire tracks
On a paver driveway, dips where your tires roll or park usually mean the base underneath was too thin or wasn't packed well. Rain puddles in the dips and softens the base further, so a small area you could reset now turns into a bigger one.
Gaps opening along the edges
Pavers drifting outward at the sides, with the joints between them getting wider, usually means the edge has failed or was never solid. Once the outer rows move, the pavers behind them lose their grip, and the loosening works its way in toward the middle.
How we put in driveway pavers
Most of a paver driveway's life is in the parts you can't see, so that's where we spend our time. We break out and haul off the old driveway, dig down until we reach firm ground, and shape the grade so water runs away from your garage and out toward the street. Then we spread the gravel base in layers and pack each one with a plate compactor, a heavy vibrating machine, because a thick layer packed all at once stays soft in the middle. We set a solid edge along the sides, often a poured concrete border, before any pavers go down, since the edge is what keeps them locked against each other. After that comes a thin, level bed of sand, the pavers in your pattern, cuts along the borders, one more pass with the compactor and sand swept into the joints until they're full.
A driveway rarely stands alone. If the ground beside yours rises or falls away, retaining wall construction holds it in place so it doesn't lean on the paver edge or wash mud across the drive. And when old brick steps, planters or garden walls next to the driveway have crumbling joints, our masonry restoration work repairs them so everything around the new driveway is sound.
Replacing an old driveway
This suits you if the concrete is cracked, heaved or sunk past patching. We remove the old slab and fix whatever soft ground caused the trouble, so the new driveway isn't built on the same problem.
Widening or adding parking
This suits a house that needs room for another car or a side pad next to the existing drive. We tie the new section into the old one with a matching base and edge, so the seam between them doesn't settle.
Resetting sunken pavers
This suits an existing paver driveway with dips or loose edges where the pavers themselves are still in good shape. We lift the low section, rebuild the base under it and relay the same pavers, which costs far less than starting over.
Get a written estimate for your paver driveway
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, walk the driveway with you and write up a free estimate, with no pressure to book.
(928) 271-5129- Based in
- Yuma, AZ 85364
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about a paver driveway in Yuma?
Here's how it goes from your first call to the day you park on the new driveway, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send us a message
Tell us roughly how big the driveway is and whether the work reaches the sidewalk or street. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
Walk the driveway together
I look at the slope, the old surface and the ground at the edges, explain what I see, then write up an estimate. It spells out the tear-out, the base, the edge and the paver, so you know where the money goes and can compare it line by line with other bids.
We build it and finish up
My crew and I take care of any permit steps, and as each stage wraps up, from the dig to the base to the pavers, I tell you what comes next. When the joints are full, we clean up and I walk the finished driveway with you.
Why Yuma homeowners call J&L Yuma Concrete and Masonry for pavers
I walk your driveway myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and I check for the soft spots and hard caliche we run into around Yuma before I price anything. Then I work alongside my crew on the job, so the person who explained the base to you is standing over it while it's packed.
In business since 2013
We've been in business for 13 years, and before that I spent years laying block and brick on new homes going up. That's where I learned what happens to work that's rushed underneath, and it's why we take our time on the base.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm glad to show you the paperwork when I'm out for the estimate. That way you aren't taking on the risk of an accident on your own property.
When you're ready, send us your driveway details or call (928) 271-5129, and I'll set a time to come walk it with you. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Paver driveways, permits and the ground in Yuma
Where a new driveway meets the street, the part that crosses the sidewalk and the right-of-way, the public strip along the road, needs a permit from the City of Yuma before anyone digs or cuts there. The city also requires that work to be done by a builder licensed by the State of Arizona for that type of work, and the application goes in writing with a drawing showing where the work sits next to the curb, utilities, sidewalk and trees. For the rest of the driveway on your lot, the city's list says a permit is generally needed for new construction and remodels without naming driveways, so the city's Building Safety Division is the place to ask, and they can tell you which work needs no permit. When a permit is needed, we handle the application and set up the inspections, and I tell you what to expect before we start.
The ground is the other thing that shapes this job. Soils that swell or sink when they get wet turn up all over Arizona, Yuma included, and a lot of southern Arizona yards have caliche, dirt cemented hard by lime that sits in lumps or as a rock-like layer below the surface. When we hit soft or shifting soil, we dig it out and replace it with packed gravel, and when we hit caliche, we break through it so the base isn't sitting on a hard shelf that holds water. We find the same ground on jobs in Fortuna Foothills and San Luis, so we plan the dig for it from the first visit.
Questions about driveway pavers in Yuma
How much does a paver driveway cost in Yuma, AZ?
A sand-based concrete paver driveway in Yuma usually costs about $14 to $17 per square foot, not counting the tear-out of an old driveway. Those area figures assume a 4-inch packed gravel base, so a bid that calls for a deeper base or a concrete slab under the pavers will run higher per square foot. Your estimate from me will be for your driveway, after I've walked it.
Are brick pavers more expensive than concrete pavers for a driveway?
Yes, a brick paver driveway usually costs more per square foot than sand-based concrete pavers. How much more depends on the quality of the brick, so if you like the look of brick, I'll talk through both with you on the walk-through and you can weigh them side by side.
How deep should the gravel base be under a paver driveway?
Industry guidance calls for at least 6 to 8 inches of packed gravel base under a driveway. The right depth for yours depends on how strong the soil is, how it drains, the weather and how heavy the traffic is, so ask every installer how deep their base will go. I'll tell you the depth I'm planning for your driveway and why.
What is the best way to compare paver driveway bids in Yuma?
Ask each installer the same questions and get the answers in writing, starting with the base depth and what holds the edges. Flat metal or plastic landscape edging, the kind used around flower beds, can't hold interlocking pavers tight, so a good bid names a sturdier edge. ICPI, the industry's installer program, also recommends experienced contractors with a current ICPI installer certificate, which shows they've been taught and tested on this kind of paving, so you can ask whether a bidder has one.
How long does a paver driveway last, and how do I take care of it?
When it's put in right, an interlocking paver driveway looks good for decades. Upkeep is light, mostly cleaning and getting stains out, and joint stabilization, which firms up the sand between pavers, or sealing only come in if your driveway needs them. If one paver cracks or stains badly, it can be lifted out and swapped, which you can't do with a slab.
Are permeable pavers a good choice for a driveway in Yuma?
They can be, if your driveway doesn't get blowing dust or runoff carrying dirt across it. Permeable pavers let rain soak down through the surface, but dust and sediment can clog that surface quickly when nothing keeps them off it. I'd look at where your driveway sits and what blows or washes onto it before suggesting them.
Related services that often go with a new driveway
Retaining wall construction
When the yard beside your driveway slopes or the drive is cut into a grade, a retaining wall keeps the dirt and runoff off your new pavers.
Masonry restoration
If the brick or block around your house has faded, crumbled or been patched, restoration brings it back so it doesn't look tired beside a new driveway.
Service areas for paver driveways around Yuma
J&L Yuma Concrete and Masonry is based in Yuma, AZ, and we build paver driveways across the cities around it. Four areas have their own page here, including Somerton and San Luis, and we work beyond them too.
Yuma, AZ
Book a walk-through of your driveway
The sooner I see the driveway, the sooner you'll know what's under it and what it'll take, so call (928) 271-5129 or send the form.