Pavers reasonable price?
 

Help me out guys. I have an estimate of $6000 to do 1 inch pavers on a two car driveway. Is that reasonable?

Don't know but I would get another estimate or two.

In order to have an idea the square footage is important and how much are they excavating and what material are they using for the base. There are many thicknesses of pavers. No matter what anyone says the thickest paver almost insures that the job will only need to be done once. 2 3/8" is the depth of the paver that will serve you best. Cheap out on the skinny ones today and be ready for a nightmare one day. There are so many things that have to go correctly to get a good job. Use someone reputable and no money up front ever.....NEVER.

Essentially what you are going to find is that pavers are either 30 mm or 60 mm thick and they probably come from Flagstone. There is a small cost difference between the 30 mm and 60 mm but there is more labor to install the 60 mm. Typically, the concrete will be removed in front of your garage to install 60 mm pavers but not 30 mm pavers. Typically, both require concrete to be removed by the street. I have seen jobs with 30 mm pavers that looked pretty good. If you talk to Flagstone, they will tell you they don't recommend 30 mm pavers for driveways. The 60 mm pavers are less likely to crack but that doesn't mean a well done job with 30 mm pavers can't turn out perfectly well. I recommend you get a couple of estimates and look at their work. Good luck with your project - I think pavers look great.

Check out Georgies Flooring in Brooksville. They did a beautiful fire pit and sitting area and walkway for us and were very reasonable and reliable.

I had done some research on this, and the makers of the pavers do NOT recommend anything less then around 3 inches for driveways. As pointed out above I think you are going to have a real headache with the thin pavers. My neighbor wishes he have NEVER had these installed. After this research, we had our driveway painted in a design that looks like cobble stone. No maintenance for 5 to 6 years, then a clear coating. The painting is about $2 per square foot and was much less then pavers, and avoids the maintenance required for the pavers over the same period of time.

Please search this site for additional info.
Just MHO, hope this helps.

Not exactly true. 60 mm pavers are 2.4 inches and are fine for driveways based on a conversation with Flagstone, a supplier for this area. The thin pavers (30 mm) are 1.2 inches and may have issues but I have seen numerous installations that look fine. I have 60 mm pavers and they look great. Typical maintenance is a resanding and sealing every few of years, which I can do myself.

Wow, great comments and I am stepping back from a decision. Hoping for help also on the price?

Need to know the size of the driveway and the prep work. Do they need to remove a driveway? What is the full story? If you were family I would tell you bluntly to run away from a contractor who would propose 1" pacers. That is for a walkway no vehicular traffic.

Kitty, if the 1.2" pavers are laid correctly they last a long time.

I have seen bad jobs too.

After the job is done have them leave 25 extra for replacements.

Your drive I guess is 1,000 sq ft, figure the materiel cost $1.50-$2 a sq ft.

Labor 2 days 2 men, my guess is $3500-$4500

Do you need the thicker pavers NO, the reason folks have trouble is the installers don't put a layer of thin sand over the concrete leaving voids or spaces under the paver, sure they can crack.

But done right they don't crack.

lastly a Polymetric sand must be brushed across the finished pavers lightly sprayed with water this sand works in the groves to like concrete to keep them together and reduce water infiltration.

Painting has issues, if not done right it's like walking on ice when wet.

It needs touch up, and on your home it may not do it justice.

Just doesn't look as good as pavers.

Another choice not used much here but all over the US is concrete staining that can look great at about $1 a sq ft



.

60 mm pavers may run you about $1000 more, your mileage may vary, than 30 mm pavers. The 60 mm pavers are a little bit more money and additional labor is required to cut the concrete in front of your garage to change the slope of the driveway as it approaches the garage. You should get multiple estimates and check out their work.

The guys who install only or mostly thin 30 mm pavers, will tell you they are fine. The guys who install only or mostly 60 mm pavers, will tell you they are the only way to go. For the relatively small incremental amount of money, I went with 60 mm pavers.

Be sure they leave you plenty of extras, for future repair/replacements.

ever thought of Behr Granite Grip concrete finish? We just widened our drive and were going to use pavers but after all the issues we have discovered with putting them onto pavement, we decided to try this.

Looks good in the brochures.....we will see...

:confused: Just looked at this product online. It says:

Where Not to Use
DO NOT use on vertical surfaces or areas subject to hydrostatic pressure. NOT for industrial use or areas subject to forklifts. Do not use on drivable surfaces such as garage floors and driveways.

Also, there was a thread on the Nextdoor site, where people had pavers installed and then had water in the garage. It appears the installed did NOT cut down the concrete at the garage, and during hard rains the water went in the garage. Also the concrete needs to be cut down at the street to match the height of the street to the new height of the driveway. From what my neighbor has told be the thin layer of sand that is installed under the pavers can washout over time, and then you are a risk of breakage. He has had this happen, and he did use and has replaced the polymeteric sand as required.

The driveway painting needs to include a product called 'shark grip' which will provide a non-skid surface, I have this on the driveway, the lanai/birdcage, and the garage.
Hope this helps.

Did you ever use the poly?

it dries like concrete, if it washed out there was likely sand in those joints.

when done correctly it forms a solid surface with the pavers.

Doing so the underlying sand can't wash out.

A lot of guys that do this work are perhaps not that skilled.

If you know what your doing it works great, I've used it.

just my opinion?

What happens to the thin layer of sand when these torrential rains come thru our neck of the woods? It washes away. If you want a good job that lasts and doesn't become a nightmare down the road trust the advice I gave above. I have over 25 years in the Concrete Supplier and Masonry Supply business.

Ask the contractor if "Stone Dust" is available in Florida. It is the byproduct whey a stone quarry makes a stone, essentially it is dust and locks like concrete as a great base for the pavers to be placed upon. PM if needed.

The Cement value that is used in a skinny paver is just that...skinny. Use the deeper thicker pavers.

i am looking at the brochure I got from home depot and it shows patios and driveways.......thanks for the info....

i look at pictures before i read. what can I say...

You are absolutely correct. And the poly sand is not fool proof, and even when applied as directed, it can develop openings and allow water, dirt, and everything else to penetrate. Stone dust is available, and the more reputable landscape companies use it as a base for stone walls. Much more durable than anything else, which results in walls which don't shift and sag over time.

Paver Company
 

OP,
If you are open to options, I would go around my neighborhood look at various driveways, and ask about maintenance and cost if they are willing. As has been pointed about above, you are going to get good and bad for probably every way of finishing your driveway.
This is what we did, and found a great person to paint the driveway. I have met a few people who cringe when I saw we had it painted because they had very bad experiences, wrong paint was used (it peeled), wrong paint used (it was very slippery), wrong paint used, and it could not be repainted with out having the original finish ground off ($$$$). As I mentioned before, I have heard good things and bad things about pavers, and there have been good and bad reports about sprayed on concrete finishes and epoxy coatings.
If you are in a newer neighborhood, see if you have any friends in older neighborhoods that could help with you quest. In any case, we spent 2-3 months investigating before we made our move.
Hope this helps. Send a PM if you want to talk over the phone.