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PGT Driveway & Pavers: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
We install and repair PGT-compatible driveway and paver systems throughout Los Angeles, with full paver driveway replacement typically running $8,260 – $21,240 installed. We keep common paver units and base materials on our trucks for faster repair calls, and replacement parts can usually be matched within 24 – 48 hours. Most homeowners in Los Angeles reach out to us after noticing something specific: sunken pavers near the garage apron, edge restraints that have pulled away from the concrete, or a stretch of driveway that’s begun to hold water after rain. If that sounds like your PGT driveway, here’s what’s going on under the surface and what it costs to fix it properly.
Which PGT Models This Applies To
PGT driveway and paver products fall into a few broader product lines, and the part you need depends on which one was originally laid. The most common installations we see in Los Angeles are PGT’s interlocking concrete pavers (often called “segmental pavers” in the trade), permeable paver systems designed for stormwater compliance, and paver-over-concrete overlay units. Each of those uses a different base requirement, a different joint width, and a different thickness spec.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha most owners hit: PGT paver thickness isn’t universal. Driveway-rated pavers are generally 60mm or 80mm thick, while patio pavers run 50mm. If a section of your driveway was patched with the wrong thickness unit at some point in the past, that’s a likely cause of the sinking or cracking you’re seeing now. Before we quote a replacement, we verify the actual measured thickness of your existing pavers, not just the visual pattern. When it comes to OEM versus aftermarket, PGT’s OEM pavers are manufactured to tight dimensional tolerance, which matters when you’re replacing a section, not the whole field. A quality aftermarket unit from a brand like Belgard or Unilock (both of which we install) can work well for full replacements, but for partial repairs we lean OEM so the color blend and dimensional match don’t fight you.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your PGT Driveway & Pavers Are Failing
Driveway pavers rarely fail all at once. Usually it’s one of these five things, and each one has a specific cause worth knowing before you call anyone:
- Sunken or “birdbath” depressions near the street edge. This is almost always base failure, not paver failure. In Los Angeles, we see this a lot on driveways where the original contractor skimped on the compacted aggregate base (typically 6 – 8 inches for a car driveway), or where years of irrigation overspray have softened the subgrade underneath.
- Pavers that wobble or rock when you step on them. That’s a bedding layer problem. The 1-inch sand or fine aggregate setting bed has eroded or washed out, usually due to poor edge restraint or improper joint sand. The paver itself is often perfectly fine.
- Edge restraints pulling away from the concrete curb or walkway. Plastic edge restraint that wasn’t spiked deeply enough, or wasn’t installed at all in sections. Once the edge opens up, the whole field can start to drift outward within a year or two.
- Wide, crumbling joints between pavers. In Los Angeles’s dry summers, polymeric joint sand that was never properly activated with water will break down and blow out. What’s left is a channel for weeds and ants, and a paver field that loses its interlock over time.
- Color fading that leaves a chalky white surface. That’s efflorescence, and it’s common on concrete pavers in our climate. It doesn’t mean the paver is failing structurally, but it does tell you the original sealer (if there was one) has broken down and the surface is now absorbing water and oils.
See the difference
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In Los Angeles, full PGT paver driveway replacement typically runs $8,260 – $21,240 installed, with the biggest cost drivers being total square footage, paver thickness (60mm vs 80mm), the condition of the existing base, and access for excavation equipment. If the existing compacted base is sound, we can pull and relay the top layer for less. If we’re hauling out failed base material and re-compacting from scratch, that’s the higher end of the range. Partial repairs, like replacing a sunken section of 50 – 100 square feet, usually land between $1,500 and $4,500 depending on what we find underneath.
Every quote includes the written line-item price before we start, the labor, the base and joint material, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if the repair fails within the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. We don’t hand you a verbal number and adjust it after we pull the first paver. The number on day one is the number on the invoice.
DIY or Call Us?
Some things are worth checking yourself. If you have a single wobbling paver, tapping it gently with a rubber mallet is safe and might tell us something useful. You can also check whether your edge restraints are still pinned down. What you shouldn’t do is start pulling pavers out of a driveway field on your own, especially near the garage apron or any sloped section. Once you break the interlock on a paver system, the whole section can start to shift, and re-bedding pavers properly requires a plate compactor, the right joint sand, and a clear plan for the base underneath. We’ve repaired plenty of homeowner attempts that made a small problem into a bigger one. If you want to know what you’re dealing with, call (213) 277-6578 and we’ll tell you straight, whether that means a quick repair or leaving it alone for now.
FAQs
Most concrete pavers, including PGT units, can last 25 – 40 years as the surface layer, but the base underneath typically needs attention every 15 – 20 years in Los Angeles, especially on sloped driveways where drainage can erode the subgrade. If your pavers are sinking, the paver itself isn’t the part that wore out.
Yes, if the pavers themselves are intact and the base failure is localized, we can pull the affected section, re-grade and re-compact the base, and relay the same pavers. This usually costs less than a full replacement. Call (213) 277-6578 and we’ll tell you which path applies to your driveway.
Most partial repairs take one to two working days. Full driveway replacement, including base work and compaction, typically runs three to five days depending on access and square footage. We’ll give you a clear timeline in writing before any work starts.
We don’t stock PGT-brand pavers as an inventory item, because the color lots and dimensions vary across installations. For a partial repair, we source the correct PGT unit from regional suppliers and it’s usually on site within 24 – 48 hours. For full replacements, we’ll present OEM PGT and quality alternatives like Belgard or Unilock so you can decide based on price and warranty.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles at Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
