A thicker base than any patio
A patio carries people. A driveway carries a pickup, a delivery truck, and the plow. On the clay till around Cokato, that means we excavate 12 inches or more below finished grade, lay geotextile over the clay so it cannot pump up into the stone, and build 8 to 12 inches of Class 5 aggregate in compacted lifts of about 3 to 4 inches each. Compacting in lifts is the part nobody sees and the part that decides whether the drive has ruts in five years. Over the base goes one inch of bedding sand, screeded and pitched so water runs to the street or a side swale, never toward the garage slab.
- 12 inches or more of excavation on clay
- Geotextile separation fabric on the subgrade
- 8 to 12 inches of Class 5 in 3 to 4 inch compacted lifts
80mm pavers and herringbone for vehicle loads
Patio pavers are 60mm thick. Driveway pavers are 80mm, and the extra thickness matters more than the extra cost. We lay them in a 45 or 90 degree herringbone, because herringbone interlocks in both directions and does not creep under a tire turning at the garage the way a running bond does. Large-format slabs look sharp on a patio but crack under wheel loads, so we keep them off the drive. The edge is restrained on every side that is not against a slab or curb, and the joints get polymeric sand and a final compaction with a pad on the plate so the faces stay clean.
Paver aprons and bands against concrete
The most common job in this category is a paver strip next to concrete rather than a full paver drive: a soldier-course band down both edges of a broom-finish driveway, an apron in front of the garage, or a paver walk that ties into the drive. The trick is the transition. The concrete gets a straight sawn or formed edge, the paver base is compacted right up against it, and the pavers are set level with the slab so a snow blower or shovel does not catch. We have set a paver field with a contrasting border against a broom-finish slab where a boulder wall holds the bank behind it, and that mix of concrete for the drive and pavers for the border is the one we recommend most for the money.
What drives the cost of a paver driveway
Pavers cost more per square foot than concrete, and the base under a driveway is where the money goes.
- Square footage: a full drive versus an apron or border band
- Excavation depth and hauling clay away
- Tearing out an old asphalt or concrete drive
- 80mm pavers and the pattern chosen
- Length of edge restraint and number of cuts at curves
- Drainage: swales, drain tile, or a trench drain at the garage
When we would talk you out of it
- A long rural driveway on a budget: gravel or a broom-finish concrete drive covers far more distance for the money, and we pour concrete drives
- A drive that a plow with a steel blade scrapes every storm: a plow can catch paver edges, so we would suggest concrete or a rubber-edged blade
- A lot where the drive sits over fresh utility trenches or fill that has not settled: let it sit a year, or go concrete with rebar
What you get
- 8 to 12 inches of compacted base for wheel loads
- 80mm pavers in interlocking herringbone
- Geotextile between clay and base
- Level, clean transitions against concrete
- Aprons and bands priced as their own job
- Single pavers replaceable if one ever fails
How it goes
- 1
Call or send the form
Tell us if you want a full paver drive or a paver apron or band on a concrete drive. A photo from the street helps.
- 2
Site visit
We measure, check slope to the garage and street, look at what has to come out, and plan where trucks stage.
- 3
Written quote
Excavation, base depth, paver thickness, pattern, and edge restraint spelled out. Concrete work quoted alongside if wanted.
- 4
Build and clean up
Tear-out, excavation, base in lifts, set, cut, restrain, sand, and compact. You drive on it the same week.
Questions we get asked
Do paver driveways hold up to Minnesota plows and freeze-thaw?
Yes, when the base is deep and compacted in lifts and the pavers are 80mm in herringbone. The pavers flex with the frost and settle back. A plow with a steel edge can catch a lifted paver, so we set the drive level and recommend a rubber or poly blade edge for the plow.
Why herringbone and not the pattern on my patio?
Herringbone interlocks in two directions, so a tire turning at the garage pushes against pavers locked on all sides. Running bond and large slabs have long straight joints that creep under repeated loads. Herringbone is the pattern every paver manufacturer specifies for vehicular use, and it is what we lay.
Can you add a paver border to my existing concrete driveway?
Usually, yes. We saw-cut a straight edge along the concrete if needed, excavate a strip, compact base against the slab, and set the pavers flush. It is a popular way to get the paver look for a fraction of a full paver drive. The slab edge needs to be sound for it to work.
How soon can I park on a new paver driveway?
As soon as the joints are sanded and compacted, usually the same day the last paver goes in. There is no cure like concrete. We ask that you keep heavy trucks off the edges for the first few weeks while the polymeric sand fully sets and the restraint takes its load.
Related work
Where we do this work
Paver driveways and aprons across western Wright County and the towns around Cokato: Cokato, Dassel, Howard Lake, Annandale, Maple Lake, Buffalo, Delano, Hutchinson, and the lake roads between them. See the full service area.