Case study

Paver Driveway and Drainage in San Mateo

A long San Mateo driveway of gravel and cracked paving rebuilt as 1,975 sq ft of pavers over a new drainage system, with four catch basins, 180 ft of drain pipe, brick walkway repair and a new concrete apron at the street.

Location: San Mateo
Scope: Drainage
Completed: August 2026
Project size: 1975
Investment: $46,900–$54,700

Full project details

Timeline: Sold July 2, 2026. Build ran July 20 to July 31, 2026 (12 calendar days), with one approved change order. Project closed out August 27, 2026.

The challenge

This San Mateo driveway runs the full length of the house: in through the street gate, around a curve under mature trees, and along the brick walkway past the columned entry. It had become a patchwork of gravel and dated, cracked paving.

The owners wanted it rebuilt in a stronger material that would look right with the house, and they wanted the new surface to have a drainage system under it.

Our approach

Sequoia Outdoor replaced the old surface with a paver driveway and built the drainage into it. Four 9 in. NDS catch basins were set along the drive and tied into 180 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe, with two downspout connections from the house. Over a compacted base the crew installed 1,975 sq ft of pavers, with G2 Alliance polymeric sand in the joints of 1,935 sq ft of it. Where the new paving meets the house, 42 sq ft of the existing brick walkway was repaired so the two surfaces join cleanly. At the gate, ten stepping stones were set beside the drive, and at the street a 35 sq ft, 6 in. concrete slab was formed, reinforced with rebar and broom finished.

The outcome

The finished driveway is 1,975 sq ft of pavers from the street gate to the front entry, with four catch basins built into the surface that carry water into 180 ft of buried pipe. The repaired brick walkway now meets the pavers with a clean edge, stepping stones lead in beside the gate, and a new concrete apron finishes the entry at the street. The build ran July 20 to July 31, 2026, and the project closed out August 27.

Build highlights

Driveway excavated to soil along a two-story house in San Mateo, brick walkway at the edge

Old surface out

The worn driveway came out along the full length of the house, opening the ground for the new drainage and base.

Catch basin riser and drain pipe set into the prepared driveway base beside a brick walkway

Drainage built in

Four 9 in. NDS catch basins tied into 180 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe, with two downspout connections from the house, so water has a path out from under the drive.

Compacted gravel base with a catch basin grate along a San Mateo driveway

Compacted base

Base rock spread and compacted to grade, with the catch basin grates set to the finished height of the paving.

First rows of driveway pavers laid inside the street gate

Pavers from the gate in

Paving started at the street gate and worked up the drive: 1,975 sq ft in total, 1,935 sq ft of it with joints locked by G2 Alliance polymeric sand.

Repaired red brick walkway meeting new driveway pavers below French doors

Brick walkway repair

42 sq ft of the existing brick walkway was repaired where it meets the new paving, so the old brick and the new pavers share one clean edge.

Fresh broom-finished concrete apron at the driveway gate with safety cones

Concrete apron at the street

A 35 sq ft, 6 in. concrete slab formed, reinforced with rebar and broom finished at the street entry.

Before and after

Before — cracked, patched driveway curving toward a two-story house in San Mateo — Looking up the drive toward the house: cracked, patched paving became one continuous paver driveway with a clean edge along the lawn.

After — paver driveway running toward the house with the lawn along one edge — Looking up the drive toward the house: cracked, patched paving became one continuous paver driveway with a clean edge along the lawn.

Before — cracked driveway beside a brick walkway and hedge — Along the house, same hedge and brick walk in both photos: cracked paving became pavers, with a catch basin set into the surface.

After — paver driveway beside the brick walkway with a catch basin near the hedge — Along the house, same hedge and brick walk in both photos: cracked paving became pavers, with a catch basin set into the surface.

Project gallery

Finished paver driveway along a two-story house with lawn on the right — The finished drive running along the house to the front entry.

Catch basin grate set into driveway pavers next to a brick walkway — A catch basin set into the pavers beside the repaired brick walkway.

Paver driveway curving toward a black iron street gate — The curve down to the street gate.

Stepping stones in gravel beside new pavers at a driveway gate — Stepping stones set beside the paving just inside the gate.

Paver driveway with brick walkway on the right, looking toward the curve — Looking back toward the curve from the front entry, brick walk on the right.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a paver driveway like this cost in San Mateo?

This project ran between $43,000 and $48,000 as built: the signed contract plus the changes approved during the build, covering 1,975 sq ft of driveway pavers, a drainage system with four catch basins, brick walkway repair, stepping stones and a concrete apron. That as-built range is the project cost. The line-item table on this page allocates the same scope against our 2026 price book rather than reproducing the contract, and every line carries its own low and high, so adding the extremes together produces a wider band ($46,900 to $54,700) than the as-built range itself. Read the table as where the work sat, not as a second price. This project's line items price the paving installation, base and joint sand; paver material is not itemized as a separate line. Figures are rounded for client privacy. Our project minimum is $25,000. See how this project compares across everything we have published on the Bay Area landscaping cost index.

What exactly was installed?

1,975 sq ft of driveway pavers over a compacted base, 1,935 sq ft of it with G2 Alliance polymeric joint sand; four 9 in. NDS square catch basins with grates; 180 ft of 3 in. SDR-35 drain pipe with fittings and two downspout connections; 42 sq ft of brick walkway repair; ten stepping stones at the gate; and a 35 sq ft, 6 in. reinforced concrete slab at the street, broom finished.

How long did it take?

The build ran July 20 to July 31, 2026: 12 calendar days, with one approved change order. The project was sold July 2 and closed out August 27, 2026.

Why put drainage under a paver driveway?

A paver driveway is only as stable as the base under it. Catch basins set into the surface collect water and send it through buried pipe instead of letting it soak into the base, where saturated ground lets pavers settle and shift. On this driveway, four 9 in. catch basins and 180 ft of 3 in. pipe, plus two downspout connections from the house, were built in before the paving went down.

Can you keep an existing brick walkway when the driveway is replaced?

Yes. This house kept its brick walkway along the drive. Where the old driveway came out next to it, 42 sq ft of brick was repaired so the walkway edge meets the new pavers cleanly.

Who managed the project?

A dedicated Sequoia project manager ran the build day to day and posted photo updates to the project channel from the first site visit through the final paving.

Project topics

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