Paver installation · Peninsula & South Bay
Paver installation for driveways, patios & pool decks.
Estate-grade paver surfaces built by one licensed, accountable team over a site-specific base. The excavation, compaction, drainage and edge restraint are documented before they are covered, and the completion date is in writing.
On-time completion guarantee, in writing
What we build
Choose the surface you are building.
Four applications, one specified base. Each is priced and detailed for what it actually carries, and each has its own page with the full scope.
Driveways
Vehicle-rated pavers over a driveway-specific base, with turning loads, garage transitions, apron requirements and drainage resolved before the field is laid.
Terraces & patios
Outdoor living space designed around furniture, circulation, drainage, the architecture and adjacent features such as kitchens, pergolas and fire pits.
Pool decks
Pool surrounds coordinated with coping, deck drainage, surface transitions and slip considerations, with product suitability confirmed for that pool environment.
Walkways & steps
Walkways and entries planned around finished elevations, riser consistency, accessible circulation, drainage and clean transitions to doors and driveways.
The finish is the easy part. We compete on what you never see.
Estate driveways and terraces fail at the base, the drainage and the details that get covered before you look at them. This is the assembly we build, drawn to scale, every layer specified for the load it carries. Hover or tap any layer.
Interlocking & large-format pavers
The wear course: interlocking concrete units or large-format porcelain, laid to pattern.
Individually replaceable, so a repair is one paver, never the whole surface.
Bedding layer
A thin, screeded setting bed of bedding sand, leveled to a consistent depth before the pavers are set.
Sets every unit to a true, level plane with no rocking or voids.
Aggregate base, compacted in lifts
Class II road base, placed and plate-compacted in 2-inch lifts, never dumped in one pass.
The structural layer that carries the load and spreads it to the soil. Depth is set by use: 4 in for pedestrian, 6 in for vehicular, 8 in for an RV pad. Permeable systems vary with site conditions and scope.
Drainage & conduit sleeves
Drain lines and empty conduit sleeves, run before the base is closed up. Solid pipe moves surface water off a standard install; perforated pipe is used for permeable paving and for french drains behind retaining walls.
Water gets a planned way out, and the empty sleeves let you add low-voltage lighting or power later without cutting the surface.
Geotextile separation
A woven geotextile membrane laid between the aggregate base and the native soil. Specified by soil condition, not used on every job.
On clay or native soils that tend to migrate up into the base, it keeps the two from mixing, which is what stops a base from pumping, settling and telegraphing undulations to the surface years later. On clean, stable subgrades it is not always required.
Proof-rolled subgrade
Native soil cut to grade, moisture-conditioned and proof-rolled to a target compaction.
Everything above rests on this. Soft spots are found and corrected before a single stone goes down.
Hover or tap any layer to see what it does.
Depths shown are our standard pricing assumptions, not a universal prescription. Final base depth and assembly change with soil strength, drainage, slope, vehicle loading, manufacturer requirements and project engineering, and the specification that applies to your property appears in your proposal.
Ask any contractor how they document base prep and compaction. A company that works this way will have the photos ready. A company that does not will change the subject.
Choosing a system
How to choose the right paver system
Four systems cover almost every Peninsula project. What separates them is load rating, setting system and what the manufacturer will actually warrant for the use you have in mind.
Interlocking concrete pavers
Driveways, patios, walkways and entries.
Large-format concrete pavers
Modern patios, terraces and walkways.
Porcelain pavers
Patios, pool decks and refined outdoor rooms.
Permeable paver systems
Selected driveways, patios and drainage-sensitive sites. We build these, and every assembly is specific to the soil, the scope and the local requirements.
A proposal should name the material, not describe it.
“Premium pavers” is not a specification. Ask any contractor you are considering to put all eleven of these in writing, so the product that arrives on site is the product you were priced for.
- Manufacturer
- Product line
- Color and finish
- Unit dimensions
- Thickness
- Pattern
- Border
- Joint material
- Edge restraint
- Base specification
- Warranty documentation
Priced in the open
What does paver installation cost on the Peninsula?
Large paver driveway installations typically run $30–$38 per square foot, and larger patio, walkway and pool-deck fields $34–$41. Small areas, porcelain, complex cuts and premium detailing cost more, because fixed mobilization and finish work are spread across fewer square feet.
Paver driveways
Large remove-and-replace, over a base built for vehicle and turning loads.
Patios, walkways & pool-deck fields
Larger areas, roughly 600 sq ft and up, where the field carries the cost.
Small areas, porcelain & premium detail
Under about 250 sq ft, complex cuts, borders and inlays, specialty material.
Project minimum$25,000Signed project value, before permits and engineering.
What the square-foot rate includes
- Standard excavation and haul-off
- Class II aggregate base at the stated depth
- Bedding layer
- Paver material
- Standard edge restraint
- Joint material
- Delivery
- Installation and cleanup
Itemized separately when they apply
- Permits or engineering
- Driveway-apron work
- Soil stabilization
- Drainage beyond the standard assembly
- Utility relocation
- Steps and walls
- Pool coping
- Complex borders or inlays
- Porcelain or specialty materials
- Difficult access
- Lighting, planting and turf
- Outdoor-living features
These ranges come from signed Peninsula proposals and our current price book, rounded for presentation. Your figure comes from a site visit and the scope you choose, and the proposal states the included scope, the allowances and the exclusions line by line.
What neighbors invested
See what projects near you actually cost.
Every pin is a real completed Sequoia project, drawn from more than 100 finished Peninsula and South Bay builds and shown as a rounded range near the neighborhood. Hover a price to find it on the map, click to see the full scope and itemized breakdown, then get an estimate for your own property. Filter by the kind of project you are planning.
Showing current locations from the wider service area.
Atherton
Planting, Pavers & Walls
$96K–106KAll-in range
Where the investment went
Hover a price · click for the breakdown
What it changes
What a well-planned paver surface changes
Not the resale number, which nobody can honestly promise you. These are the things a properly built surface changes about living there, which is what you notice every week for the next fifteen years.
Reliable circulation
A route through the yard that works in every season, rather than a lawn you cross when it is dry.
Defined outdoor rooms
Undefined ground becomes space with a purpose: somewhere to eat, to sit, or to gather.
Drainage by design
Water is planned for in the assembly rather than solved afterwards with a trench and a hope.
Single units, replaceable
A damaged paver is lifted and replaced. A poured slab has to be cut, broken out and patched.
One connected surface
The house, the yard and the outdoor features read as one piece of ground rather than three projects.
Access you keep
Reaching a buried line later means lifting pavers, not demolishing concrete and re-pouring.
Effects on appraised or resale value vary with the property, the design, its condition and the market. Sequoia does not guarantee an increase in home value.
Buy with your eyes open
What every paver proposal should state in writing
This is the list we hand every client, and it is written to be used on any company you are weighing, ours included. Where a contractor cannot show you the documentation, you have your answer.
- Intended use
- Pedestrian, passenger vehicle, RV or other loading.
- Excavation
- Planned depth and how much material is removed.
- Subgrade
- Preparation, and any stabilization the soil needs.
- Base
- Material, compacted depth and placement method.
- Compaction
- Equipment, lift sequence and any verification that applies.
- Drainage
- Finished slope, drains, tie-ins and where the water discharges.
- Pavers
- Manufacturer, product, thickness, color and pattern.
- Bedding and joints
- Materials and installation method.
- Edge restraint
- Type and installation detail.
- Transitions
- Doors, garage slab, street, pool coping and adjacent surfaces.
- Permits
- Who is responsible for permits, HOA submissions and inspections.
- Warranty
- Workmanship coverage, exclusions and how a claim is made.
- Price
- Included scope, allowances, exclusions and the change-order method.
- Schedule
- The start date, the completion date, and what happens if either moves.
The full checklist, as a PDF.
Every line item with its “why it matters” in plain language, plus columns to score two other bids. Bring it to every company you interview.
How a project runs
One accountable team, from first call to final sign-off.
One project manager and your live portal from the day we lock your start date, so nothing gets handed off and lost.
Project-fit consult
An honest project range and a candid fit check before anyone commits. Design is a paid engagement that credits toward your build if you proceed within 30 days.
You get
A realistic budget range in the first conversation
Design & approvals
Concept through construction documents, with permit and HOA coordination handled for you, so the plan that gets built is the plan you approved.
You get
Buildable plans, permits and HOA sign-off
Selections & pre-construction walkthrough
Materials are locked, then we walk the site. Once permits, selections, long-lead items and utility locates are cleared, your guaranteed completion date is put in writing and your private project portal opens.
You get
Your guaranteed completion date, in writing
Build, with your live portal
One accountable team on site under owner-level oversight. Every working day you get an update: who is on site, the weather, and the plan, plus progress photos and every document in one place.
Final walkthrough & sign-off
We walk the finished project against a 100-point QA checklist and do not call it done until you have signed off.
You get
A 100-point QA checklist, then your sign-off
Watch your build in real time.
The day we lock your start date you get a private project portal. Your guaranteed completion date sits at the top, the schedule moves as we work, and every photo, message and change is logged with a timestamp.
One source of truth, not scattered texts and emails. If it is in your portal, it happened, and you can point to it anytime.
Project portalExample viewProgress photos from the crew on site today.
On site: 4-person crew. Clear, 68°. Setting the drip line and planting the front beds. Turf and the walkway are in.
After the build
What paver maintenance actually involves
Pavers are lower-maintenance than most homeowners expect, and they are not maintenance-free. What the surface needs depends on the paver, the joint material, the trees near it, the drainage and how hard it gets used.
Sweep and clear
Keep organic debris off the surface, especially under trees.
Clean to the maker’s method
Spills come up with the manufacturer-approved product, not whatever is under the sink.
Inspect the joints
Check joint material periodically and replenish it when needed.
Watch the water
Address drainage or settlement early, while it is still small.
Replace single units
A chipped or cracked paver can usually be lifted and swapped rather than patched.
Pressure-wash with care
Use a setting approved for that paver and joint. Too much pressure strips the joints.
Sealing is optional
It suits some products and not others. It is not universally required.
Expect wear, not perfection
Units can chip or crack, and a surface can settle if the base or the drainage fails.
A two-year workmanship warranty.
Sequoia’s paver installation carries a two-year workmanship warranty. The signed agreement controls the coverage, the exclusions, your maintenance responsibilities and how a claim is made.
Manufacturer warranties are separate.
Material coverage comes from the maker of the product you select, not from us, and it varies by product. We name the manufacturer and the product in the proposal so you can read what they actually warrant before you choose.
On-time completion is a separate promise with its own terms: for signed projects at the $25,000 minimum, a company-caused delay past the date in your agreement credits you, on the schedule set out in the signed addendum.
Signature project · San Bruno
A hillside backyard built around the willow.
Paver terraces stepped into the slope, stone walls holding it, an outdoor kitchen, a pergola and the drainage and sump system that makes the whole thing survive a wet winter. Every concealed layer was photographed before it was covered.
Reviewed in the open
Our reputation lives in public.
Homeowners leave verified reviews and neighborhood recommendations on six platforms. Eighty of them so far. Read every one, unedited, on the platform itself, before you ever pick up the phone.
Read every review →CMHA Certified Installer
Held by Will Hartmann. CMHA certifies individuals rather than companies, across four separate credentials, so ask any contractor who holds it and check the public directory. It is training and a tested standard, not a quality guarantee and not a substitute for project engineering.
CSLB #1099847
Classifications A, C-27, C-8, D-06 and D-12, matched to the trades on your job. The record is public and you can check it before you call us.
$2M general liability, $5M umbrella
Plus $1M auto, workers’ compensation and errors & omissions. Their policy should cover an incident on your property, not your homeowner’s.
Ratings and counts reflect verified reviews published on our reviews page; individual platform averages vary. Reviews are homeowner-submitted and unedited.
Straight answers
Paver installation questions.
How much does paver installation cost on the Peninsula?
Large paver driveway installations typically run $30–$38 per square foot. Larger patio, walkway and pool-deck fields generally run $34–$41 per square foot. Small areas below roughly 250 square feet, porcelain and premium-detail work can run about $45 up to $120+ per square foot, because fixed mobilization and finish work are spread across fewer feet. Our project minimum is $25,000.
What is included in Sequoia’s paver price?
The standard per-square-foot range includes the stated excavation and haul-off, aggregate base at the stated depth, the bedding layer, the paver material, standard edge restraint, joint material, delivery, installation and cleanup. Permits, engineering, unusual soil work, additional drainage, coping, walls, steps and other landscape features are itemized separately when they apply.
How deep should a paver base be?
Base depth depends on the expected load, soil strength, drainage, climate and the selected system. Our standard pricing assumptions use different assemblies for pedestrian areas, passenger-vehicle areas and heavier vehicle loading, but the final specification is based on your property and appears in the proposal.
What prevents pavers from settling?
Settlement risk is reduced through suitable excavation, a prepared subgrade, the right base material and depth, compaction in controlled lifts, drainage, a consistent bedding layer and stable edge restraint. We photograph the concealed stages before the surface goes on, so the work you paid for is a matter of record.
Are pavers better than poured concrete?
Neither is universally better. Pavers offer more pattern and material options, and an individual unit can often be removed and replaced without demolishing a whole slab. Poured concrete may give you a simpler monolithic surface. Cost, architecture, load, drainage, maintenance and the look you want should decide it.
Do pavers crack?
Individual pavers can chip or crack, though a damaged unit can usually be replaced. Unevenness or settlement is more often connected to the base, the drainage, the edge restraint or the underlying soil than to the paver itself. Be wary of anyone who tells you a paver surface cannot crack.
Do paver projects require permits?
It depends on the jurisdiction and the scope. Driveway aprons, drainage changes, retaining walls, substantial grading, impervious-area limits and work near the public right-of-way can all trigger permits or approvals. We identify and coordinate the applicable permit scope during design.
How long does paver installation take?
Construction duration depends on demolition, access, square footage, cuts, drainage, walls, steps and the other elements in the project. Once selections, permits, utility locates and the pre-construction walkthrough are complete, we put the start and completion dates in writing.
What maintenance do pavers require?
Keep the surface clear of organic debris and clean it according to the manufacturer’s directions. Joint material, drainage, edges and any localized movement should be inspected periodically. Sealing may be appropriate for some products but is not automatically required for every installation.
What warranty does Sequoia provide?
We provide a two-year workmanship warranty on paver installation. Product warranties come from the applicable manufacturer and vary by product. The signed agreement sets out the exact coverage, the exclusions, your maintenance responsibilities and the claim process.
What areas does Sequoia serve?
San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, from South San Francisco through the Peninsula and South Bay down to Morgan Hill and Scotts Valley. We generally do not take on projects in San Francisco proper.
Where we work
San Mateo & Santa Clara counties.
From South San Francisco down to Morgan Hill and Scotts Valley, one accountable team covers all of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. We generally don’t take on work in San Francisco proper.
Start with a conversation
See what your yard could become.
Tell us about the property and we will give you an honest project range before anyone visits, and exactly how we would build it. The consultation and the estimate cost nothing.
Paid design credits toward your build if you proceed within 30 days