Allen · Dallas · Plano · McKinney and nearby
Paver Driveway Installation in Allen and Dallas
"Our driveway was installed about 5 years ago and noticed last year that pavers would start to shift and pop up after heavy rainfall." That's the paver driveway story nobody wants, and it almost always starts with a base too thin for the weight of a car. Allen and Dallas clay makes it worse. It swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and a thin bed moves with it. Call (469) 283-6279 and we'll connect you with a driveway paver pro serving your area. Ask how deep the compacted stone base will be under the tire paths, what holds the edges, and how water leaves the driveway. If concrete would serve you better, a good pro will say so.
Last updated October 23, 2026
If this sounds familiar
"Five years in, it pops up after rain"
Tires press the same two lines every day. If the base under them is thin or wet, ruts show up there first. Fixing it means lifting those rows, rebuilding the base and relaying the same pavers.
"Everyone told us to get concrete"
You paid more for pavers and now you're pulling weeds and second-guessing: "Hurts my feelings because they were so much more expensive." It gets easier once you see the real trade-offs side by side.
"Half up front, then nothing"
"I signed and paid 50% upfront that day. He then proceeded to book days to come and then no showed 5x." Keep the deposit small and tie payments to work you can see.
What has to go under a paver driveway
- More stone than a patio. Installers quote at least 4 inches of compacted base for patios and walkways. A driveway carries cars, so it needs more. Ask the pro for the number and get it in writing.
- "Only 2 inches of recycled road concrete" is what one company called "cutting corners." Ask what the base material is, not just how deep.
- Compacted in layers, a couple of inches at a time.
- Edge restraint on both sides so the outside rows can't spread under tire pressure.
- Water out. The driveway slopes to the street, not to the garage, and downspouts don't empty under it.
Pavers or concrete for your driveway
- Concrete costs less. A McKinney concrete pro put a standard broom-finish concrete driveway "between $10 and $18 per square foot" for local soil. Pavers usually cost more: one DFW homeowner on expansive clay was quoted about $14.44 a square foot for a paver patio, and a driveway needs a deeper base than that.
- Concrete cracks. "The only thing guaranteed about concrete is that it'll crack," and one cracked slab means replacing the slab.
- Pavers flex and can be lifted and replaced one at a time, and they can be added to later if you widen the parking area.
- Pavers need upkeep. Joint sand gets topped up, and weeds and ants find gaps.
- Choose concrete if the lowest price and least maintenance matter most. Choose pavers if you want the look and the ability to repair it piece by piece.
Paying for it without getting stranded
Ask for a written quote and a payment schedule that follows the work. Pay for pavers once they're delivered. Hold the last payment until the driveway's finished, the edges are in, and the yard is cleaned up.
What moves the price
The paver itself, base depth, tearing out the old slab and hauling it, the size and shape of the driveway, and any border or pattern. Texas homeowners report paver prices from about $8 to $30 a square foot depending on those. Divide any quote by the square footage, and check that base depth, edging, haul-off and grading are listed.
Weeds, ants and standing water
"Pavers are high maintenance. Keeping the weeds out is a PITA." Full joints of hardened polymeric sand keep most weeds and ants out. If water stands on the driveway after the first storm, that's a grade problem, and "it will only get worse." Have it corrected before the last payment.
Driveways in Allen and Dallas
A lot of Allen's 1990s and 2000s homes have a front-load garage with a concrete driveway to the street, so a paver driveway usually starts with tearing out that slab. In older Dallas neighborhoods a lot of homes park off a rear alley, so the "driveway" may be a short apron behind the house. Either way, the trucks that bring the stone need a path: ask for plywood on the lawn so you don't get "very deep ruts and compacted mud tracks."
What happens after you call
- Call (469) 283-6279, press 1, enter your zip, and you're connected with a local pro.
- They measure, check the slope to the street, and look at the old slab.
- You get a written quote listing tear-out, base depth, edging, pavers, sand and haul-off.
- Old slab out, base compacted in layers, bedding sand, pavers, edge restraint, joint sand.
- Drive on it only when they say it's ready, and walk it before the last payment.
Where this applies
Allen, Dallas, Plano, McKinney, and the rest of our service areas.
Questions people ask
Are pavers much more expensive than poured concrete?
Usually, yes. Concrete costs less up front. Pavers cost more but can be repaired one piece at a time instead of replacing a cracked slab.
How deep and what kind of paver base?
For patios and walkways installers quote at least 4 inches of compacted crushed stone plus about an inch of sand. A driveway needs more because it carries cars. Ask the pro for the exact depth and stone.
Does base depth actually matter for pavers?
It's "arguably the most important part of the installation." Thin or poorly compacted base is the main reason driveway pavers rut and sink.
How do I permanently get rid of these weeds between my pavers?
Keep the joints full of hardened polymeric sand and top it up when it wears. Weeds mostly grow from seeds in dirt that collects in the joints.
How can I lift a sunken paver in the middle of my driveway?
A pro pulls the pavers around the low spot, adds and compacts base, and relays the same pavers. You don't have to tear up the whole driveway.
Pavers or concrete for driveway?
Concrete if you want the lowest price and least upkeep. Pavers if you want the look and the ability to fix one section without replacing the whole thing.
Find out what's going under your driveway before anyone digs
Call (469) 283-6279 and we'll connect you with a driveway paver pro serving your area.