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PGT Driveway & Pavers: The Houston Owner’s Guide
If you have a PGT driveway or paver system in Houston and a section has failed, cracked, settled, or started separating, we can match the replacement pieces and install them so the repair disappears into the original work. Installed paver repair and replacement typically runs $1,200 to $6,500 depending on square footage, base condition, and whether we’re reusing your existing pavers or sourcing new PGT-compatible units. Most Houston owners discover the problem after a heavy rain, when one corner of the driveway sinks or a paver lifts and catches a tire on the way out.
We are an independent Houston contractor, not affiliated with PGT, but we work with PGT-style concrete pavers and permeable paver systems every season. This page explains what fails first, what it costs to fix in Houston, and how to know whether you are looking at a simple reset or a base rebuild.
Which PGT Models This Applies To
The most common PGT driveway and paver products in Houston fall into a few categories: interlocking concrete pavers (including tumbled and smooth-face units in 60mm and 80mm thicknesses for vehicular traffic), permeable pavers designed for drainage, and larger-format patio slabs that sometimes get used on low-speed driveway aprons. The 60mm units are rated for foot traffic and light carts; the 80mm units are what you want under a car or truck. A lot of Houston driveways were built with 60mm pavers over a thin sand bed, and that combination is exactly what fails first in our clay soil.
To identify what you have, look for a manufacturer stamp on the underside of a lifted paver, or measure the thickness with a tape. If you cannot find a stamp, bring a loose paver to us or send a photo with a quarter next to the edge for scale. For PGT-compatible replacements, OEM units are usually the cleanest match for color and texture, but quality aftermarket equivalents from Texas and Louisiana suppliers often cost 15 to 25 percent less and, in our experience, hold color better in Houston’s UV. We’ll show you both options with prices before you choose.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your PGT Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- A single paver is rocking or lifting at one edge. This almost always means the bedding sand has washed out underneath, usually after a downpour found a gap along the driveway edge. Left alone, the rocking paver cracks and splits under tire weight.
- Sand is washing across the concrete after every rain. That tells you the joint sand is eroding faster than it should. In Houston, this is often the first sign the base was never compacted properly or the edge restraint has let go.
- A low spot has formed that holds water for more than an hour after rain. Water pooling on pavers means the base has settled unevenly underneath. In Houston’s expansive clay, this is the most common failure we see, and it rarely fixes itself.
- Cracks are running across several pavers in a line. A single cracked paver is usually impact damage. A line of cracks across three or more pavers points to a failing base or a tree root pushing up from below.
- The edge of the driveway is spreading outward. Pavers creeping toward the lawn or the street mean the edge restraint has failed. Without a solid border, the whole field slowly walks apart and joints open up.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
For a Houston paver driveway, the relevant figures are these: full paver driveway installation runs $7,000 to $18,000, while targeted repair and reset work on an existing PGT-style driveway typically lands between $1,200 and $6,500 depending on how much base work is needed. Smaller paver patio fixes sit in the $800 to $3,500 range. What drives the spread is the condition of what is underneath the pavers. If the base is sound and we are resetting the top layer with fresh bedding sand and joint sand, the job is fast and relatively inexpensive. If the clay base has heaved or the driveway was built with 60mm pavers where 80mm should have been used, the repair becomes a partial or full rebuild.
Every estimate we give includes the written price before any work starts, the labor to remove and reset the pavers, new bedding and joint sand, edge restraint repair where needed, and haul-away of any broken units. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the completed repair: if it is not done right, we make it right.
See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
There are a few things you can safely do on your own. You can sweep joint sand into gaps that have opened up, inspect the edge restraint to see if it has pulled away, and take photos of any low spots after a rain so you have a record of where water is pooling. Those observations help us price the job accurately before we arrive.
What we do not recommend is pulling up a section of driveway and relaying it yourself. The base under a paver driveway in Houston is almost always the real problem, and re-leveling the top without fixing the base gives you a driveway that looks fine for one season and fails again the next. There is no high-tension danger here like a garage spring, but there is real risk in moving hundreds of pounds of pavers by hand and getting the slope wrong so water drains toward the house instead of away from it. If you have lift, shift, or standing water, call (254) 272-5240 and we will come look at it before you move a single stone.
FAQs
A properly installed 80mm paver driveway in Houston should last 20 to 30 years, with joint sand replenishment every few years. The base underneath is what determines the real lifespan, and in our clay soil, a poorly prepared base can show failure within three to five years regardless of paver quality. Call (254) 272-5240 and we can tell you whether your base is the issue or your pavers are simply due for a reset.
No, a cracked paver cannot be reliably glued or patched. It should be removed and replaced with a matching unit. If the crack happened because of impact, the fix is simple; if it happened because the base is moving, replacing the paver alone will not stop the next crack. Estimates are free, and we will tell you which situation you have.
A small reset of a few pavers can be done in a day. A larger driveway section with base work typically takes two to four days in Houston, depending on weather and how much of the base needs to be removed and recompacted. We give you a clear timeline in the written estimate before any work starts.
We keep a range of common sizes and colors from PGT and equivalent Texas suppliers on hand, and we can source specific PGT units for a match when your pattern or color is less common. If you have a spare paver or a photo, we can usually tell you in one visit whether it is a stock item or a special order. Call (254) 272-5240 and ask for Graham; he will match it before we schedule anything.
Get a Written Price for Your PGT Driveway or Paver Repair in Houston
If your driveway has shifted, cracked, or started holding water after the last storm, the fastest way to know what you are dealing with is a straight look at it. We will come out, assess the pavers and the base, and give you a written price before any work begins. A written price and a covered floor before any work begins, that is where the trust starts. Call (254) 272-5240 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling Houston at Elmstead Remodeling Houston, serving Houston and nearby areas.
