Most Phoenix driveway jobs start with a jackhammer. Across central Phoenix and Arcadia, ranch homes from the 1950s and 1960s still have their first concrete driveway, and by now it's cracked, stained or sunk at the garage. In Desert Ridge and Ahwatukee, it's builder concrete that owners want to upgrade. Either way, the old slab goes, the grade gets fixed, and the new pavers go down on a proper compacted base.
Paver driveway prices in Phoenix
Most paver driveways we install in Phoenix cost $5,000 to $10,000. That's a typical two-car driveway of about 550 to 900 square feet in standard concrete pavers, with the base, pavers and labor included. (As a side note, that works out to about $9 to $11 per square foot.)
Where the total lands depends on a few choices:
- Tear-out: removing an old concrete driveway adds about $1,400 to $2,700.
- Tumbled pavers: the same driveway in tumbled pavers runs about $5,500 to $10,800.
- Borders: a contrasting-color border adds about $300 to $450. A different border paver adds about $550 to $900.
- Pattern: pick herringbone, basketweave, running bond or random. None of them changes the price.
Worked example: an 800 square foot driveway on an Arcadia ranch home, replacing the old concrete, with a contrasting border, comes to about $9,500 to $11,650. John firms that up after a site measure, and the estimator can rough out your own driveway today.
Old concrete on Phoenix ranch homes
A cracked slab can't really be fixed. Patches don't match, and the cracks come back along the same lines. Pavers are individual units on a flexible base, so they move slightly with the ground instead of splitting across it. If one gets an oil stain, it gets pulled and replaced.
Once the old slab is out, we can see what it was sitting on, and we fix the grade before building anything new. A Phoenix tear-out runs in this order: the slab is broken up and hauled off, we cut down to grade, and the new base goes in as 4 inches of ABC, watered and compacted a lift at a time so it's dense all the way through. Bedding sand gets screeded flat, the field and border go down, edge restraint locks the perimeter, and joint sand is swept into every gap before the last pass with the compactor. That base is the foundation every strong driveway needs, and it's the part we never shorten.
Arcadia driveways and flood irrigation
Arcadia lots are big, so driveways run longer and often pass right along a flood-irrigated front lawn. That lawn floods on a schedule, and the water wants to go somewhere. If the driveway edge sits lower than the berm, or the base runs under the grass, irrigation water ends up in the ABC and softens it over time. So we set the driveway edge and the berm at the same time, hold the ABC back from the area that floods, and slope the driveway so rain and any overflow run to the street. Our post on which way a paver driveway should shed water goes deeper.
Desert Ridge, Ahwatukee and HOA approval
Desert Ridge is master-planned, and in neighborhoods like that the HOA usually wants to see the paver, the color and the pattern before anyone breaks concrete. You get physical samples from us plus the exact product and color names to attach to the application. Ahwatukee foothill lots bring slope into it, so string lines go up and the grade gets checked along the whole run before any pavers are laid. That keeps water moving down the driveway and away from the garage door. Your start date gets set once the HOA has signed off.
Paver Driveways in Phoenix: Frequently Asked Questions
What do paver driveway prices look like in Phoenix?
For a typical two-car driveway of about 550 to 900 square feet in standard concrete pavers, $5,000 to $10,000. Add about $1,400 to $2,700 if the old concrete has to come out, and about $300 to $450 for a contrasting border. The firm price follows our measure.
Can a paver driveway go next to a flood-irrigated lawn?
Yes. The ABC stops short of the flooded lawn, and the driveway edge sits at a height that works with the berm, so irrigation water stays in the grass. A wet base goes soft, which is why we work this out before digging.
My house is in a historic district. Does that change anything?
It can. In districts like Willo and Encanto-Palmcroft, exterior changes can need review by the city's Historic Preservation Office. We find out whether your address needs that review before we set a start date.
What goes under a paver driveway in Phoenix?
A 4-inch ABC base, watered and compacted in lifts, with bedding sand screeded over the top. Much of Phoenix has caliche underneath, which won't drain, so the grade is set first and water doesn't get trapped below the pavers. If a bid builds the base from DG or quarter-minus, ask hard questions.
Will my HOA in Desert Ridge or Ahwatukee need to approve it?
If your street has an HOA, plan on it. We bring samples, draw the layout and list the product names for your application, and we don't book the install until it's approved.