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Unilock Driveway & Pavers: The Santa Clarita Owner’s Guide
Unilock driveway and paver replacement in Santa Clarita typically runs $7,000 to $18,000 installed, depending on square footage, paver style, and what’s underneath the surface. We stock Unilock-compatible pavers and can usually match most current product lines within a few days, not weeks. Most Santa Clarita homeowners find us after a section of their driveway has shifted, cracked, or started pooling water where it never used to. You’ll see it first near the curb, along expansion joints, or where a sprinkler head has been over-spraying for years. If that sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock makes dozens of paver lines, and each one behaves a little differently in the Santa Clarita climate. The Estate and Elegance series are the most common we see on driveways here, followed by Richcliff for patios and walkways, and Brussels Block or Court Avenue for older installations. All of them are concrete pavers, not natural stone, which matters because Unilock pavers are manufactured to tighter dimensional tolerances than most big-box alternatives. A paver from a different brand will almost never sit flush against a Unilock edge, and the color mixes are proprietary. Compatibility gotcha: if your existing pavers were installed more than about eight years ago, the factory color lot will no longer match. Oxidation and UV exposure in the Santa Clarita Valley fade pavers unevenly, so we always do a small test section against the existing surface before quoting a patch job. Sometimes the honest answer is that a patch will always be visible, and a full replacement of the affected section looks better.
One more thing worth knowing: Elmstead Remodeling Santa Clarita is an independent contractor, not affiliated with Unilock. We source their pavers through regional distributors and work with them regularly. We also stock parts and materials for KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone across our remodeling work.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- Sinking or rutted sections. The base layer beneath the pavers has washed away or was never compacted properly. In Santa Clarita, this shows up most often near downspouts and irrigation lines where water has been working on the sand for years.
- Spiderweb cracks across multiple pavers. This is usually a base failure, not a paver problem. The pavers are flexing because the sub-base can no longer carry the weight. Replacing just the cracked pieces won’t fix it; the base needs attention.
- Gaps growing between pavers. Sand joint loss is normal over time, but if gaps widen to more than a quarter inch within a season, the edge restraint is failing. The whole system is slowly drifting.
- Water pooling in low spots. A properly graded Unilock driveway drains to the street or a swale. Pools mean the grade has changed, usually from base settlement. In Santa Clarita’s clay-rich soil, we see this after several wet winters.
- White, chalky residue (efflorescence). This is mineral deposits rising through the paver, more common on older Unilock units. It’s cosmetic, but it signals the paver surface is absorbing more water than it should, which can lead to freeze-thaw spalling in the rare cold snap.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
We give a written price before any work starts, every time. For a Unilock driveway replacement in Santa Clarita, here’s how the range breaks down:
- Paver driveway installation: $7,000 – $18,000, including demolition of the old surface, base prep, paver install, edge restraint, sand joints, and final compaction.
- Partial repair (single section, under 200 sq ft): usually $1,500 – $4,000 depending on base condition and paver matching.
- Paver patio installation: $3,500 – $11,000 for typical backyards.
- Paver resealing or sand joint replacement: $250 – $700 for average driveways.
The spread depends on a few things: whether we’re pulling up and rebuilding the structural base or just re-setting the top layer, the paver series you choose, and access. A driveway on a steep Stevenson Ranch hillside lot takes longer and costs more than a flat Valencia drive. Every quote includes labor, materials, haul-away, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If it’s not done right, we make it right, no fine print.
See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
For a failing Unilock driveway, there’s very little an owner can safely and effectively DIY. You can and should check the obvious things: make sure downspouts drain away from the pavers, trim back sprinkler heads that are overshooting onto the surface, and sweep in fresh polymeric sand for minor joint loss. Those are all good maintenance habits. What you shouldn’t do is try to lift and reset sunken pavers yourself. The problem is almost never the paver; it’s the base. Lifting a paver, adding a little sand, and tapping it back down is a temporary fix that fails again within a year. And hauling out several tons of failed base, regrading, and re-compacting in lifts requires a plate compactor and a real understanding of drainage. If you’ve got a section that’s sunken more than a half inch, call (661) 542-4056. We’ll come out, tell you honestly what’s beneath the surface, and hand you a written price before anything gets pulled up.
FAQs
A properly installed Unilock driveway in the Santa Clarita Valley routinely lasts 25 to 30 years or more before needing significant work. The pavers themselves are extremely durable; it’s the base and drainage that decide how long the investment holds up. Call (661) 542-4056 and we’ll tell you whether your base is still doing its job.
We can often repair a section, but it depends on whether the base beneath that section has failed and whether the paver color can be matched closely enough. We’ll always show you a test area before you commit to anything. The estimate is free either way.
A typical single-car driveway runs four to seven working days, start to finish. Larger projects, or any that require full base excavation, can run two weeks. We’ll walk you through the sequence before we start, so you know exactly when the driveway is unusable and when it’s ready for cars again.
We order Unilock pavers directly through regional distributors based on the exact series and color mix you need, and we coordinate delivery to your property. We do not expect you to handle any supply chain. Your written price includes everything.
Contact
If your Unilock driveway has shifted, cracked, or started pooling water, call (661) 542-4056 to schedule a free estimate. Graham Stein and our crew have been working throughout Santa Clarita for years, including kitchen and bath remodels near Bridgeport, and we bring the same careful approach to every hardscape job. We’ll name the materials, write down the price, and keep the drop cloths and shoe covers on from the first visit to the final photo. The price on the paper is the price on the invoice, we put that in writing before the first board goes down.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling Santa Clarita at Elmstead Remodeling Santa Clarita, serving Santa Clarita and nearby areas.
