Get matched with top pavers and hardscaping pros in Juneau, AK

An ideal driveway gradient is between 2% and 5%. Anything lower than 1% or higher than 15% can cause problems for your car or property. A driveway with less than a 1% slope increases your likelihood of flooding and water damage, while a driveway with a 15% grade or higher can be too steep for safe traveling.

If you're designing a new patio in an area with poor drainage, permeable pavers made from porous materials may help prevent water issues. Most permeable pavers feature a gravel-only aggregate base instead of a concrete base to allow water to flow through instead of getting trapped. While beneficial in some cases, permeable pavers come with higher initial costs and greater load-bearing limitations compared to traditional pavers.

Standard paver sizes that measure 2 3/8 inches are appropriate for placing over concrete. However, always make sure you are not making the area too thick for daily use. A large step between your lawn and the patio can be a tripping hazard, and you need to be able to open and close all doors that swing over the top of the installation.

It’s far more labor-intensive and expensive to demolish a concrete slab before laying down pavers. You’ll need a professional to break up and haul away the concrete, excavate underneath, bring in paver base or crushed gravel, and then level the area with leveling sand before laying the pavers. A new paver patio will cost around $1,000 to $2,000, which is more than laying pavers over a concrete patio, and takes longer to complete.