Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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AfterFast, Reliable Driveway & Pavers Across Kensington
If your Kensington driveway is cracking along the slope or pooling fog-season moisture against the garage, you’re dealing with more than an eyesore. The steep grades and clay-heavy soils up here punish concrete and pavers faster than flatland lots in El Cerrito or Richmond ever will. We’re Barrett & Sons Construction, and our Driveway & Pavers team works Kensington’s hills every week, so we know exactly how drainage, slope, and seismic creep affect the hardscape decisions you’re weighing right now. A new paver driveway in Kensington typically runs $7,000 to $18,000, while concrete work lands between $4,500 and $12,000 depending on slope and prep. Call Tom at (877) 610-1318 and he’ll give you a straight answer on what your lot needs.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Kensington’s Preferred Driveway & Pavers Company
We’re the owner-operated crew, not a franchise dispatching strangers. Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and his sons run the hardscape crews that show up in Kensington. When you call, a live person answers, 24/7. When Tom quotes your driveway, that quote arrives in writing, and if anything changes mid-job, you get a written change order before a single paver moves. No surprise invoices at the end. Kensington homeowners have seen the other approach and they’re done with it.
There’s a reason our name keeps circulating through the Colusa Circle and up and down Arlington Avenue. Every job we finish in Kensington carries the written 90-Day Done Right Promise. If it’s not done right, one call brings Tom back. We also publish Tom’s name, address, and license number, because we think you should look it up before you sign anything. And if you’ve got an estimate from another outfit, bring it to us. We’ll give a free second opinion in writing.
Working Kensington specifically means knowing that permits here don’t go through a city hall. Kensington is unincorporated Contra Costa County land, which means every grading approval, retaining wall permit, and drainage plan flows through the county building department in Martinez. A contractor who doesn’t know that can stall your project for weeks. We do know it, and we plan for it from day one.
Our Driveway & Pavers Services in Kensington
Paver Driveways
Paver driveways hold up better than poured concrete on Kensington’s slopes, because the individual units flex instead of cracking when the ground shifts. We install Belgard and Techo-Bloc pavers on compacted base with edge restraints that keep rows from drifting downhill over time. For hillside lots we often add a wider base course and deeper excavation than flatland jobs require, because fog moisture and clay expansion will find any shortcut. Expect $7,000 to $18,000 for a typical Kensington paver driveway, with the higher end reflecting steep grades, longer runs, or retaining edge work.
Concrete Driveways & Concrete Work
Concrete in Kensington has to fight two enemies at once: the marine fog that keeps surfaces damp and the slope that sends water racing toward any low spot. We spec expansion joints closer than standard on hillside pours and add control joints where grade transitions happen, so the slab cracks where we want it to, not where the ground decides. Stamped concrete driveways are popular up here and run $4,500 to $12,000 depending on finish and square footage. We pour full-depth concrete, not a skim coat over crumbling base.
Asphalt Driveways & Resurfacing
Asphalt makes sense on certain long, winding Kensington driveways where cost per square foot matters. We handle new asphalt paving in the $3,500 to $9,000 range for a standard residential lot, and we resurface existing asphalt when the base is sound but the top layer has oxidized and cracked from years of fog and sun cycling. The key on Kensington hills is crown grading: we shape the surface so water sheets to the sides instead of cutting a channel down the middle. We also sealcoat fresh asphalt to buy years of protection against moisture intrusion.
Driveway Repair & Replacement
Most Kensington homes were built between the 1920s and 1950s, and plenty of original driveways are still trying to do the job. We see spalling from decades of damp, alligator cracking from failed sub-base, and concrete that’s been heaved out of alignment by root growth or seismic movement on slopes. If your driveway has settled enough to trip a mail carrier, it’s probably past patching. Replacement in Kensington runs $5,000 to $14,000, though we’ll always look at whether a section repair or overlay could do the job for less. We’ll tell you honestly which path makes sense for your lot.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Patios, Walkways & Pool Decks
Hardscape isn’t just the driveway. Kensington backyards climb, which means patios often need to be terraced or stepped to follow grade. We build paver patios ($3,500 to $11,000) with the same drainage discipline we use on driveways: every surface gets fall, every edge gets restraint, and every hillside patio gets a plan for where water goes. Walkways between house and garage take a beating from fog moisture and rotating sun, so we bed them on compacted aggregate rather than shoveling sand onto raw clay. If you’re also thinking about a bigger structural project on your property, our Home Additions & ADU in Kensington crew handles the kind of hillside structural and grading work that hardscape jobs often uncover.
Trusted Brands We Service in Kensington
We don’t install mystery materials off a van. On paver work in Kensington we regularly install Techo-Bloc and Cambridge Pavers, two brands with published specs and decades of performance records. For concrete and structural work we rely on Quikrete bag mixes and specified ready-mix from local batch plants. When you’re comparing estimates, note the material line item. A paver is not a paver. Cheaper pavers fade faster in the fog, and thinner pavers shift sooner on slopes. If your driveway project sits alongside a bigger interior renovation, we also run Kitchen Remodeling in Kensington for the same homeowners who want one accountable crew on the property rather than three separate outfits.
Common Driveway & Pavers Problems We See in Kensington Homes
- Slope-driven settlement. The steep lots that give Kensington its views also put constant downhill pressure on every hardscape surface. We see driveways that have slid an inch or two out of plane after wet winters, enough to crack where the garage apron meets the slab.
- Fog-moisture spalling. Kensington sits above the fog line more often than El Cerrito or Richmond, which means concrete gets soaked, then sun-dried, then soaked again. That cycle pops the surface off in sheets on older pours that were placed without adequate air entrainment.
- Failed drainage at the garage lip. On downsloping driveways, water runs straight for the overhead door. Without a properly placed channel drain or swale, garages on Kensington’s hillside lots flood every wet season.
- Root lift from mature trees. The oaks and redwoods that shade Kensington yards send roots under driveway edges looking for moisture. We regularly see slabs that have been lifted four or five inches by root expansion, which usually means sections need removal and re-pour rather than an overlay.
Pricing for Driveway & Pavers in Kensington, CA
Here’s what we’re seeing across Kensington right now. Paver driveway installation: $7,000 to $18,000. Concrete driveway installation: $4,500 to $12,000. Asphalt paving: $3,500 to $9,000. Full driveway replacement: $5,000 to $14,000. Driveway sealing: $250 to $700. Paver patios: $3,500 to $11,000. Slope and access are the big swing factors in Kensington. A steep lot that needs deep excavation and a retaining course will push toward the high end; a gentle Colusa Circle property stays lower. We provide free estimates in writing, and every change after that is a written change order before work starts. Call (877) 610-1318 to schedule yours.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kensington
We work throughout the East Bay hills, including El Cerrito, Albany, Richmond, and Berkeley. The same crew that handles Driveway & Pavers in Kensington also serves flatland and hillside lots in the surrounding communities, and we know which county each zip falls under when the permit conversation starts.
Serving Kensington, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kensington area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Driveway & Pavers in Kensington
We answer the phone live, 24/7, and we can usually get a crew to a Kensington property same-day for genuine emergencies like a failed retaining wall threatening a driveway or a washout that’s blocked access. For non-emergency estimates, we schedule within a few days. Call (877) 610-1318 and Tom will tell you honestly what the timeline looks like for your job.
Yes. Kensington is unincorporated Contra Costa County, so driveway work that involves grading, retaining walls, or major drainage changes requires permits through the county building department in Martinez rather than any local city hall. We know that process, we’ve navigated it for years, and we build the timeline into our estimates so you’re not surprised mid-project.
Not without your signature. Every scope, every allowance, and every change order is in writing before work happens. If we uncover something unexpected during excavation, we stop and put the additional cost on paper for your approval. That’s how we’ve run since 1998, and it’s why Kensington homeowners don’t get surprise invoices from us.
Driveway sealing in Kensington runs $250 to $700 depending on surface area and condition. Sealing buys real protection against the fog moisture and freeze-thaw spalling we see on the hills, and it’s one of the cheapest things you can do to extend the life of an asphalt or concrete driveway. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote on your square footage.
Yes. Every driveway and paver job in Kensington carries the written 90-Day Done Right Promise. If something’s not right, one call brings Tom back to make it right. We don’t bury the guarantee in fine print; it’s written on the contract, and it’s backed by a company whose owner lives twenty minutes away.
Ready to Fix That Kensington Driveway?
Stop looking at the crack and start planning the fix. Call Tom Barrett at (877) 610-1318 for a free, written estimate on driveway and paver work in Kensington. A real person answers, the quote comes in writing, and if you’ve got another estimate in hand, we’ll give you a free second opinion. No trip charge inside the county. No nonsense. Just straight answers from a crew that’s been doing this since 1998.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Kensington since 1998.