Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterUnilock Construction in Los Angeles, CA | Barrett & Sons Construction
We install, repair, and service Unilock pavers and retaining wall systems across Los Angeles, from hillside terraces off Mulholland Drive to flat-lot driveways in the San Fernando Valley. Our crew has rebuilt Unilock walkways, patios, and driveways in nearly every soil and slope condition this city throws at hardscapes. The one thing that separates us from a generic hardscape installer is that we understand how Unilock’s modular products behave under Los Angeles seismic shifts, drought cycles, and atmospheric river rain events. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free, written estimate on any Unilock service in Los Angeles.
We also carry a full range of Unilock product lines for new installation work. See our Unilock sales & service page for model availability and ordering details.
Why Los Angeles Residents Choose Us for Unilock Service
Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and he grew up in the San Fernando Valley watching crews pour foundations along Van Nuys Boulevard. He trained at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, started with framing, and learned early that a job site doesn’t lie. That’s why our approach to Unilock work is straightforward: we tell you if your base is sound, we tell you if a repair will hold, and we put every scope and price in writing before a single paver gets lifted.
We’re familiar with every Unilock line this city’s homes use – Beacon Hill flagstone pavers around pool decks in Encino, Brussels Block driveways in Westchester, Courtstone courtyards in Los Feliz, and U-Cara Multi-Face walls holding back hillsides in Bel Air and Tarzana. We keep common replacement units and matching polymeric sand on hand for quick Los Angeles turnaround, and we order directly from local authorized Unilock distributors so color and dimension match correctly. When a discontinued profile isn’t available anymore, we source carefully matched quality aftermarket units and disclose it before you sign anything.
Every job from Barrett & Sons carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise written on the contract: if it’s not done right, Tom comes back and makes it right. One call.
Common Unilock Construction Problems We Solve in Los Angeles
- Edge restraint failure on driveways and pool decks. Seismic micro-shifts from the Hollywood, Puente Hills, and Newport-Inglewood fault systems gradually push pavers outward when the edge restraint wasn’t pinned correctly. We reset the restraint, re-compact the base, and relay the perimeter units so the surface stays flat and trip-free.
- Efflorescence and surface spalling from hard LA irrigation water. Mineral-heavy water across Los Angeles leaves white calcium deposits on Unilock pavers and can accelerate surface pitting, especially on older installations. We clean and seal affected surfaces with products matched to the paver profile, not a big-box generic.
- Polymeric sand joint washout from atmospheric river storms. When those intense rain bands hit Los Angeles in winter, they scour joints on sloped patios and pool decks, leaving pavers loose. We remove the failed sand, verify drainage pitch, and re-joint with fresh polymericsand rated for LA’s wet-dry cycles.
- Retaining wall bulging from expansive clay soils. Los Angeles has pockets of highly expansive clay that swell with winter moisture and shrink in summer drought. Walls that weren’t built on compacted Class II base with proper drainage start leaning. We assess the geogrid and base condition, then either reinforce or rebuild properly.
- Poor drainage around hardscapes near WUI-rated homes. In Bel Air, Tarzana, and the Palisades, California’s Wildland-Urban Interface code requires specific fire-resistant construction around the home. A hardscape that traps water against a stucco or wood-framed wall creates rot and ember-attack risk. We re-grade and re-sand so water moves away from the structure.
Unilock Service in Los Angeles: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Los Angeles is the only major U.S. city with a legally mandated earthquake retrofit program for thousands of pre-1978 soft-story and non-ductile concrete buildings, under Ordinances 183893 and 184081. It means any Unilock hardscape project adjacent to one of these structures must coordinate with ongoing structural upgrades and seismic anchoring requirements. A paver driveway or walkway running alongside a soft-story apartment building with tuck-under parking – the city calls those Tier 1 retrofit candidates – sits on ground that will be disturbed, excavated, and re-compacted during the retrofit. We’ve worked projects next to buildings getting steel moment frames and plywood shear walls installed, and the sequencing matters: put your Unilock surface in too early, and you’ll be digging it back up. Put it in too late, and the building inspector may flag drainage against the new foundation line. This is a specialty that barely exists anywhere else in the country at this scale, and we’ve learned it the honest way, project by project, here in Los Angeles.
Out near Mulholland Drive in Bel Air, our crew reset a Unilock Beacon Hill walkway that had heaved after two consecutive winters of concentrated rain. We corrected the slope with compacted Class II base, installed new edge restraint, and replaced eleven spalled pavers matched from the original batch. The job also required tying a new drainage swale into the home’s WUI-compliant landscaping without disturbing the existing retaining wall’s geogrid. That’s the kind of layered problem Los Angeles hillsides hand you, and it doesn’t show up in a generic installation manual.
Unilock Models & Products We Service in Los Angeles
We service and install the Unilock product lines most common in Los Angeles hardscapes, including Beacon Hill flagstone pavers, Brussels Block pavers, Courtstone pavers, and the U-Cara Multi-Face wall system. Our parts approach is straightforward: we use genuine Unilock units from local authorized distributors whenever a color and profile is current, and we carry a set of matched aftermarket units for discontinued lines after full disclosure. This keeps repair turnaround fast for Los Angeles customers who need a patio back without waiting weeks on a special order. For larger projects, we also offer Kitchen Remodeling in Los Angeles. If a paver is cracked but the base is sound, we repair. If the base has failed, we’ll tell you honestly that a full relay costs less long-term than patching repeatedly.
Unilock Service Pricing in Los Angeles
Pricing for Unilock work in Los Angeles depends on access, slope, base condition, and whether we’re repairing an existing install or building new. Here are the market-calibrated ranges we work within for this city:
| Service | Price Range (Los Angeles) |
|---|---|
| Paver Patio Installation | $4,130 - $12,980 |
| Paver Driveway Installation | $8,260 - $21,240 |
| Unilock U-Cara Retaining Wall (labor only) | Quoted per job after site inspection |
Every estimate is free, and we write every line item and allowance on paper before work starts. No allowance is left off the page, because an allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date. Call (877) 610-1318 to schedule a free estimate at your Los Angeles property.
Serving Los Angeles, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Angeles 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 - Unilock Construction in Los Angeles
Yes. In many Los Angeles neighborhoods – particularly pockets of the San Fernando Valley and hillside areas – the native soils are expansive clays that swell and shrink with moisture. Standard base prep isn’t enough there. We compact a thicker Class II base, sometimes with geotextile separation fabric, and we make sure drainage moves water away from the paver bed. Skipping this step is the most common reason Los Angeles paver work fails early. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free site review of your soil and drainage.
Yes, but the Hillside Ordinance adds grading, drainage, and retaining wall requirements on top of standard permitting. A Unilock U-Cara wall on a Los Angeles hillside must be designed for the specific slope, with proper geogrid and drainage behind it. We’ve done exactly that on properties off Mulholland Drive, working around WUI landscaping and existing geogrid without compromising the wall or the fire-safety zone. We also handle Bathroom Remodeling in Los Angeles for homeowners looking to upgrade multiple spaces. If your lot is in the Hillside Ordinance area, ask us about the permit path before you buy materials.
Santa Ana conditions dry out polymeric sand faster than coastal humidity does, which can cause joints to shrink and crack. Then when an atmospheric river hits, water gets under the pavers and accelerates washout. In Los Angeles, we re-joint with a polymer matched to your paver profile and local drainage, and we recommend sealing on installations exposed to full Santa Ana winds. A free estimate will tell you if your joints just need re-sanding or a deeper fix.
The retrofit work usually disturbs the ground immediately around the building, which means any adjacent paver driveway or walkway will need to be re-installed or at least re-compacted after the structural work finishes. If you’re planning a Unilock driveway next to a Tier 1 soft-story building – very common across Los Angeles – we coordinate the sequence so your hardscape goes in after the retrofit contractor is done, not before. The permit inspector works for you, not for me, and we make sure the hardscape passes when the dust settles.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If the color and profile are still in production, we order exact-match units from a local authorized Unilock distributor. If the line is discontinued, we source carefully matched aftermarket units and tell you what you’re getting before we install. We also check whether aged UV exposure has shifted the original paver color, which changes which match looks right on the ground. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll tell you honestly what’s possible for your patio.
Service Areas Near Los Angeles
Most of our Unilock work is in Los Angeles proper, from Hollywood Hills to the San Fernando Valley. We also take select hardscape jobs in surrounding communities. See our Los Angeles service area page for full coverage details. If you’re further south, we have a dedicated Unilock service in San Diego page, and for the South Bay up through the Peninsula, we cover Unilock service in San Jose as well.
Book Your Unilock Service in Los Angeles Today
If your Unilock patio, driveway, or retaining wall needs work in Los Angeles, call Tom Barrett’s crew at (877) 610-1318. We’ll come out, look at your base and drainage, and give you a written estimate. We’ll do it right the first time, or we’ll come back and make it right.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Los Angeles since 1998.