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CWS Driveway & Pavers: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
If you have a CWS driveway or paver system that’s cracking, settling, or separating at the joints, we stock the replacement pavers, edge restraints, base materials, and joint sand to match your existing layout. Most CWS paver repairs in Los Angeles run between $826 and $2,950 installed, depending on how many units need to be pulled and reset and whether the base layer underneath has shifted. We keep the common CWS paver profiles on hand so most repairs can be quoted and scheduled within a few days, not weeks.
What usually brings homeowners to this page is a paver that’s cracked under a car tire, a section that’s sunk an inch in the middle of the driveway, or joints that have washed out after a heavy rain. They want to know if the pavers can be matched, what the repair will cost, and whether they’re looking at a patch job or a full section rebuild. That’s exactly what this page walks through.
Which CWS Models This Applies To
CWS (Concrete Works Systems) produces interlocking concrete pavers in several profile families: the Holland/rectangle series, the hexagonal series, and the square/cobble series. Each comes in distinct thicknesses, most commonly 60mm for residential driveways and 80mm for heavier vehicle use or commercial drive aprons. The compatibility gotcha we see often in Los Angeles is this: two pavers can look identical from the top but have different bottom keying patterns, which means they won’t interlock correctly even if the face dimensions match.
To identify your CWS paver, flip one over. The mold family number is usually stamped into the underside, and the thickness in millimeters is cast into the side wall. Take a photo of that stamp and measure the thickness with a tape measure. That’s the information we need to match the replacement from our stock or order the right unit from our CWS supplier. For older CWS installations, we sometimes find the original color lot has faded in the California sun, and a factory-fresh paver will stand out. In those cases, we can source units from a close color batch or discuss whether a surface sealer with a tinted coating makes sense for the whole driveway.
Elmstead Remodeling is an independent service provider. We are not affiliated with CWS, but we work with the same paver profiles and specs because they hold up well in Southern California’s dry, UV-heavy climate when installed on a proper compacted base.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CWS Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- Localized sinking or a dip in the tire path. The most common cause in Los Angeles is base erosion: water finds its way under the pavers from a broken downspout or a slope issue, and the compacted base washes out. The pavers themselves are usually fine; the bed beneath them is what failed.
- Cracked pavers in the wheel path. A paver that breaks under vehicle weight typically means the base was not compacted evenly or the sand bed was too thick in that spot. One cracked paver is normal; three in a cluster is a base problem.
- Joints widening or sand washing out. If you can see daylight between pavers or they shift when you step on them, the edge restraint has loosened. Without a tight edge, the whole field of pavers starts to drift outward.
- Fading that is uneven across the surface. CWS pavers use integral color pigments, but Los Angeles sun is punishing. Uneven fading usually means a sealer was applied at some point and has worn through in patches, not that the pavers themselves are defective.
- Weeds or ants pushing up between pavers. This is a sign the joint sand has gone and organic material is getting in. It’s not structural yet, but the joints need refilling before the pavers start moving.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For Los Angeles homeowners with CWS paver driveways or patios, a paver repair typically ranges from $826 to $2,950. The low end covers pulling and resetting a small section of no more than ten pavers with fresh bedding sand and joint sand. The upper end covers larger sunken sections that need the base excavated, recompacted, and rebuilt with new edge restraint, which is where the real labor sits.
Here’s how a typical CWS paver repair breaks down in Los Angeles:
- Pavers (matching CWS units): $2.50 – $6 per unit, depending on the profile and thickness
- Bedding sand and joint sand: $40 – $120 for most repairs
- Base gravel for rebuilt sections: $60 – $200, only needed when the sub-base has eroded
- Labor (pull, prep, reset, compact, joint sand): $500 – $2,300 depending on section size and access
We give you a written price before any work starts, and the workmanship is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair does not hold up the way it should, we make it right. That promise is stamped on every project we complete.
DIY or Call Us?
A single loose paver or a small section where the sand has washed out is something a careful homeowner can address. You can pull the paver, check the sand bed, add or remove bedding sand, and reset it. That is low risk and the tools are basic.
What we would not recommend doing yourself is a section that has sunk more than half an inch. That is a base failure, not a surface issue. To fix it properly, the pavers come out, the sub-base gets excavated, recompacted with a plate compactor in lifts, and rebuilt with the correct edge restraint and slope for drainage. Getting that wrong means the same dip comes back in a year, and you have done the work twice. If you’re seeing a settled section or pavers shifting as a group, call us at (949) 850-9896 and we will take a look, measure the base depth, and give you a written price to fix it right.
FAQs
A properly installed CWS paver driveway in Los Angeles will last 25 to 40 years on the surface, but the base underneath typically needs attention every 10 to 15 years if drainage has not been managed well. The pavers themselves are high-strength concrete; what wears out first is usually the joint sand and the compacted base. Call (949) 850-9896 if you’re seeing shifting or settling, and we’ll assess whether it’s a surface fix or a base rebuild.
A paver with a hairline crack can sometimes be stabilized with a polyurethane-based joint stabilizer, but a paver that has cracked all the way through should be replaced. Concrete pavers carry load through their full thickness, and a broken unit will keep shifting and grinding against its neighbors. Replacement is usually cheaper than repeated patch attempts.
Most CWS paver repairs on Los Angeles driveways are completed in one day when the sub-base is intact. Sections that need the base excavated and rebuilt take two to three days because the compacted layers need time to settle properly before pavers go back on top. We will give you a clear schedule in the written quote.
We keep the most common CWS Holland and square profile pavers in our shop, and we can order specific colors and 80mm commercial thicknesses through our supplier network, typically within five to seven business days. If you can send us a photo of the paver and the stamp on its underside, we can often confirm availability the same day. Elmstead Remodeling also works with parts and materials from KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone across our remodeling projects, so we are used to matching specific product lines accurately.
If your CWS driveway or paver patio needs attention, call us at (949) 850-9896 for a free estimate. We will come out, look at the base, check the edge restraint, and give you a written price before any work starts. No guesswork, no number that changes after the crew shows up. That is the Cedarwell Care Promise, and it applies to every job we do in Los Angeles.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling at Elmstead Remodeling, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
