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Unilock Construction in Glendale, CA | Elmstead Remodeling Pasadena
We provide independent Unilock service across Glendale, from paver driveways and patios to retaining walls on hillside lots. The thing that makes our Unilock work here different is that we understand what Glendale’s slopes, clay soil, and grading rules do to modular paver systems, and we build and repair with those conditions in mind from the first walkthrough. Call (626) 714-2992 for a free estimate that comes with a written price before any work starts.
Why Glendale Residents Choose Us for Unilock Service
We’ve rebuilt Unilock paver driveways, patios, and retaining walls on enough Glendale hillsides to know what holds up and what gives way. Graham Stein, owner at Elmstead Remodeling Pasadena and a General Contractor in Glendale, grew up in Los Angeles and learned the trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College before spending nearly two decades on projects across the San Gabriel Valley. He and our crews have worked steadily through Glendale’s older neighborhoods, where 1920s-era lots come with surprise layers of fill soil and drainage paths that were never drawn on any plan. We’re an independent Unilock service provider, not manufacturer-authorized, which means we diagnose and repair these systems the way the original builders would have, using OEM Unilock pavers when an exact color match matters and proven aftermarket base and edge restraint components when structural integrity is the priority. Every visit includes shoe covers and drop cloths, quiet tools during family rest hours, and a photo of the clean-up before we leave.
Styles & brands we work with







Common Unilock Construction Problems We Solve in Glendale
- Paver edge creep on sloped driveways. Glendale’s clay soil expands and contracts through wet-dry cycles, and that movement slowly pushes paver edges outward on inclined driveways. We reset the edge restraints and, on slopes steeper than 15%, add geogrid reinforcement to keep the field from shifting.
- Faded or chalked Unilock EnduraColor surfaces. Intense summer UV exposure, especially on west-facing hillside patios in neighborhoods like Adams Hill, can dull the surface of EnduraColor pavers faster than homeowners expect. We assess whether the color layer is recoverable or whether selective replacement with matched OEM pavers is the better call.
- Settling and heaving along retaining wall bases. Heavy winter rains saturate the decomposed granite fill behind Glendale hillside retaining walls. That saturation causes base settlement and wall lean. We rebuild the base with proper drainage and compaction rather than just pushing the wall back into place.
- Polymeric sand joint washout. When downspouts discharge directly onto paver patios, the force of the water strips the polymeric sand from the joints. We redirect downspouts and install channel drains, then re-sand the joints so the surface stays locked.
- Dips and low spots in paver driveways. A 4-inch dip near the garage usually means the original base was sand over clay, a combination Glendale’s soil shifts readily. We excavate deep, install a reinforced aggregate base, and reset the pavers so the repair lasts.
Unilock Service in Glendale: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Glendale’s hillside grading ordinance requires that any paver driveway or patio over 500 square feet on a slope steeper than 15% include a geogrid-reinforced base and a swale or channel drain. Neighboring Burbank and Pasadena do not uniformly enforce this. Here is what that means for Unilock paver owners: many failures we see in Glendale are not the pavers’ fault at all. They are the result of a missing drainage layer, an undersized base, or an edge restraint that was never adequate for the slope. On a 1920s Spanish Colonial home in the Rossmoyne district, our crew replaced a failing Unilock Brussels Block driveway that had developed a 4-inch dip near the garage because the original base was only 4 inches of sand over clay-similar to issues we address with our Bathroom Remodeling in Glendale. We excavated 12 inches, installed a geogrid-reinforced aggregate base, and reset the same pavers with new edge restraints and a French drain at the low point. The driveway has stayed level through two winters. If your Unilock surface is failing, the question to ask is not which paver to swap but whether the base and drainage under it were built for a Glendale hillside.
Unilock Models & Products We Service in Glendale
We service the full range of Unilock product lines found across Glendale: Brussels Block, Courtstone, EnduraColor, and Richcliff. Brussels Block and Courtstone are the two we see most often on older Glendale driveways and walkways, while EnduraColor and Richcliff show up on newer patios and pool surrounds. We source OEM Unilock pavers from local masonry suppliers when an exact color and phase match is required, and for structural repairs we use comparable high-density paver base and edge restraint components from proven aftermarket manufacturers. What we keep stocked locally for Glendale turnaround includes the edge restraints, geogrid, drain channel, and aggregate base materials these jobs need. The pavers themselves we order per project so the color and phase match the existing field.
See the difference
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After
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AfterUnilock Service Pricing in Glendale

The price you see on paper is the price you pay at the end, no footnotes. What drives the cost on a Glendale Unilock project is the slope, the condition of the existing base, and whether drainage needs to be added or corrected. A flat paver patio on stable ground is a different job from a hillside driveway that needs geogrid and a channel drain. Here are the ranges we work within:
| Service | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Paver Driveway Installation (Unilock) | $7,000 – $18,000 |
| Paver Patio Installation (Unilock) | $3,500 – $11,000 |
| Concrete Driveway Installation | $4,500 – $12,000 |
Every free estimate includes a written, line-item scope, so you’ll know exactly what the crew will do and what it costs before a single drop cloth goes down. Call (626) 714-2992 to schedule yours.
Serving Glendale, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Glendale 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 Glendale
Adding more sand between the joints does nothing for a failing base, and that’s the real problem in most Glendale cases. The clay-heavy soil on hillside lots moves with every wet-dry cycle, and if the base beneath the pavers is thin sand over clay, no amount of joint sand will stop the settling. The fix is a proper base rebuild with compacted aggregate and, on steeper slopes, geogrid reinforcement. Call (626) 714-2992 and we’ll dig a test pit to see what’s actually under your pavers before recommending anything.
Yes, in most cases we can match the color and phase of your existing Unilock pavers. We source OEM Unilock pavers from local masonry suppliers and match against the installed field, accounting for sun fading. EnduraColor products hold their color well, while older Brussels Block can be more challenging, but we’ll show you the match before ordering. Call
Glendale generally treats paver driveway replacement as a construction activity subject to the city’s hillside grading rules, and any paver driveway or patio over 500 square feet on a slope steeper than 15% needs a geogrid-reinforced base and a swale or channel drain. We pull the permits for you and make sure the plan meets the city’s requirements before we start. Call
A leaning retaining wall is rarely cosmetic, especially after heavy winter rains saturate the decomposed granite fill behind Glendale hillside walls. The lean almost always signals water pressure building behind the wall and a base that was never built to handle it. We assess the wall, check the drainage, and tell you honestly whether it needs a base rebuild or a more limited repair. Estimates are free, so call (626) 714-2992 to have us take a look.
On a Glendale hillside driveway, we recommend a minimum 12-inch excavated base with compacted aggregate, geogrid reinforcement, and edge restraints rated for the slope. That’s deeper than the 4-6 inches a flat driveway in a valley city might get, and it exists because Glendale’s clay soil moves more. If your slope is steeper than 15%, the city’s own ordinance requires the geogrid layer. Call
Our Unilock crews work throughout Glendale, including Rossmoyne, Adams Hill, and the hillside streets above the 2 freeway. We also provide Unilock sales & service across the wider Glendale service area, with Unilock service in Pasadena for neighbors just east, and Unilock service in Maywood for clients further south. If your home sits on a Glendale hillside, you’re in our wheelhouse. If your Unilock driveway, patio, or retaining wall needs work on a Glendale hillside, call (626) 714-2992 and we’ll schedule a free estimate. We’ll give you a written price before any work starts, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise means if it’s not done right, we make it right. Written by Graham Stein, Owner at Elmstead Remodeling Pasadena, serving Glendale since 2005.Service Areas Near Glendale
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