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Why Austin Homeowners Choose Unilock Construction
Unilock pavers and walls hold up better than most in Austin’s freeze-thaw winters and brutal July sun, but the base underneath them is what fails around here. We offer Unilock repair in Austin as an independent service provider, and we reset and install these systems daily. That means we can match course heights after clay heave, re-cut soldier courses, and fix the drainage problems that make pavers sink in the first place. Call (903) 623-1966 for a straight answer on your Unilock project.
Austin’s expansive clay soil is the real story behind most Unilock failures. The blackland prairie clay on the east side shrinks in drought and swells after rain, moving pavers around like a slow tide. West of MoPac, limestone sits within ten feet of the surface, which changes how you dig and compact a base. A Unilock installation that works great in Dallas will shift here if the subgrade isn’t handled for Austin conditions. We’ve spent years watching how these systems move in our specific soil, and our repairs account for it.
One thing worth saying up front: Mason Remodeling Co Austin is not authorized by or affiliated with Unilock. We’re an independent service provider. That means we call failures as we see them, without any incentive to push replacement when a base repair does the job. If your Unilock driveway is sinking, we’ll tell you whether it’s a $700 re-compaction or a full re-lay. The number to call is (903) 623-1966.
Why Trust Mason Remodeling Co Austin for Your Unilock Construction?
Our crews work with Unilock paver and wall systems every week, not once a season. We know the difference between a Brussels Block paver that’s shaling from age and one that’s been damaged by repeated acid washing. We know how Town Hall driveway edges behave when the base wasn’t dug deep enough into Austin clay. That familiarity means we diagnose faster and quote honestly.
Isaac Pruett, our owner, learned the construction trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College before years of residential and commercial work up and down the West Coast. He and the crew have been serving Austin homeowners for several years now, and they’ve taken on everything from full kitchen gut-outs to structural repairs, including plenty of work in the Mueller neighborhood. Isaac’s rule is plain: if the base and drainage are shot, we’ll tell you to replace. If a localized repair is all you need, we’ll tell you that too. Tell me what’s wrong with it. We’ll figure out what it actually needs.
Every Mason Remodeling Co Austin technician is background-checked and identity-verified under the Threshold Standard. You’ll get the name and photo of the person coming to your door before they arrive, and they’ll show a photo ID badge when they knock. You’ll also get a written price before any work starts. Always. Not as a perk.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Unilock Construction Problems We Fix in Austin
- Dished and shaling Brussels Block pavers in pool deck bands. This is common where pool services use acid washing repeatedly. The acid eats the color layer on the paver surface, and the pavers start to flake or “shale.” We see this in neighborhoods with lots of pools like Steiner Ranch and Circle C. The fix often means replacing the affected band and sealing the new pavers to protect the color layer. It’s repairable without redoing the whole deck.
- Sagging edges on Town Hall driveways over decomposed Black Prairie clay. Austin’s east side clay shrinks and swells dramatically. If the original installer didn’t dig out the organic topsoil and decomposed clay before building the base, the edges drop within a few seasons. We see this constantly in Mueller, East Austin, and the neighborhoods around MLK. The repair requires pulling the affected edge, re-compacting the subbase, adding a geogrid layer, and resetting with new edge restraint.
- Hollandstone retaining walls in Travis Heights leaning after downspout water buckles the joint sand. Downspouts that discharge directly behind a retaining wall are a ticking clock. The water pressure builds up behind the wall, pushes the joint sand out, and the wall starts to lean. Travis Heights has older homes with downspouts that were never extended. We fix the drainage first, then re-set the wall. The wall itself often doesn’t need replacement if you catch it early.
- Richcliff course lines losing alignment as live oak roots push the soldier row. Live oaks are everywhere in central Austin. Their roots run shallow and push against paver edges, especially the soldier course that borders a walkway or patio. Richcliff’s larger format pavers hide the movement until the course line curves visibly. We re-cut the soldier row and sometimes add root barrier to keep the tree from doing it again.
- Freeze-thaw joint sand loss on any Unilock surface. Austin gets just enough freeze-thaw cycles in winter to work joint sand loose. When the sand washes out, pavers start to shift under load. Re-sanding with the right polymeric sand before the pavers move is cheap. Waiting until the base erodes is not.
Unilock Parts & Our Repair-vs-Replace Approach
We use Unilock’s own dedicated jointing sand and matching edge restraints where the original look matters. For older installations where you want the repair to blend, factory-matched products matter more. For structural work, we sometimes use quarry-graded polymeric sand from local Austin yards, because it holds up to our cloudbursts better than some factory blends. The honest answer is that both work, and we choose based on the site.
Our repair-vs-replace rule is simple. If the base is intact and the drainage is working, we repair locally. A paver band reset or a section of soldier course re-cut typically runs under $800. If the base is mushy, the drainage is wrong, or the pavers themselves are spalling through the color layer, we’ll tell you replacement is the smarter money. We don’t make more money telling you that. We just sleep better.
We also keep common Unilock parts on hand locally, so a matching edge restraint or a batch of joint sand doesn’t mean a week of waiting. For larger jobs, we source from local distributors who know Austin lead times. Call (903) 623-1966 and we’ll tell you what’s realistic for your project.
Our Unilock Service Process – Step by Step
- 1
Diagnosis. We inspect the surface, check the base with a probe, and look at drainage. For Unilock specifically, we check paver thickness, joint sand condition, and whether edge restraints are intact. The diagnosis tells us whether this is a surface fix or a base failure.
- 2
Repair or install. We cut and remove only what needs to move. For a localized sag on a Town Hall driveway, that means the affected band, not the whole driveway. We re-compact the subbase, add geogrid where the soil is soft, and reset with new edge restraint. For full installations, we build per Unilock’s specifications but adapted to Austin clay, which often means more compaction than the manufacturer’s minimum.
- 3
Joint sand and compaction. We sweep in Unilock’s dedicated jointing sand or a quarry-graded polymeric alternative, then run a plate compactor over the surface to lock everything in. This is the step that determines whether the repair lasts five years or fifteen.
- 4
Test and walk the job with you. Before we leave, we check drainage, surface alignment, and joint fill. We walk the repair with you and point out what we did and why. If something isn’t right, we say so and fix it. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every completed project for a full year from the completion date. If the work fails within that year, we come back and make it right at no cost to you.
Last summer we pulled a Brussels Block driveway near Mueller where one corner had sunk two inches after a sewer line patch. Our tech re-compacted the subbase, added a geogrid layer, and reset the affected band with new Unilock edge restraint, matching the 20-year-old patina by salvaging a few pavers from the back bed. That’s the kind of repair Unilock pavers reward. The base failed; the pavers were fine.
Unilock Products We Service & Install in Austin
We service and install the full range of Unilock paver and wall systems that Austin homes actually use. That includes Brussels Block, the workhorse paver you see on driveways and pool decks across the city; Hollandstone, the smaller-format paver popular for walkways and tight curves; Town Hall, a larger-format paver used on driveways where a bigger visual module looks right; and Richcliff, the flagstone-look paver older Austin homes often have on patios and entries. We also service Unilock retaining wall systems, including the blocks used in the terracing common on west Austin sloped lots. We keep common edge restraints and joint sand locally, which speeds up repairs.
Paver patio and driveway installation are a core part of what we do. We also do emergency and storm damage work, when a downburst or a flash flood leaves a Unilock surface undermined. If water moved your pavers, call (903) 623-1966.
See the difference
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AfterWe Also Service These Brands
Unilock is a big part of our paver work, but we’re not a single-brand shop, and we also provide General Contractor services. We also service and install KraftMaid cabinetry, Cambria and Silestone countertops, and Kohler fixtures. If your project includes a paver patio next to a kitchen that needs new counters, we can handle both under one written price.
Pricing for Unilock Construction in Austin
| Service | Typical Austin Range |
|---|---|
| Paver Patio Installation | $3,500 – $11,000 |
| Paver Driveway Installation | $7,000 – $18,000 |
| Driveway Sealing | $250 – $700 |
These ranges reflect what we see across Austin. A paver patio in East Austin on flat ground lands on the lower end. A paver driveway in Westlake with limestone excavation and terracing costs more. The only way to know your number is a site visit and a written quote. We’ll give you a fixed price before any work starts. No change orders, no surprise invoices.
FAQs – Unilock Construction Service in Austin
Yes, in most cases. Richcliff pavers have a color blend that ages, so a brand-new batch will look brighter than 15-year-old pavers. The trick is selective placement: we use new pavers in less visible areas and shift older ones to the front, or we mix new and old within the same band to feather the color difference. We did exactly this on a Mueller driveway repair last summer, salvaging pavers from a back bed to match a 20-year-old patio. The match won’t be perfect, but it’ll be close enough that nobody notices. Call (903) 623-1966 and we’ll tell you what’s realistic for your specific batch.
Because the base wasn’t built for Austin’s clay. Town Hall pavers are large-format, which means they carry load over a bigger area. If the original installer didn’t dig out decomposed Black Prairie clay before compacting the base, rain softens the clay under the edges and the driveway drops. The edge restraints then get pulled down, and the problem compounds. The fix is re-compacting the subbase, adding geogrid, and resetting the edge with new restraint. Leaving it alone invites worse movement. Call (903) 623-1966 for a site evaluation.
Yes, Brussels Block pavers are designed for re-use. They’re a concrete paver with consistent dimensions, so they come up clean and go back down clean. The catch is matching the color. If your existing patio has been down for several years, the color layer will have faded slightly, and new Brussels Block pavers will be more saturated. We handle this by blending old and new pavers across the expanded area and sealing the whole surface once, which evens out the tone. It’s one of the most economical ways to expand a patio in Austin. Call (903) 623-1966 for a written quote.
We fix the drainage first. A leaning Unilock wall is almost always a water problem, not a block problem. Downspouts discharging behind the wall, or surface water running into the backfill, builds pressure and pushes the wall out. We re-route the water, re-compact the backfill, and re-set the affected courses. If the wall was built without proper drainage stone behind it, we excavate and add it. The blocks themselves rarely need replacement. This is a common repair for us in Travis Heights, where older downspouts often point the wrong direction. Call (903) 623-1966 and we’ll take a look.
Sealing is optional and depends on what you want. Austin’s UV is intense, and unsealed pavers will fade faster and look chalky sooner. Sealing slows that fading and makes the color pop, but it also means re-sealing every few years and being careful about what products you use. For Hollandstone driveways, we generally recommend a penetrating sealer rather than a film-forming one, because film-forming sealers can trap moisture and create a cloudy look in Austin’s humidity. If you want the color locked in and easier cleaning, seal it. Call (903) 623-1966 and we’ll talk through the trade-offs for your specific driveway.
Paver patio installation in Austin typically runs $3,500 to $11,000. Paver driveways run $7,000 to $18,000. Driveway sealing is $250 to $700. These are installed prices including base work, pavers, joint sand, and edge restraints. Your exact number depends on the site: flat east side yards cost less to prep than west Austin slopes with limestone. The only way to know is a site visit. We’ll give you a written, fixed price before any work starts. Call (903) 623-1966 to schedule your free estimate.
Book Your Unilock Service in Austin, TX
If your Unilock pavers are sinking, shifting, or just looking tired, we’ll come take a look. Our Austin crews know how these systems behave on our clay, and we also handle Unilock repair in Round Rock with the same straight answers on repair or replace. Call (903) 623-1966 to schedule your free estimate. A real person answers, every time.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner at Mason Remodeling Co Austin, serving Austin since 2004.
