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Unilock Home Additions & ADU: The Austin Owner’s Guide
If you’re planning an addition or ADU with Unilock hardscape products in Austin, the installed cost typically runs between $45,000 and $130,000 depending on square footage, foundation work, and how much paver and retaining wall material the project demands. That’s the range we quote most often at Mason Remodeling Co Austin, and it includes everything from permitting to final inspection. Homeowners usually call us when they realize their paver patio or retaining wall needs to be tied into a new structure correctly, or when an existing Unilock installation has shifted and compromised the foundation line of the new build. We stock Unilock-compatible materials and we’re an independent contractor, not a Unilock dealer, so we can match product and installation without pushing one brand over another.
Key Takeaways
- Installed price for a Unilock-integrated home addition or ADU in Austin: $45,000 – $130,000
- Garage conversions start around $30,000 – $80,000; full ADU construction runs $90,000 – $220,000
- We deliver a written price before any work starts, on every project, every time
- Every project gets a written guarantee covering 365 days from the completion date
- Isaac Pruett and his crew have built additions and structural repairs in Austin neighborhoods like Mueller, Allandale, and Barton Hills
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock makes several paver and wall product lines that show up in Austin home additions and ADU projects: the EnduraColor series (Richcliff, Beacon Hill, Courtstone), Estate Series wall blocks (Lineo, Pisa), and U-Cara multi-face wall systems. The key compatibility issue is that Unilock pavers are manufactured to tighter dimensional tolerances than big-box pavers, which means the base preparation and edge restraint specs are different. If you’re adding a room with a paver patio or retaining wall attached, the concrete footing for the addition has to be planned alongside the paver base, not after the slab is poured. For wall blocks, check the back of the block for a molded Unilock logo and measure the face height. Estate Series Lineo blocks are 4 inches tall, Pisa blocks are 3 inches, and mixing the two on the same wall will telegraph through the courses. We stock OEM Unilock product for Austin jobs but will recommend a quality aftermarket equivalent only when a discontinued color or profile leaves no other choice.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Paver edge creep at the foundation line. Austin’s clay soil expands and contracts with our wet-dry cycles, and if the edge restraint wasn’t pinned properly, pavers will drift away from the slab by an inch or more over two years. This opens a channel for water directly under your new foundation.
- Retaining wall leaning into the structure. A wall that tilts more than 1 inch for every 4 feet of height has lost its geogrid or the base course wasn’t buried deep enough. In Austin, Unilock wall blocks need at least 6 inches of buried block for the first course, plus drainage aggregate behind them.
- Paver surface settling and creating a low spot parallel to the addition. If water ponds against your new wall or door threshold after a rain, the base was probably compacted with a light plate tamper instead of a proper vibratory roller. We see this constantly in Austin DIY additions.
- Joint sand washing out after every storm. Austin gets intense short-duration downpours. If the polymeric sand in your Unilock paver joints is rinsing out within a season, the base drainage is wrong, not the sand itself. Water has nowhere to go, so it pushes up through the joints.
- Step unit shifting against the door landing. Unilock step units weigh over 80 pounds each. When one moves, the culprit is usually a missing concrete footing underneath it. A shifting step at your entry is a fall hazard and a sign the whole perimeter system needs attention.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
For a Unilock-integrated home addition or ADU in Austin, the installed range is $45,000 to $130,000. On the lower end, you’re looking at a single-room bump-out with a small paver patio tied in. The top end covers a full ADU with retaining walls, stepped walkways, and multiple Unilock product lines working together. Here’s how related project costs break out in our Austin market:
- Home Addition: $45,000 – $130,000
- ADU Construction: $90,000 – $220,000
- Garage Conversion: $30,000 – $80,000
- Paver Patio Installation (attached): $3,500 – $11,000
Every Mason Remodeling Co Austin quote includes labor, materials, debris removal, permits, and one written price before a single tool is unpacked. No change orders, no “we found something” invoice padding. If the work isn’t right within 365 days of completion, we make it right at no cost. That’s the Done Right Promise, and it applies to every addition and ADU we build.
See the difference
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After
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
There are things you can safely check yourself. Walk the perimeter and mark where pavers have drifted from the foundation line. Note any wall lean with a 4-foot level. Take photos after a heavy Austin rain to see where water ponds. But when it comes to digging out a failed paver base next to your foundation, resetting an 80-pound Unilock step unit, or rebuilding a retaining wall that’s holding back soil from your living space, call us. Base work near a foundation is not a weekend project. If the base is compacted wrong, the fix costs triple. We handle this every week in Austin, including jobs where a previous contractor cut corners. Call (903) 623-1966 and tell me what’s wrong with it. We’ll figure out what it actually needs.
FAQs
Unilock pavers themselves typically last 30 to 40 years in Austin’s climate, but the base underneath them usually fails within 10 to 15 years if it wasn’t built for our clay soil and flood-prone rain patterns. Call (903) 623-1966 if you’re seeing settling or joint washout before that.
Most Unilock paver and wall failures in Austin are base failures, not product failures, so the pavers can usually be pulled, stacked, and reinstalled on a proper new base. We’ll give you that answer in writing before any work starts. Call (903) 623-1966 for an exact assessment.
A Unilock-integrated home addition in Austin typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from permit approval to final clean-up, while a full ADU runs 3 to 6 months. The permit process alone usually adds 2 to 6 weeks depending on your zoning. Call (903) 623-1966 and we’ll walk you through what your timeline looks like.
Yes, we keep common Unilock EnduraColor pavers and Estate Series wall blocks on order with our Austin suppliers and can usually pull product within a week once your written quote is approved. We also work with other brands like KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone when the project calls for it. Call (903) 623-1966 to check availability for your specific Unilock color and profile.
Call for Your Free Estimate
Isaac Pruett and the Mason Remodeling Co Austin crew have been building additions, ADUs, and hardscape tie-ins across Austin for years, including plenty of work in Mueller, Crestview, and Travis Heights. We show up on time, we put the price in writing, and we don’t leave until the punch list is finished. Every crew member is background-checked and identity-verified under the Threshold Standard, and you’ll get a name and photo before anyone steps onto your property. Call (903) 623-1966 today and get a free, written estimate for your Unilock home addition or ADU project.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling Co Austin at Mason Remodeling Co Austin, serving Austin and nearby areas.
