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Cambridge Pavers Home Additions & ADU: The San Francisco Owner’s Guide
Cambridge Pavers home additions and ADU construction in San Francisco typically runs $53,100 to $153,400, and the work usually takes 4 to 8 months depending on scope, permits, and site access. Most owners call us after discovering their existing paver patio or walkway is in the footprint of the new addition and needs to be pulled, re-graded, and re-laid around the new foundation. We handle the full sequence: demolition of the existing Cambridge paver surface, subgrade correction, foundation and framing, then re-installation of the pavers so the new addition sits square with the hardscape. Curtis Lane has run additions throughout San Francisco, and the paver tie-in is where the difference between a clean job and a hack job shows first.
Which Cambridge Pavers Models This Applies To
Cambridge Pavers manufactures three primary paver lines that show up on San Francisco home addition sites: the Ledgestone series (tumbled, irregular edges, commonly used for retaining walls and border courses), the RoundTable series (uniform edges, popular for driveways and pool decks), and the ArmorTec series (high compressive strength, rated for vehicular loads). The compatibility gotcha most owners miss is that Cambridge changed the joint width spec on the ArmorTec line about ten years ago. Older pavers were laid with 1/8-inch joints; newer ones spec 3/16-inch. If your existing patio predates that change, the new material won’t match the old layout without re-cutting the edge course. You can identify your paver by flipping one over: Cambridge stamps a lot code and series initial on the back face. We match the new order to that code, not just to a photo. For homeowners who want a lower material cost, quality aftermarket equivalents exist from Belgard and Unilock, but the color won’t match a faded Cambridge install exactly. If you’re adding a room and reusing pavers, OEM match is the only way the courtyard doesn’t look patched.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Cambridge Pavers Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Settling pavers near the foundation line. This usually means the subgrade wasn’t compacted in lifts before the pavers went down. In San Francisco, we see this most in the Sunset and Richmond districts where the native soil is sandy and shifts with seasonal moisture.
- Edge restraints pulling loose at the planned addition footprint. The plastic or aluminum edge restraint is what keeps the outer course from spreading. If it’s heaving, the paver field is moving outward and will need to be cut back before framing starts.
- Water pooling against the existing slab or stem wall. Cambridge pavers are permeable at the joints, but if the base course holds water, you’ll see dark staining on the lower course. That trapped moisture rots the bottom plate of any new wall tied in there.
- Efflorescence heavier on one section than the rest. That white mineral bloom tells you water is moving through the paver from below. Before you pour a new ADU slab next to it, the drainage needs to be corrected or the same moisture will wick into the new concrete.
- Cracked pavers along the wheel path. If the previous owner drove on pavers rated for pedestrian load, the ArmorTec series replacement is the fix. We spec the load rating before anything gets ordered.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
For a San Francisco home addition where the existing Cambridge paver field is in the construction footprint, the paver removal, re-grading, and re-installation typically runs $8,260 to $21,240 on top of the main addition budget of $53,100 to $153,400. Where you land inside that range depends on square footage, whether the base needs full depth replacement, and whether we’re matching existing pavers or running a new series. The price includes demolition and haul-off of the old base course, new Class II road base compacted in lifts, bedding sand, the Cambridge pavers themselves, edge restraints, joint sand, and labor. We write the line-item price before any work starts. It doesn’t move at the door. The Garrison Standard says the number you sign is the number you pay. All of it is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the paver field settles, shifts, or fails within a year of close-out, we come back and fix it at no charge.
See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
You can safely pull a couple of pavers to check the base depth and read the lot code off the back. That’s useful information. What you should not do is attempt to re-lay a paver field that ties into a new foundation or an ADU slab on your own. The subgrade compaction, the drainage plane, and the expansion joint at the new concrete all have to be right or the paver field moves within the first wet season. In San Francisco, fog-driven moisture moves through the soil differently than it does inland. We learned that the hard way on a stretch of gut-and-rebuild projects in the Outer Sunset, and now every paver base we spec for an addition gets a drainage detail that accounts for it. If you’re reading this because a contractor already laid pavers that are now failing, call (831) 610-5598. Straight number, real scope, no surprises at close-out.
FAQs
Cambridge ArmorTec pavers carry a transferable lifetime warranty against cracking, but the base course under them is the real lifespan driver. A properly compacted base in San Francisco’s climate lasts 20 to 30 years before it needs re-leveling. We put that expectation in writing in the scope document.
Yes, in most cases. If the pavers themselves are intact and the failure is in the base or edge restraint, we pull them, re-level the base, and re-lay the same material. The paver itself rarely fails; what fails is what’s underneath it. Call (831) 610-5598 for a free estimate on a re-use versus replace scope.
For a typical 400 to 800 square foot paver field in the addition footprint, we schedule 3 to 5 working days for demo, base correction, and re-lay. Larger commercial-style fields or bad weather can stretch that. We include the timeline in the written price so there’s no guessing.
We don’t stock full pallets of Cambridge Pavers at our San Francisco location, but we order direct from the regional distributor with the lot code from your existing pavers. Matching by code, not by eye, is the only way the new work disappears into the old. We also install Belgard, Unilock, and compatible hardscaping lines when the project calls for it.
Contact Bradford Remodeling Co San Francisco
If you’re planning a home addition or ADU in San Francisco and your Cambridge paver hardscape is in the way, call (831) 610-5598. We’ll send a crew lead out to look at the site, read the lot codes off your existing pavers, and give you a written price before any work starts. That’s The Garrison Code: background-checked, uniformed technicians, a live person on the phone 24/7, and a one-year written guarantee on everything we install. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone products when the interior scope calls for them. Curtis Lane runs the crew personally on additions, and the last thing we leave behind is a clean site and a signed written guarantee in your hand.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co – San Francisco, CA at Bradford Remodeling Co San Francisco, serving San Francisco and nearby areas.
