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CGI Driveway & Pavers: The San Jose Owner’s Guide
A failed CGI driveway or paver section usually shows up first as a quiet crack, a low spot collecting water after rain, or a paver that’s shifted 3/8 of an inch out of a line you used to be able to sight by eye. In San Jose, we typically install CGI-compatible driveway and paver replacements in the $4,130 to $21,240 range depending on square footage, substrate condition, and whether the base itself needs re-compaction. Most paver repairs on a stable base go down in one to two working days once materials are on site. Call (669) 272-2637 and we’ll match your existing product, write the line-item price down, and hand it to you before any shovel hits dirt.
Bradford Remodeling Co San Jose is an independent contractor. We’re not affiliated with CGI, but we work with their paver profiles on a regular basis and know which series interlock with which, and where the trouble spots live in California weather.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI produces paver and driveway slab profiles in modular sizing systems, not universal dimensions. What that means for a San Jose homeowner is your replacement paver has to match the series, not just the color. CGI’s profile families typically run in 60mm and 80mm thicknesses for vehicular traffic, with pedestrian-grade profiles at 50mm. A driveway carrying two SUVs needs the 80mm structural paver, not the 50mm patio profile your neighbor might have. Getting that wrong means a load-bearing surface that starts cracking inside two winters.
To identify what you have, flip a loose paver and look for the mold number stamped or embossed on the underside. That number, plus the paver’s thickness measured across the narrow edge, tells us the series. The color cast matters too: CGI runs batch lots, and a paver pulled from a different lot can read as a slightly different tone in direct sun. We keep a moisture meter and a calibrated pair of calipers on the truck so we’re matching product, not guessing from a phone photo. For most San Jose homes, the practical choice comes down to OEM replacement when the profile is still in production, or a spec-matched equivalent from Belgard, which we also stock and install, when CGI has discontinued the line.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- Rocker-checking on the surface. A paver that wobbles when you step on one corner, or a slab with hairline cracks running in a spider pattern, means the base beneath has started to erode. In San Jose’s dry season, clay soil shrinks and pulls away from the edge of the base layer. That’s usually the first failure, not the paver itself.
- Water pooling after a normal rain. A properly pitched CGI driveway drains within 20 minutes. A puddle that laps onto the garage slab for hours says the sub-base has settled or the original pitch wasn’t enough. Left alone, standing water works into the joints and accelerates base washout.
- Sand-joint loss between pavers. Joint sand holds the pavers in place by locking them against each other. When the joints go light, pavers start drifting. You’ll see gaps widen in the first hot stretch of summer, because the pavers expand and push the sand out.
- Edge-line creep. The outer row of a CGI paver driveway carries a real shear load from tires turning. When the edge restraint fails, that outside row walks sideways. If you can sight down the edge and see it running out by more than a quarter inch over a six-foot span, the restraint needs to be re-set.
- Surface scaling or chalking. In sun-heavy San Jose exposure, the face of an older paver can start to shed a fine powder or lose its top texture. That’s surface wear, not structural failure. It can sometimes be sealed, but if the profile face is worn past the texturing, replacement is the straight answer.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For CGI-compatible driveway and paver work in San Jose, you’re looking at these installed ranges:
- Paver driveway installation: $8,260 – $21,240
- Concrete driveway installation: $5,310 – $14,160
- Asphalt driveway paving: $4,130 – $10,620
- Driveway replacement: $5,900 – $16,520
- Paver patio installation: $4,130 – $12,980
- Driveway sealing: $295 – $825
What pushes the number up in San Jose is almost always the base, not the paver. If we get below the product and find a thin base layer, or one that was compacted over unconsolidated clay, we have to excavate and rebuild before anything new goes down. That’s the difference between an $8,000 repair and an $18,000 full replacement. Our written price includes demolition, haul-off, base prep to grade, product, cutting at edges, joint sand, and compaction. Every line item is on the page, every time. The work is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if the repair fails within a year, we return and correct it at no charge. Straight number, written scope, done when we said done.
DIY or Call Us?
Replacing a CGI paver is not high-tension work like a garage spring, and we won’t talk you out of doing a simple swap if the base is sound. You can safely pull a cracked paver with a couple of flat bars, clean the edges, and drop a replacement into the same bed. What we will tell you straight: if the paver is cracked because the base moved, a new paver in the same spot will crack again. The fix is underneath. And once you’re in the base, you’re moving soil, checking compaction, re-laying in lifts, and setting edge restraint. That’s a day job with a plate compactor, and it’s where a homeowner’s repair turns into a bigger project than it started. If you’re not sure what’s under the paver, call (669) 272-2637 for a free estimate. We’ll tell you whether you’re looking at a swap or a rebuild and write the number down either way.
FAQs
A properly installed CGI paver driveway in San Jose should hold 20 to 30 years before the surface wears out, though the base beneath it may need attention at the 15-year mark depending on soil and drainage. The pavers themselves don’t structurally fail in normal use; the base fails first, and the pavers show the cracks. Call (669) 272-2637 and we’ll tell you what’s underneath before you spend a dollar on replacement product.
Yes, if the crack is a single clean break and the base under that spot is still firm, a paver can be pulled and replaced without touching the rest of the driveway. If the crack has radiating lines or the paver has sunk, the base needs to be re-compacted, and that changes the scope. We’ll give you the straight call on site.
A standard single-car paver driveway replacement in San Jose runs two to three working days from demolition to final compaction. Larger driveways or jobs with a full base rebuild can run four to five days. You’ll have a written schedule before we start, and the price doesn’t change if the soil throws us a surprise; the written scope accounts for it.
We carry a working range of common CGI profile sizes on the truck for repair work, and we source specific series and color lots from local San Jose suppliers for larger replacements. If your paver is discontinued, we’ll spec-match it with a Belgard equivalent, which we also install and stand behind under the same 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co at Bradford Remodeling Co San Jose, serving San Jose and nearby areas.
