Driveway pavers in San Rafael, CA - a surface built to take your car's weight

Yes, if they're interlocking pavers laid on a base built for a car. Thinner, larger paving slabs aren't suited to driveways because they can flex and crack under a car's weight, so we use interlocking pavers anywhere you'll park or drive.

A driveway needs a thicker base than a walkway, and industry guidance says the right depth depends on soil strength, drainage, climate and traffic. Some sites call for a deeper base than usual, so when you compare bids, check that each one gives a base depth and says why it suits your house.

They can be, but not on every lot. Federal pavement guidance says they generally don't go where the seasonal water table is less than 2 feet down, or on very dirty sites where sediment in runoff or blowing dust can clog the surface quickly. I'll look at your site and tell you straight whether it fits.

Mostly a top-up of the joint stone early on. The small stones in the joints normally settle over the first few months, and industry guidance says the joints often need refilling with aggregate three to six months after installation. Keeping dirt swept off the surface helps the joints keep draining.

You need a city permit if any part of the job, including a dumpster, uses the street, sidewalk or alley out front. The City of San Rafael handles these as encroachment permits, so we check with the office that covers your address before we start and handle the paperwork and inspections when one's needed.

The state licensing board lists the concrete related services contractor as a license class that installs interlocking precast pavers, so ask any installer about their license. Industry guidance also points to experienced installers holding a current ICPI Concrete Paver Installer certificate, and that's a fair question to ask too.