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Unilock Home Additions & ADU: The Houston Owner’s Guide
If you have a Unilock paver or wall product that’s part of a home addition or ADU project and it’s failing, we can match it, price the fix honestly, and install it correctly. A typical home addition in Houston runs $45,000 – $130,000, and ADU construction runs $90,000 – $220,000, with Unilock hardscape components (patios, walkways, retaining walls, paver steps) typically adding $3,500 – $11,000 depending on scope and material. Most owners discover the problem the same way: after a heavy Houston rain, a retaining wall has shifted, a paver has sunk, or an edge restraint has let go and the whole section is walking apart.
We’re an independent remodeling contractor in Houston. We are not affiliated with Unilock, but we install and repair their products because the material quality holds up when the base and drainage are done right. More on that below.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock makes a wide range of concrete pavers, retaining wall blocks, and coping units. The products we see most in Houston home additions and ADUs are the Brussels Block, Courtstone, Umbriano, Richcliff, and Lineo paver lines, along with Pisa and U-Cara retaining wall systems. The compatibility gotcha: Unilock pavers and walls are manufactured in specific dimensional series, and a paver from the Brussels Block line will not interchange cleanly with a Courtstone unit. The joint widths, thicknesses, and edge profiles differ by design.
To identify what you have, look at the underside of an existing paver. Unilock stamps a product code on most units. You can also measure the paver thickness: Unilock residential pavers are typically 60mm or 80mm thick for driveway and patio use, while wall units run 3 to 8 inches in height depending on the line. If you can’t find a code, take a photo and bring it to us. We stock a range of Unilock-compatible units and can order exact matches through the Unilock dealer network in Houston, typically within a week.
On the OEM-versus-aftermarket question: for retaining walls and structural applications, there is no real aftermarket equivalent worth using. Unilock’s wall units interlock via a lip or pin system, and generic substitutes will not seat properly. For decorative caps and some paver repairs, quality aftermarket units exist, but we only recommend them for non-structural applications where the visual match is acceptable.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Home Addition or ADU Hardscape Is Failing
Most Unilock failures in the Houston area are not the paver itself. They are a base, drainage, or edge restraint problem. Here is what we see, in order of frequency:
- Pavers sinking or pooling water. This is almost always a failed base. Houston’s clay soils expand and contract with moisture, and if the original base was not compacted to the right depth (typically 6 – 12 inches depending on load), the pavers settle unevenly.
- Retaining wall leaning or bowing. Water pressure behind the wall is the usual culprit. If the original install did not include proper drainage gravel and a perforated pipe, Houston’s rainfall loads up behind the wall and pushes it forward.
- Edge pavers separating from the main field. The edge restraint has failed or was never installed. Without a proper restraint, the paver matrix spreads under load, and the outside course walks apart.
- Joint sand washing out. Some sand loss is normal over time, but if you see channels forming after every rain, the paver joints are too wide for the material or the sand is not the polymer-stabilized type spec’d for Houston’s rainfall.
- White residue or efflorescence on the surface. This is cosmetic and common with all concrete paver products, but it’s more visible on darker Unilock colors. It does not mean the paver is failing, but it’s worth noting during a repair so we can clean and seal if you want it addressed.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a paver patio repair or replacement within a Houston home addition project, expect $3,500 – $11,000 depending on square footage, base rebuild requirements, and access. Retaining wall repair or rebuild typically runs $4,000 – $10,000 for a standard residential wall, and if the wall is structural or taller than 3 feet, the number goes up because Houston code requires engineering and permits for taller retaining structures. The full addition behind it – $45,000 – $130,000 for a home addition and $90,000 – $220,000 for an ADU – is the bigger number, and the hardscape is part of that scope, not a separate line item when we build new.
What’s included in a Unilock hardscape repair from us: site assessment, removal and disposal of failed material, base correction if needed, reinstallation with proper edge restraint, polymer joint sand, and cleanup. You get a written price before work starts, and the completed work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the paver field shifts or the wall moves inside that year, we come back and fix it at no charge.
DIY or Call Us?
You can inspect your own site. Look for standing water, check if the edge restraint is still buried, and note any visible wall lean. That’s safe and useful information for us. What you should not DIY: rebuilding a base, resetting a retaining wall, or any repair that requires excavation. A leaning wall can shift suddenly, and a failed base under a paver field means the whole section is unstable. No retaining wall failure is worth an emergency room visit. If the wall is over 3 feet tall, Houston code requires a permit and an engineered solution, not a weekend fix.
If you see the signs, the smart move is a professional assessment. Call (940) 289-7658 and we’ll come look. The estimate is free.
FAQs
A properly installed Unilock paver patio or walkway should last 20 to 30 years in Houston’s climate, and a retaining wall built with correct drainage should last 30 years or more. What fails first is usually the base or the drainage, not the paver. Call (940) 289-7658 if you want us to assess whether your base is the problem.
Yes, if the pavers themselves are intact, we can lift the affected section, correct the base, reset the pavers, and reapply joint sand, often without buying new material. The repair is priced by the square foot and the depth of base correction needed. Call (940) 289-7658 for a written quote.
A typical paver reset or edge restraint repair on a Houston patio takes 1 – 2 days on site, not counting any base correction that requires additional compaction time. A retaining wall rebuild takes 2 – 4 days depending on height and access. You’ll have a written timeline before we start.
We stock common Unilock paver units and edge restraints in our Houston yard, and we can order exact product matches through the Unilock dealer network if your specific line or color is not on hand. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone on the interior side, so the whole addition scope can be handled by one crew.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner at Bradford Remodeling Co Houston, serving Houston and nearby areas since 2004.
