Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Unilock Home Additions & ADU: The Dallas Owner’s Guide
Planning a Unilock home addition or ADU in Dallas typically runs $45,000 to $130,000 for a full build, and we install Unilock-compatible hardscape components within that scope every month. If you’ve got a Unilock paver patio, retaining wall, or walkway that’s failing, sunken, or pulling apart and you’re thinking about tying it into a new addition, we stock the materials to match it and can usually start within a week. Most homeowners discover the problem the hard way: a frost heave in January splits a paver line, a downspout dumps water against the wall base, or a tree root in Lakewood finally wins the fight. Bradford Remodeling Co Dallas is an independent contractor, not a Unilock dealer or affiliate, but we install their products and know exactly what fails in North Texas clay soil.
Key Takeaways:
- Full Unilock home additions in Dallas run $45,000 – $130,000 installed
- We provide a written price before any work starts, every time
- Every completed project carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing
- Dallas clay soil and freeze-thaw cycles are the #1 cause of Unilock paver failure
- Call (903) 326-8963 for a free estimate on your addition scope
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock makes their paver line in three main tiers that we install: the Estate Series (their premium, heavier pavers like Thornbury and Courtstone), the Standard Series (Hollandstone, Brussels Block, and similar), and the U-Cara wall system for retaining walls and vertical surfaces. Each series uses different joint widths and base requirements, so matching a failed paver to the right series matters a lot. A Hollandstone from 2015 does not swap cleanly with a Thornbury, even if the color looks close.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha most people miss: Unilock shifts color blends over time. A “Sierra” paver purchased in 2017 will not perfectly match a “Sierra” paver sold in 2024. The pigment batches drift. If you’re extending a patio or repairing a section, you either pull pavers from a less visible area to patch the visible one, or you reset the entire surface in the newer blend. We carry that conversation with you before any work starts.
One more spec range to know: Unilock pavers run 60mm to 80mm thick depending on the series and application. Driveway-rated pavers must be at least 80mm. If someone installed 60mm pavers on a driveway to save money, that surface will fail. Period. In Dallas we see that exact shortcut on older homes in the M Streets and parts of Richardson.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Sunken or dipping pavers near the foundation. This usually means the base layer was not compacted properly, or water is washing the sand out from underneath. In Dallas clay, movement is inevitable if the base isn’t deep enough. You’ll see it as a visible bowl shape after rain.
- Pavers shifting or separating at the edges. Edge restraint failure. The plastic or metal edging got driven over, hit by a mower, or heaved out by soil expansion. Once the edge is gone, the entire field starts to drift outward, a quarter inch at a time.
- White chalky residue blooming across the surface. Efflorescence. Mineral salts wicking up through the paver and drying on the surface. It’s cosmetic, not structural, but in Dallas hard water and heavy irrigation make it worse than almost anywhere else.
- Cracks running through individual pavers. Usually point load damage. A car tire on a walkway-rated paver, a tree root pushing from below, or freeze-thaw cycling in a paver that’s already compromised. Once a paver cracks, water gets in, and the cycle accelerates.
- Retaining wall leaning or bulging outward. This is the one that actually matters for safety. A U-Cara wall or any Unilock wall block system that’s leaning means hydrostatic pressure from behind is exceeding what the wall was built to hold. It needs drainage correction, not just a push back into place.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Here’s the straight number for Dallas. A full Unilock home addition or ADU build runs $45,000 to $130,000, and that range covers everything from a small sunroom with a paver approach up to a detached ADU with full hardscape integration. What drives the spread: square footage, foundation type, whether you’re tying into existing gas, water, and electric, and how much site prep your lot needs. A postage-stamp lot in East Dallas with buried surprises costs different from an open build in Prosper.
| Scope | Typical Dallas Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition (full build) | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Unilock Paver Patio/Approach (tie-in) | $3,500 – $11,000 |
Every project gets a written price before any work starts. Not an estimate that drifts when the crew shows up. A line-item price. That’s The Garrison Standard. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the entire build: if it fails inside that first year, we come back and fix it at no charge. No change orders, no re-quotes at the door, no “discovered issue” pricing games. We pull permits, we pass inspections, and you get a signed written guarantee in your hand when the site is cleaned and the job is done.
DIY or Call Us?
Here’s the honest split. You can check things: look for standing water against the paver edge, run a hose on the surface and watch where it pools, pull a weed that’s growing through a joint. That tells you where the problem lives. What you should not do is pull pavers up and reset them yourself, especially anywhere near a foundation or on a surface that carries vehicle weight. The base, the compaction, the drainage layer, the edge restraint: all of it has to be right, and in Dallas clay soil, “right” means deeper and more deliberate than YouTube suggests.
If the failing Unilock surface is tied into an addition or an ADU, the stakes go up. A paver that sinks against a foundation channel becomes a water path into the structure. A retaining wall that’s leaning is a genuine safety issue. Call (903) 326-8963 and we’ll send someone to look at it. Free estimate, straight number, real scope.
FAQs
Unilock pavers properly installed on a correct base last 25 to 40 years in the Dallas climate, with the surface itself typically outlasting the base and joint material. The freeze-thaw cycles in North Texas are mild compared to northern states, so pavers hold up well here. What fails first in Dallas is the base, because clay soil moves more than the sand bed was designed for. Call (903) 326-8963 if you’re seeing movement.
Yes, in most cases. If the pavers themselves are intact and the issue is base settlement or edge restraint failure, we pull the affected section, fix the base, and reset the same pavers. That costs significantly less than a full replacement. If the pavers are cracked, or the color batch is no longer matchable, replacement becomes the better call for the visible surface. We’ll tell you which one applies to your situation, and we’ll put the price in writing.
Most Unilock repair jobs run one to three days on site, depending on the size of the affected area and what we find underneath once the pavers are up. A full home addition or ADU with new Unilock hardscape runs eight to sixteen weeks from permit to final walkthrough. You get a written schedule before we start, and you get told the truth if that schedule moves. Call (903) 326-8963 for a timeline on your specific project.
Yes. We maintain inventory of Unilock Hollandstone, Brussels Block, and U-Cara wall block, along with the matching polymeric sand and edge restraints. If you’ve got a Unilock surface in Dallas we can usually match it within a week. The only exception is the color-batch drift we mentioned earlier, in which case we’ll show you the options and let you make the call before any work is priced.
Bradford Remodeling Co Dallas installs Unilock hardscape and builds home additions and ADUs across Dallas. As part of the Garrison Partners family since 2004, we run every job to The Garrison Standard: written price, written guarantee, clean site, no surprises. We also work with other name-brand lines including KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone when your addition scope includes surfaces beyond hardscape. Curtis Lane still does his own tile work at home, which tells you something about how he runs a crew.
Straight number, real scope, no surprises on delivery day. Call (903) 326-8963 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co Dallas at Bradford Remodeling Co Dallas, serving Dallas and nearby areas.
