Working in Tacoma — 19 Years, In-House Crews, 425+ Projects

Tacoma is not one site condition. A view lot on a North End bluff, a 1910s house on a narrow lot near Hilltop, a flat South End rambler, and a newer home in Northeast Tacoma each fail in different ways if the same plan is copied onto them. A good quote starts with three questions: what is under the lawn, where does the water go, and what part of the job touches the city.

ND Brick Pavers has done this work for 19 years and more than 425 projects. Our office is in Yelm, and Tacoma is where most of our crews spend their weeks. Everyone on your job is an ND employee, so the person who planned the base is the person accountable for it. Our Google rating is 4.7.

USDA soil survey data maps much of Tacoma as urban land and Alderwood complexes: ground that has been graded and built on, over Alderwood gravelly sandy loam. The Alderwood series has a dense glacial till layer, often called hardpan, about 20 to 40 inches below the surface. Water moves easily through the upper soil and then stops at the hardpan, so USDA notes a perched water table 1 to 3 feet down at times from December through April.

That one fact explains many sunken Tacoma patios. Rain soaks through the joints and base, hits the till, and has nowhere to go. A base that sits in water all winter loses strength, and pavers settle at the low corner. The fix is not just a thicker base. It is a base with a planned exit for water: a slope to a drain line, a daylight outlet, or a dispersion area that the city accepts.

Along the North End bluffs and in the gulches that cut down toward the water, the survey changes to steep complexes of Alderwood with Kitsap or Everett soils, mapped at slopes of 12 to 60 percent. Kitsap soils formed in old glacial lake sediments and hold a seasonal water table 1 to 3 feet down from December to May. On those lots, a heavy patio or wall near the slope edge is a structural question, not only a landscaping one.

NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for its Tacoma #1 station show 40.81 inches of precipitation a year. December through February brings about 16 of those inches, and November is the wettest single month at 6.50 inches. July averages about half an inch.

We build year round, but the season changes the method. In the dry months, the main risk is overwatering a compacted base with a hose to hit density. In the wet months, an open excavation on till fills like a bathtub, so we dig and base in short sections, cover stockpiles, and protect storm drains from sediment. A good contractor will tell you which season fits your soil.

These are patterns, not rules. The soil test on your lot decides the plan.

People often call asking for one thing when the yard needs another. Start from the problem.

Tacoma's permit tip sheets sort work by type. A residential building permit lists retaining walls over 4 feet tall. On-site grading, cut, and fill over 50 cubic yards moves the job into a Site Development permit. Driveway and alley approaches, curbs, and sidewalk work fall under Right-of-Way Construction. Those three cover most hardscape permit questions in the city.

Two other rules catch Tacoma homeowners. Any planting, pruning, or removal of a street tree needs a street tree permit, which matters when a driveway widening or new walk runs past the planting strip. And lots in critical areas, including landslide hazard and flood hazard areas, need staff review for many changes. The city's critical areas tip sheet allows a one-time expansion of an existing structure with review only if the footprint grows by no more than 25 percent.

We check the address against the city's maps before we design. If a permit is needed, it goes into the schedule at the start instead of stopping the job halfway.

The first visit is on site. We walk the yard, dig a soil test hole where the paver field will go, and note slope, access, drainage outlets, trees, and any city frontage. Then we build a free 3D design so you can see heights, steps, and borders before anything changes.

The quote is free and covers what actually drives cost on a Tacoma lot: size, base depth, soil, access for equipment, material choice, drainage, demolition of old concrete, slope, and permit work. We do not quote from a square-foot chart. One Google reviewer, ttvolvo, described replacing a 25-year-old sinking, cracked driveway with pavers over roughly two weeks, with cleanup every day and help from Channing West on fitting the budget. That is the standard: a clear plan, a clean site, and no surprises.

Use these with us or with anyone else you call.