Pavers Tarzana – Installation, Repair & Retaining Walls

Tarzana grew out of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s ranch, and it still has a ranch feel in places: larger lots, long driveways and backyards with room for a pool and a patio. The hills south of Ventura Boulevard add sloped driveways and retaining walls. Drainage is the thread that runs through most projects here.

Tarzana’s homes

The flats north of Ventura toward the 101 have post-war ranch houses on generous lots, plus some newer two-story rebuilds. South of Ventura, the streets off Reseda Boulevard and the canyons climb into the Santa Monica Mountains, where homes from the 1960s onward sit on terraced or sloping lots with views across the Valley. Native oaks are common on both sides.

Drainage first

Water does damage to paving in two ways. If it pools on the surface or soaks into the base, the base softens and the pavers settle. If the paving slopes toward the house, water ends up at the foundation or under a door. In Tarzana, both problems show up often:

• On flat lots, long driveways and large patios need a steady, deliberate slope, usually toward the street or a yard drain. Over a long run, a small error leaves a puddle.
• On hillside lots, water from above has to be caught and carried around the paving, often with a channel drain or a swale at the top of the patio and behind any wall.
• Next to the house, paving should fall away from the foundation, and downspouts should discharge onto splash blocks or into drains, not onto the pavers.

Permeable pavers are another option where runoff is a problem, because water passes through open joints into a gravel reservoir below. See permeable pavers.

Sloped driveways

A hillside driveway needs a deep base, a strong edge restraint at the bottom and sides, an interlocking pattern like herringbone, and a textured paver for traction. A channel drain at the garage keeps water out.

Retaining walls

Terraced yards depend on retaining walls. Under the state code, walls over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing, or walls holding back a slope, driveway or structure, need a permit and engineering. Drainage behind the wall, with gravel backfill and a perforated pipe, is what keeps it standing. See retaining walls.

Trees and permits

Tarzana is part of the City of Los Angeles. Native oaks and other protected species of 4 inches or more in diameter are covered by the City’s protected-tree rules, and excavating within their dripline can require a permit. Driveway approaches at the street need a Bureau of Engineering A-Permit. Hillside lots may fall under the City’s hillside regulations.

Tarzana paver questions

Water pools on my patio after rain. Can it be fixed without replacing everything?

Often. The pavers can be lifted, the base regraded to the right slope, and the same pavers reset. See paver repair.

Do I need a permit for a backyard patio?

Not usually for at-grade paving on private property. Walls over the code threshold do need one.

What about runoff onto my neighbor’s property?

Paving shouldn’t send more water onto a neighbor’s lot. We plan drains or permeable areas to handle it.

What does a patio cost?

See our cost guide for per-square-foot ranges.

For a Tarzana estimate, call (213) 577-0727 or send photos through the form.