Pavers Culver City – Installation, Repair & Retaining Walls
Culver City lots are mostly modest, and paver projects tend to be practical: replacing a cracked driveway, turning a small backyard into an outdoor room, or adding a path down the side of the house. Because Culver City is its own city, permits for work at the street go through Culver City, not Los Angeles.
Culver City’s housing
Around downtown Culver City and in Carlson Park, Lindberg Park and Clarkdale, the houses are mostly 1920s to 1940s bungalows and small Spanish-style homes on narrow lots, often with a long, narrow driveway to a detached garage at the back. Culver West, Sunkist Park and Studio Village have post-war ranches on regular lots. Blair Hills and Culver Crest, on the hills at the east side of the city, have 1950s and 1960s homes on sloping lots with retaining walls and views.
Narrow driveways
A narrow side driveway gets a lot of use for its size: daily car traffic, trash bins, and often the only path to the backyard. It also tends to collect water from the roof and the neighbor’s side. A paver driveway here needs a vehicle-rated base and paver, edge restraints along both sides where it meets planting or the house, and a slope that carries water to the street. Some owners rebuild these as ribbon driveways, two paver strips with a planted or gravel center, which reduces runoff. Where the driveway runs right along the house, keep the paving below the weep screed at the bottom of the stucco, so water and soil don’t sit against the wall.
Small backyards
In a small yard, the patio often is the yard. Good layouts leave planted or gravel edges so water can soak in, keep the paving below door thresholds, and slope away from the house. A clean, simple pattern makes a small space look larger, and a single border course in a contrasting color gives the edge a finished look without adding much cost. See patio pavers.
Hillside lots in Blair Hills and Culver Crest
On sloping lots, flat space usually needs a retaining wall. Walls over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing, or walls supporting a slope or driveway, need a permit and engineering. Drainage behind the wall is essential. See retaining walls.
Permits
At-grade paving on private property generally doesn’t need a building permit under the state code. Driveway approaches, sidewalks and parkways are in the public right-of-way, and changes there need a permit from Culver City Public Works. If your project includes walls over the code threshold, Culver City’s building division handles those permits.
Culver City paver questions
Can I widen my narrow driveway?
On your property, often. A wider curb cut at the street needs city approval.
Are ribbon driveways practical?
Yes, for a single car. The strips need a vehicle-rated base, and the center needs a low plant or gravel that tolerates being driven over.
Will pavers help my small yard drain?
They can, with proper grading, or with a permeable system. See permeable pavers.
What does it cost?
See our cost guide for ranges.
For a Culver City estimate, call (213) 577-0727 or send photos through the form.