Paver repair and storm restoration for Sarasota County
Sunken, heaved, weedy or surge-shifted pavers reset on a base that's been rebuilt and a water problem that's been found.
- Problems
- Settling, sinking, shifting, edge failure, weeds, ants, efflorescence, surge damage
- Method
- Lift, rebuild base, reset, re-sand, seal
- Time on site
- Half a day to 5 days
- Planning range
- $8 to $15 per sq ft affected area
What does paver repair cost in Sarasota?
Published Sarasota-area pricing on September 10, 2026 supports a planning range of $8 to $15 per square foot for the affected area when pavers are lifted, the base rebuilt and the same units reset, plus $1 to $3 per square foot if the whole surface is re-sanded and sealed afterward. Storm restoration of a full driveway or pool deck is scoped after a void survey.
Published Sarasota-area pricing read on September 10, 2026 (see data and methods). Planning ranges, not quotes.
What should I do with pavers that shifted during storm surge?
Photograph everything before touching it, let the base drain for one to three weeks, then have the field lifted where it's low or heaved, the base sounded for voids and rebuilt in lifts, the edge restraint replaced with a concrete curb, the units rinsed of salt and reset, and new polymeric sand installed on a dry day. Resurfacing or sealing before that is wasted.
The full sequence, with what to document for the insurer, is on post-storm restoration and the insurance documentation guide.
Repairs and their causes
| Symptom | Cause here | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dip or sink in the field | Fines washed out of the base by water | Lift, rebuild base, fix the water, reset |
| Pavers heaved along an edge | Edge restraint failed or was set in sand | Concrete curb, reset border |
| Rocking units | Bedding too thick or base not compacted | Lift, re-screed at 1 in., reset |
| Weeds and ants | Joint sand gone or not polymeric | Clean joints, polymeric re-sand |
| White haze | Efflorescence or sealer blush | Wait or clean; strip film sealer |
| Salt crust after surge | Seawater in base and joints | Fresh-water flush, re-sand |
| Cracked pavers at corners | Point loads on a poor base (porcelain especially) | Replace units on a re-screeded bed |
The base is the repair
A paver surface that moved is a base that moved. On Myakka and EauGallie sands the base loses fines to water, so the repair starts with finding the water: a gutter, a leaking irrigation line, a swale, a pool overflow, or the Gulf. Once it's stopped, the base is rebuilt in 3-inch lifts and compacted to refusal, the bedding is re-screeded to 1 inch, and the original pavers go back. The result is indistinguishable from the rest of the field, which is the point of pavers.
Permits
Repairs that don't change the footprint are generally not permitted work in Sarasota County and the cities; Charlotte County can treat larger resets as slab work; the Town of Longboat Key tracks storm repairs against substantial-damage review even though site work is excluded. See permits.
Comparisons
Three repair calls and what each one needed
- A Sabal Drive deck that floated its restraint in Milton. Three weeks of drying, 260 square feet lifted, two voids rebuilt, concrete curb along 38 feet of seawall, original pavers reset.
- A Nokomis driveway sinking at one corner. A leaking irrigation line had emptied the base. Line fixed, 40 square feet lifted, base rebuilt, same pavers back.
- Weeds along one line of a Palmer Ranch patio. The line was a drainage path with no joint sand left. Cleaned, polymeric re-sand, and the downspout that fed it extended.
Day by day
- Day 0: photographs before anything moves.
- Weeks 1 to 3: base drains.
- Day 1 of work: lift, sound, dig out voids.
- Day 2: base rebuilt in lifts, flushed, curb poured.
- Day 3: pavers reset, polymeric sand on a dry forecast.
- Weeks later: seal.
Questions we get about this
What makes pavers sink on a Nokomis lot and how is it fixed?
Water moving fines out of the base: a downspout, a sprinkler leak, or a swale that stopped draining. The pavers over the void are lifted, the base is rebuilt and compacted, the water problem is fixed, and the same pavers go back. New pavers aren't the fix.
How much does it cost to lift and reset sunken pavers after a storm?
Roughly $8 to $15 per square foot of the affected area as a planning range, plus base material, and less per foot for larger areas. Re-sanding and sealing the whole surface afterward is separate.
Can shifted pavers be reused after surge?
Almost always. Concrete and stone pavers aren't damaged by water; the base under them is. Units are lifted, stacked, rinsed, and reset on a rebuilt base with new polymeric sand.
How soon after a storm should pavers be reset?
After the base has drained and dried, usually one to three weeks, and after the insurer has photos. Resetting on a saturated base means doing it twice.
Do weeds mean the pavers are failing?
No. Weeds mean the joint sand is gone or was never polymeric. Re-sanding fixes it; the pavers are fine.
City pages for this service: Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Englewood & Manasota Key.
Send photos of the low spots and tell us where the water comes from.
How this work fails here, and what a warranty should cover
The useful question about a warranty is not how many years it runs but what it excludes. This table answers that for this service on this coast.
| Failure | Cause | What prevents it | Workmanship warranty? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A reset area that sinks again | The base was rebuilt but the water feeding the void was not found | Locate the downspout, irrigation leak or swale first | Yes |
| Salt left in the base after surge | Field reset without a fresh-water flush | Flush the base before the units go back | Yes |
| Reset done on a saturated base | Work started before the lot drained | One to three weeks of drying, sounded before rebuilding | Yes |
If an estimate for this work does not mention the third column at all, the gap between it and a higher quote is probably that column. The general terms are on the warranty page.
Last reviewed September 10, 2026 by the Sarasota Concrete editorial team (author name pending owner input).