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    Radcliff Construction Group
    Site Works

    Commercial Paver Installation

    Most commercial pavers don't fail at the surface. They fail underneath — in a base that wasn't deep enough for the load, an edge restraint that wasn't there, or bedding sand that washed out the first wet winter. That's why we install pedestrian and light-vehicular paver work — plazas, ADA walkways, entry approaches — to the CMHA Tech Spec, end to end. Below: the base depths we run for vehicular versus pedestrian load, the edge restraint detail, and what a CMHA-spec install costs versus a residential-grade install that won't last.

    Pavers Specified the Right Way for the Load

    Most commercial paver failures look the same: settled pavers at vehicular thresholds, joint sand erosion at the field edge, surface dishing where the base wasn't deep enough, or rocking pavers along an edge restraint that wasn't sized for the load. Every one of those failures traces back to the spec — wrong paver thickness for the load, wrong base depth for the subgrade, wrong edge restraint for the use, or wrong joint sand for the install. RCG installs commercial pavers to CMHA Tech Spec standards (formerly ICPI Tech Spec — the standards body rebranded to the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association in 2024). Paver thickness is matched to actual loading category, base depth is calibrated to subgrade and traffic, and edge restraint is sized for the use. We install pedestrian and light-vehicular paver scope only — heavy-vehicular paving (fire lanes, drive aisles, loading docks) is civil-scale work better served by a heavy-paving contractor.

    • Pedestrian Pavers (60mm): Belgard, Pavestone, Unilock, EP Henry — installed to CMHA Tech Spec bedding-sand and joint-sand standards for plazas, courtyards, walkways, and entry approaches.
    • Light-Vehicular Pavers (80mm): Passenger-vehicle drive lanes and parking, residential-style commercial drives, and ADA-accessible walkways with occasional service-vehicle access. CMHA-spec base depth, deeper compaction, and sized edge restraint.
    • ADA-Compliant Walkways: Smooth-surface paver installations meeting ADA cross-slope (≤2%) and running-slope (≤5%) requirements with detectable warnings at transitions.
    • Plaza & Courtyard Installations: Architectural paver installations for corporate campuses, healthcare entry plazas, multi-tenant building courtyards, and retail commons.
    • Edge Restraint Systems: Properly specified concrete or aluminum edge restraint sized to the loading category — the single most common failure point on commercial paver installations.
    • Tied to Landscape Install: Paver scope coordinated with the surrounding planting beds, sod edges, and grading — same project manager, same warranty, same closeout.

    CMHA Tech Spec Standard

    CMHA (formerly ICPI before the 2024 rebrand) publishes the industry-standard Tech Spec sheets for commercial paver installation — paver thickness by load, base preparation, edge restraint, bedding sand, and joint material. We install to those standards, not whatever the manufacturer's brochure shows.

    CSI Section 32 14 13 Compliant

    Architects and specifiers writing commercial bid documents reference CSI MasterFormat Section 32 14 13 (Precast Concrete Unit Paving). Our installs match that specification — base preparation, edge restraint, paver bedding, joint material, and compaction sequencing all per the spec. Read our full paver specifications guide.

    Pedestrian and Light-Vehicular Only

    RCG's commercial paver scope is sized for pedestrian and light-vehicular applications — plazas, ADA walkways, entry approaches, courtyards, and passenger-traffic drive lanes. Heavy-vehicular paver work (fire lanes, drive aisles serving trucks, loading docks, industrial yards) is civil-scale work; we partner with established heavy-paving contractors on that scope rather than competing with them. Specifying the wrong-thickness paver for the load is the most common reason commercial pavers fail prematurely — we always size to actual use and refuse work where the load category exceeds our scope.

    Commercial Paver Installation FAQs

    Per CMHA Tech Spec, standard pedestrian installs use 60mm pavers. Light-vehicular applications — passenger-vehicle drive lanes and parking, ADA-accessible walkways with occasional service-vehicle access — use 80mm pavers. RCG installs only pedestrian and light-vehicular work; heavy-vehicular paver scope (fire lanes, drive aisles, loading docks) is outside our service area and is better served by a heavy-civil paving contractor.

    Pedestrian-grade interlocking concrete pavers (60mm) run $18–$30 per square foot installed for commercial scope, depending on paver style and base requirements. Light-vehicular pavers (80mm) run $22–$38/SF. A typical 2,000-SF commercial plaza falls in the $40,000–$80,000 range; a 3,000-SF entry approach with ADA-compliant walkway transitions runs $60,000–$120,000.

    ADA requires accessible routes to have running slope ≤5%, cross slope ≤2%, and stable, firm, slip-resistant surfaces with no openings greater than 1/2 inch in the direction of travel. Standard interlocking pavers with tight joints (≤1/4 inch typical) meet that surface requirement. We design accessible routes with appropriate paver type and document compliance at close-out — see our ADA Walkway Requirements pillar for the deeper coverage.

    Standard paver installations under typical commercial scopes don't require separate permitting beyond the building permit for the broader project. Where the install is part of a larger civil scope (e.g., a parking lot or sitework retrofit), we coordinate with the civil engineer on subgrade prep, base specs, and inspection scheduling.

    Site Works paver projects sit between $25,000 and $500,000 in installed value — pedestrian plazas, ADA-accessible walkways, entry approaches, courtyards, and light-vehicular paver fields at the residential drive / passenger-traffic-only scale. Below that range we typically refer; above it, we deliver as Division 32 scope on a larger GC contract that we are well-positioned to self-perform.

    Related Resources

    Paver Specifications GuideADA Walkway RequirementsCommercial Landscape RFP GuideLandscape InstallationSite GradingSite Works HubCommercial Outdoor Patios

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