Kitchen remodeling
Bathroom remodeling
Home additions & ADU
Roofing
Windows & doors
Driveway & pavers
FenceFree written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Unilock Construction in Bloomington, CA | Alder Contractors
We provide independent Unilock paver installation and repair across Bloomington, CA, from driveways to patios to retaining walls, alongside our General Contractor in Bloomington. What makes our Unilock work different here comes down to one thing: Bloomington is unincorporated, so almost every paver project tied to an addition or a patio cover has to clear San Bernardino County Land Use Services plan check first, and that’s a process we have been through enough times to guide you through without delays. If you are weighing a Unilock paver driveway or patio in Bloomington, call (833) 467-7020 for a free estimate, and we will tell you what the permit side actually looks like before you spend a dollar.
Why Bloomington Residents Choose Us for Unilock Service
We are independent hardscape contractors who have installed and repaired Unilock systems across the Inland Empire for over a decade. We are not affiliated with Unilock, and we will tell you that straight up. What we bring is time on the ground in Bloomington’s specific housing stock: 1950s to 1970s single-story stucco homes on large lots, plenty of detached garages, and a lot of earlier work done without permits. That last part matters more than most people expect. Nelson Ibarra, owner of Alder Contractors, grew up in the Willow Avenue corridor of Rialto and offers Unilock service in Rialto, having spent years working Inland Empire homes before starting this company, so he reads a Bloomington lot the way someone who has lived on these streets does. Do it right the first time – the callback always costs more than the extra hour up front.
We carry our own crews, not rotating subcontractors, so the person who compacts your base is the same one who lays the edge restraint. For Unilock work specifically, we lean on the full Unilock sales & service side of our business, which covers everything from paver selection to repair matching for older lines. Bloomington homeowners pick us because we already know the county’s quirks, and we will not make you explain them to us.
Styles & brands we work with







Common Unilock Construction Problems We Solve in Bloomington
- Efflorescence and salt staining on Brussels Block: The white, chalky film that appears after the first summer rains is common on cement-based pavers, especially where irrigation overspray keeps hitting the surface. In Bloomington, most homeowners water by hand or run sprinklers close to the house, and overspray onto the paver edge is the usual trigger. We clean the surface and adjust grading or irrigation so it does not come right back.
- Edge spalling and joint sand loss on driveways: Santa Ana winds push fine, sandy soil across exposed pavement, and over time the joints between pavers get scoured out. Once the sand goes, the pavers start to chatter under vehicle load and the edges chip. We reset the pavers, re-sand the joints, and use a stabilizer rated for high-wind exposure.
- Settlement and heaving on sandy base soil: Bloomington sits on wind-blown, sandy ground that does not hold compaction the way clay soil does. Older paver work often failed because the base was too shallow or never properly compacted. We fix the subgrade first, then re-lay the pavers with proper geotextile and edge restraint.
- Color fading on Onyx and Brussels surfaces: West-facing patios without shade take direct afternoon UV at 100°F+ for months each summer. Older Unilock installations, particularly Onyx, lose their original richness over time. We can often refresh the surface, and when replacement is needed, we source the matching profile from Unilock or a comparable quality paver.
- Nonconforming lot issues affecting layout: Many Bloomington properties have setbacks that were established decades ago and never reconciled with current county zoning. A paver patio or retaining wall might not be legal where a previous owner put a slab. We check the parcel against San Bernardino County Land Use Services requirements before we ever dig.
Unilock Service in Bloomington: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Bloomington is an unincorporated San Bernardino County community, and that changes how hardscape work gets approved. Plan checks and inspections for anything tied to a structural addition, a patio cover, or a paver driveway with a permanent border run through San Bernardino County Land Use Services, not a city building department. Many older lots here are nonconforming, which means the legal building envelope is tighter than what the current fence line or old concrete suggests. A homeowner on a Valley Boulevard corridor lot might assume the side yard is fair game for a retaining wall, only to find that the county’s setback rules pushed the wall line back three feet. For Unilock owners, this plays out in where a paver patio can sit, how tall a Beacon Hill retaining wall can be before it triggers engineering, and whether that garage conversion done in the 1980s affects the coverage calculation for a new paver driveway. We have learned to flag these issues during the estimate, not after the pavers arrive.
We recently rebuilt a failing Brussels Block driveway on a 1960s stucco home off Valley Boulevard near the 15 freeway, where the original base had settled and the joints were washing out from wind-driven sand. After re-compacting the subgrade and re-laying the pavers with fresh edge restraints, we re-sanded the joints and applied a stabilizer so the surface could handle summer heat and Santa Ana winds without losing sand. That project also required a County Land Use Services coordination piece for the driveway’s connection to the existing unpermitted slab, which we cleared before any material was ordered.
Unilock Models & Products We Service in Bloomington
We work with the Unilock profiles most common in Bloomington: Brussels Block, a tumbled, double-sided paver used for driveways and patios; Beacon Hill, a larger-format wall block for retaining walls and planters; and Onyx, a smooth, contemporary paver for modern patio designs. We also encounter Techo-Bloc installs in the area, but Unilock is what we specialize in. For repairs, we source genuine Unilock pavers, wall units, and accessories whenever possible to match color and profile. If a specific line has been discontinued, we will recommend a comparable quality paver for small patch jobs and tell you the trade-off before the work starts. We lean toward repair over replacement when the base is stable, and full replacement only when settlement or spalling is widespread. For Bloomington homeowners, that means a small repair does not automatically become a full tear-out.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterUnilock Service Pricing in Bloomington
Paver work in Bloomington is priced by square footage, site access, and what the subgrade needs. Here is what we are seeing across 92316:
| Service | Typical Range in Bloomington |
|---|---|
| Paver Driveway Installation | $7,000 – $18,000 |
| Paver Patio Installation | $3,500 – $11,000 |
| Concrete Driveway Installation | $4,500 – $12,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
The big cost drivers in Bloomington are base depth, whether the parcel has county permit complications, and whether the old concrete or pavers need demolition. Our free estimate includes a site walk, a base inspection, and a written line-item quote. Call (833) 467-7020 to schedule yours – we will give you numbers, not guesswork.
Serving Bloomington, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Bloomington area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Unilock Construction in Bloomington
Usually yes, because Bloomington is unincorporated and paver driveways with permanent borders or connections to structural additions must pass plan check through San Bernardino County Land Use Services. A simple paver patio without a cover or retaining wall may not need one, but we verify parcel-specific rules before quoting. Call (833) 467-7020 and we will check your parcel’s requirements as part of the free estimate.
Unilock pavers handle the heat well, but the sand in the joints is the weak point under sustained wind. We use a polymeric or stabilized joint sand on Bloomington projects so the joints do not scour out during Santa Ana events. Surface color on Onyx and older Brussels Block will fade slightly over years of direct UV, but proper sealing and occasional maintenance keep it intact.
Yes, in most cases. We source genuine Unilock Brussels Block pavers by profile and color lot when available. If the exact color batch is long gone, we can blend replacement pavers from several areas of the existing installation to hide the patch, or use a comparable paver if the line is discontinued. Call (833) 467-7020 and we will match what is on your property.
It can. Unpermitted conversions on Bloomington lots often affect the parcel’s recorded square footage, coverage, and setback calculations, and the county may require legalization or as-built inspection before approving new hardscape tied to the addition. We handle the paver side and coordinate with the county on what is needed, so the patio does not get held up. Call (833) 467-7020 to walk through your specific case.
We over-excavate and re-compact the sandy subgrade, then lay a geotextile separator, followed by compacted Class 2 aggregate base, and a bedding layer. On Bloomington’s wind-blown soil, the geotextile is not optional – it keeps the base from migrating into the sand and causing the settlement we see on older installs. The depth depends on load; driveways get a thicker section than patios. Call (833) 467-7020 for a site-specific base plan.
Service Areas Near Bloomington
Our Unilock crews cover Bloomington and the surrounding Inland Empire communities, including Unilock service in Muscoy, Unilock service in Fontana, Colton, San Bernardino, and Grand Terrace. We also serve the broader Bloomington service area for whole-home projects that extend beyond hardscape.
Book Your Unilock Service in Bloomington Today
If your Unilock driveway, patio, or retaining wall in Bloomington needs attention, call (833) 467-7020 to schedule a free estimate. We will walk the site, check the base, and give you a straight answer on price and permitting before any work begins.
Written by Nelson Ibarra, Owner at Alder Contractors, serving Bloomington and the Inland Empire for over a decade.