Paving Wiz lays driveways, patios and pool surrounds in Plumstead, Southfield, Wittebome and Heathfield. A lot of the paving we are asked to look at here went down decades ago, and the useful question is rarely which brick to buy. It is whether the surface needs lifting or replacing.
Lift and re-lay, or take it out?
Contents
An old paved driveway that has dished in the wheel tracks but whose bricks are still sound is a re-lay, not a replacement. We lift the pavers, correct or rebuild the base underneath, and put the same bricks back down. You pay labour and base, not new pavers.
The moment to replace instead is when the bricks themselves have gone — spalled faces, cracked corners, or a thickness that was never meant for a car. Fifty-millimetre pavers under a modern vehicle will keep failing no matter how good the base is.
How we decide on site
| Condition | Verdict | What you pay for |
|---|---|---|
| Dished tracks, bricks sound | Re-lay | From R150/m² plus base correction |
| Bricks spalled or cracked | Replace | Full installed rate R300 – R420/m² |
| 50mm pavers under a car | Replace with 60mm | Full installed rate |
| Sunken at one point only | Local repair | Quoted per job, usually under a day |
Older plots, narrower driveways
Plumstead driveways tend to be long and narrow, running down the side of the house to a garage at the back. That geometry means a lot of edge work and a lot of cutting in against the wall, which is labour rather than material. It is also why two quotes for the same length of driveway can differ — one has priced the cutting and one has not.
What it costs in Plumstead
On an older Plumstead driveway the question that moves the price is whether you are buying pavers or only labour.
| Scenario | Pavers | Total installed |
|---|---|---|
| Lift and re-lay sound bricks | Not needed | from R150/m² |
| New 60mm pavers, 35m² | R120 – R200/m² | R10,500 – R14,700 |
| New pavers, 50m² | R120 – R200/m² | R15,000 – R21,000 |
| Cobble instead of brick | Higher | R380 – R520/m² |
Labour on its own is R100 to R200 per square metre. The full breakdown — pavers, labour and sub-base — with more worked examples is on our paving prices Cape Town page.
Plumstead paving questions
Is re-laying much cheaper?
Yes. You are paying labour and base correction rather than new pavers, and pavers are R120 to R200 per square metre of the installed rate.
How do I know if my bricks are re-usable?
If the faces are intact and they are 60mm or thicker, almost always. We lift a couple on the site visit and show you.
Can you match bricks for a repair?
Often, on a common grey or charcoal. An older colour may not be an exact match, which is worth knowing before you decide on a patch.
Get a written quote in Plumstead
Tell us what you need paved in Plumstead, roughly how big it is and what is on the ground now. We come out, measure it, check the fall and put a written figure to it. There is no charge for the visit.
We also cover the rest of the Cape Flats. Related guide: paving patterns in Cape Town.
Prefer to talk? Call 081 408 9946