Wellborn Driveway & Pavers: The Fort Myers Owner’s Guide
If you own a Wellborn paver or driveway system and a section has started sinking, cracking, or separating, we stock compatible replacement pavers and base materials in Fort Myers and can usually have a crew out to assess it within 48 hours. An installed repair on a Wellborn-compatible paver driveway or walkway in the Fort Myers area typically runs between $600 and $2,800 depending on how much base has failed underneath - because with our climate, the problem is almost never just the paver on top. Most people call us after a heavy summer storm reveals a soft spot that drains wrong, or when they notice trip-hazard edges where the sand bedding washed out over several wet seasons.
To be clear upfront: Groundwork Construction Co. of Fort Myers is an independent, licensed paver and hardscape contractor - we are not affiliated with the Wellborn brand. But we work on Wellborn paver systems regularly across Lee County, and we carry matching replacements for the most common series seen in this market. When you call (844) 638-7249, you will reach a live person - not a voicemail box - who can schedule your free estimate that same day.
Which Wellborn Models This Applies To
Most Wellborn paver installations we encounter in Fort Myers fall into a few recognizable product families - typically the Estate Series (tumbled-edge cobblestone profiles, 6×9 modular sizing), the Portsmouth Series (cleaner, more uniform rectangular shapes in 4×8 and 8×8 patterns), and for newer builds, the Artisan Slab line (oversized 16×24 format). Identifying yours correctly is the difference between a seamless color match and a patch that won’t stop bothering you.
Look for a faded stamp on the back or underside of a loose paver - Wellborn molds usually carry a two- or three-letter series code and a plant number. If the stamp has worn off, we use a paver measurement and a daylight color-match test on site. One compatibility detail that catches a lot of homeowners off guard: the Estate Series color “Amberstone” is not the same as the Artisan Slab shade of the same name - the slab formulation has a slightly lighter iron-oxide tint. We bring sample boards with every pallet shade we stock so there is no guessing on match day. For Wellborn systems older than 12 years, we will usually recommend swapping in a modern equivalent paver from our Belgard or Cambridge inventory if an exact OEM match is no longer manufactured - and we will show you both options before we touch the first stone.
Signs Your Wellborn Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- Pavers rocking underfoot near the edges. This almost always means the edge restraint has loosened or broken, and the sand bedding is escaping into the surrounding soil. In Fort Myers, this accelerates fast once rainy season starts - water gets behind the restraint and washes out the base in a matter of weeks.
- A low spot holding water more than an hour after rain. Wellborn pavers themselves are non-porous. Standing water means the aggregate base underneath has settled or eroded. Left alone, that low spot becomes a paver-cracking freeze point - not a huge risk here in Southwest Florida, but the constant wet-dry cycle will degrade the base material further.
- Efflorescence that keeps returning after cleaning. A white, chalky haze that comes back repeatedly signals moisture trapped under the pavers with no drainage path. On Wellborn systems, this often traces back to a clogged or missing weep hole in a retaining edge course.
- Visible gaps wider than a quarter inch between pavers. Polymeric sand joints that have cracked out mean the pavers have shifted - usually from a saturated sub-base that could not support the load. This is common on older Fort Myers homes where the original driveway base was compacted shell rock that broke down over time.
- A sudden dip in front of the garage apron. The transition where the driveway meets the garage slab takes concentrated vehicle weight every day. When the compacted limestone base fails there, you will see a 1- to 3-inch drop form within a single season.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
A partial Wellborn paver driveway repair in Fort Myers - pulling up a failed section, re-compacting or replacing the base, resetting the pavers, and re-sanding the joints - typically runs from $600 to $1,800 depending on square footage and base depth. If the entire driveway base has failed and we are looking at a full replacement, installed paver driveways in this market fall between $7,000 and $18,000. That range accounts for excavation depth, new aggregate base, edge restraint replacement, and the pavers themselves.
Every estimate is a written, line-item price - not a ballpark. You will see exactly what the base material costs, what the labor per square foot runs, and what pavers we are matching or substituting. There are no change orders that show up halfway through because someone “discovered” a problem we should have caught during the estimate. Our 730-Day Done Right Promise covers the entire installation: if something settles, shifts, or washes out within two years, we come back and fix it at our cost. For larger replacements over $10,000, we also offer 0% financing for 18 months and $1,000 off the project total.
DIY or Call Us?
Replacing a single cracked paver in the middle of a patio is something a handy homeowner can handle - pop it out with a paver extractor, level the sand, set the replacement, brush in polymeric sand, mist it. If the surrounding pavers are solid and the base is intact, you are done in an afternoon. Where DIY gets expensive is when you have more than three or four pavers sinking together. That means the base underneath has failed, and digging down through 4 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate in a Florida summer is a serious physical job. Get the base depth or compaction wrong and you will be back out there fixing the same spot next year.
If the failed area involves an edge course, retaining wall segment, or runs under where a vehicle parks, do not guess on the repair. An improperly rebuilt edge restraint can let the entire field of pavers drift over time. Call Derek and the team at (844) 638-7249 for a free on-site assessment - we will tell you honestly if it is a weekend fix you can handle or something that needs our crew and a plate compactor. Either way, you get a straight answer with no sales pressure.
FAQs
A properly installed Wellborn paver driveway on a compacted aggregate base can last 25 to 30 years in our climate, but the polymeric sand joints will need refilling every 3 to 5 years as UV exposure and heavy rain break them down. The pavers themselves rarely fail - it is the base and joint sand that dictate the lifespan.
Yes, in most cases we can isolate the failed area, excavate and re-compact the base beneath it, and reset the original pavers if they are not cracked. If a few are damaged, we match replacements to the existing pattern. This targeted approach keeps the cost under $2,000 for most Fort Myers jobs.
A small section repair - pulling up 30 to 80 square feet, rebuilding the base, and resetting pavers - is typically a one-day job for our crew. A full driveway replacement usually takes 3 to 5 working days, including excavation, base compaction, paver laying, and joint sand application.
We keep the most common Estate Series and Portsmouth Series colors in our Fort Myers yard - Amberstone, Charcoal, Sandstone, and Slate Gray - along with matching edge restraints and polymeric sand. For less common Artisan Slab shades or discontinued colors, we can typically source a match within 3 to 5 business days through our supplier network. When you call (844) 638-7249, we can confirm availability for your specific pavers before we even schedule the estimate.
Derek Hollenbeck grew up in the Iona area and has been running paver and hardscape crews across Lee County for over two decades - he will not send out a crew that would not work on his own driveway. We don’t just break ground - we build something worth standing on. Call (844) 638-7249 to schedule your free estimate. A live person answers, 24/7.
Written by Derek Hollenbeck, Owner & General Contractor, Groundwork Construction Co. of Fort Myers, serving Fort Myers and nearby areas.