We had our Pickering driveway done in interlock two summers ago. Full replacement of the previous asphalt (which was failing — 11 years old, alligator cracking at the front apron). Here is the detailed breakdown and a 2-year assessment.
Size: 620 sqft, standard double-car width from street to garage, modest slope downhill toward the road.
Product selected: Unilock Beacon Hill Flagstone (a large-format piece with irregular-edge look, concrete paver). 80mm thickness. Charcoal colour. We also did a border in Holland Stone in a complementary sand colour.
What the contractor specified: 12 inches of compacted granular base (Granular B bottom 8 inches, Granular A top 4 inches), 1 inch of bedding sand (coarse angular sand, not fine), pavers, polymeric sand joints, Snap-Edge restraints at all free edges.
The excavation surprise: At the driveway apron, the previous contractor had installed a culvert pipe as part of a swale. It needed to be re-routed slightly to allow proper grading — $680 extra.
Polymeric sand note: They used the dry method on a calm, dry day. After compaction and joint filling, activated with a fine mist. Locked solid within 48 hours.
Total cost: $21,400 (including the culvert reroute).
2-year assessment: Zero settling, zero weed growth through the paver joints (minor weeds at perimeter against the lawn edge — we treat with corn gluten annually), polymeric sand intact. The border contrast still looks sharp. Worth every dollar over asphalt in this case — the front elevation of the house improved significantly.
One thing I would do differently: add a small drain channel at the bottom of the driveway where it meets the sidewalk. Water pools there in heavy rain and we have to redirect it manually.