What is this article?
The answer to the question we hear on almost every first phone call: "So… how does this work?" Hiring a hardscape contractor shouldn't feel like a leap of faith, so here is our process from the moment you request a quote to the day we hand you the finished surface — the same six-step sequence every Alliance Pavers project has followed for years, with the pre-quote part filled in too. No surprises is the point.
Step 0: You reach out — then what?
You request a quote online or call the office. We'll ask a few basics — what you're building, roughly where, and any timeline pressure — and schedule a site visit. Quotes are free and no-obligation, and we don't price real projects from photos: the numbers that matter (excavation depth, access, drainage, existing surfaces to remove) live at your property, not in a text thread.
What happens at the site visit?
We walk the project with you. That means measuring the actual footprint, looking at where water goes today and where it should go after, checking equipment access, and talking through materials, patterns, and borders against how you'll use the space. You'll get honest opinions, including the occasional "you don't need that." Afterward you receive a written proposal that spells out scope and materials — specific enough that you could compare it line-by-line against anyone else's (we encourage exactly that; here's how to vet any paver contractor, us included). If financing is part of the plan, we'll point you to the options on our financing page so approvals run parallel to the paperwork rather than after it.
Step 1: Planning & approvals — the real project start
When your signed proposal and initial payment are in, coordination begins: materials get ordered, and the schedule gets built around the one thing that most often moves it — approvals. If your community has an HOA, its review happens now, before anything is locked in (our HOA approval guide explains what boards look for and how we help with the package). Once approvals and material timelines are confirmed, we lock your installation date. We don't start work before sign-offs are in hand — that discipline protects you.
Step 2: Pre-installation — the week before
A few days out, things get tangible. We finalize the layout plan against your property, review where equipment and the dumpster will stage, and coordinate material delivery for one to two days before installation. Standard utility marking is requested before any digging begins. Your part is small: move furniture, décor, and anything fragile away from the work zone, and let us know about irrigation lines or buried systems in the area so they can be capped or relocated rather than discovered.
Steps 3–4: Installation — excavation, base, and the surface
The crew arrives and the sequence you've read about on this site plays out: excavation of the existing surface, then the compacted base layer that determines whether your project stays flat for decades — graded for drainage, compacted properly, never rushed. Then the part you'll actually see: pavers laid to the approved design with consistent spacing and alignment, edges secured with concrete restraints, joints filled with compacted sand. Most residential projects run three to seven days depending on size and complexity; weather can move things, and we'll communicate when it does.
Step 5: Completion — the walkthrough
Before we call it done, we do: cleanup of the whole work area, equipment and debris gone, and an inspection against our own quality standards. Then we walk the finished project with you — every edge, every transition, your questions answered, and care guidance for the new surface (including when it should first be sealed; new pavers need a curing window first). When available, we leave extra pavers from your lot for future touch-ups. Nothing is final until you've walked it.
Step 6: Final payment — and what it activates
After the walkthrough we send the final invoice. Prompt payment within 15 days activates your 5-year workmanship warranty — our standing behind the parts of the job you can't see. From there, the relationship doesn't have to end: most surfaces do best with periodic care, and our Maintenance Membership puts cleaning, joint sand, weed control, and sealing recommendations on our calendar instead of yours.
Ready when you are
That's the whole process — no mystery steps, no pressure mechanics. If you've been putting off the first move because you weren't sure what it triggers: it triggers a conversation and a free site visit, nothing more. Request your quote and we'll take it from there.
