If you own a house south of Kennedy, you already know the street floods. What you may not know is how much of that water is heading for your driveway, your garage and your patio because of how the lot was built decades ago.
Most South Tampa homes we see were built in the 1950s and 60s. The driveways are original or patched, the yards have been re-landscaped several times, and the grade has drifted. Good paver work here starts with fixing where water goes.
We'll walk your property, look at how water moves, and put a written plan in your hands.
Neighborhoods we work in
- Palma Ceia
- Bayshore Beautiful
- Ballast Point
- Beach Park
- Sunset Park
- Virginia Park
- Port Tampa
- Hyde Park
The homes here
The typical house is a 1950s or 60s concrete block ranch on a narrow lot, often expanded or torn down and rebuilt. Where a new two-story has gone up next door, the neighbor's lot is frequently higher than yours, and runoff that used to spread out now lands in your side yard. Original driveways tend to be thin slabs on shallow base; tree roots from mature oaks lift them.
Soil, storms and base prep in South Tampa
This is some of the lowest ground in the city, close to the bay, with a high water table and sandy fill. After a heavy summer storm water has nowhere to go down, so it goes sideways. That means the base under a paver driveway or patio has to be built with that water in mind, pitched deliberately, and often paired with a drain or a regraded side yard so the new surface isn't sitting in a puddle. Around big oaks, we plan the base and edge around roots rather than cutting blindly.
Permits & HOAs
South Tampa is inside City of Tampa limits, so permits run through the city. Hyde Park is a historic district with its own review for visible exterior changes. Right-of-way and apron work at the street is where most driveway questions come up. We'll flag anything that needs filing at the estimate.
The street floods anyway. Will a new driveway even help?
We can't fix the street. What we can do is stop your own lot from sending water toward the house and give it somewhere planned to go, whether that's a channel drain across the driveway, a regraded side yard or a dry well. The pavers themselves are the last step, not the first.
Services in South Tampa
- Paver Driveways
Replacing thin, root-lifted original slabs with pavers on a proper base.
- Yard Drainage Solutions
Low lots and new construction next door sending water your way.
- Paver Patios
Back patios on narrow lots, pitched away from the house.
- Pool Deck Pavers
Resurfacing older pool decks on established lots.
- Landscape Design & Planting
Planting that works under mature oaks.