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Across Johannesburg paving labour runs R100 to R300 per m², averaging around R200. With standard paving bricks, sand and cement installed expect R400 to R700 per m², and R700 to R1,200 or more for cobbles, clay or large-format pavers. Materials are priced separately from labour, and small relaying visits often carry a R1,500 to R4,000 minimum, so ask for the split.

Clay soil that swells in summer storms and shrinks in dry winter, plus a thin or poorly compacted base, is the usual story. A paver lifts the affected section, rebuilds and compacts the base in layers, then relays the same bricks. Dips that keep returning may mean a leaking pipe underneath.

Paving handles the clay movement and hail far better than a rigid slab, and a damaged section can be relaid rather than replaced. Plain concrete is a little cheaper per m² and tar suits long rural runs, but neither can be spot-repaired. For most Johannesburg homes paving is the sensible middle ground.

Clay moves with the seasons, so paving laid straight onto it will heave and sink within a few years. The answer is a thicker compacted G5 base, good falls and drainage that keeps water away from the sub-soil. It costs more up front but is the difference between paving that lasts five years and thirty.