Questions we are asked about cabro
Nearly every cabro problem in Nairobi is a base problem wearing a block problem's clothes. These are the questions worth asking before anyone quotes. See also cabro prices and block thickness and patterns.
- What does cabro cost in Kenya?
- Blocks alone KES 750–1,100 per m² for 60mm and 80mm. Supplied and laid, 1,400–1,800 per m² plain and 1,800–3,200 coloured or 3D. A 60m² domestic driveway in plain 60mm is roughly KES 84,000–108,000 laid, plus about 5% for cuts.
- Why is laid nearly double the supply price?
- The base is most of the work: excavation, cart-away, sub-base compacted in layers, bedding sand screeded, edge restraint haunched, jointing and vibration. Roughly 650–700 per m² of the laid rate is everything below the blocks.
- Which thickness for my driveway?
- 60mm for cars. 80mm where lorries run or vehicles turn on the spot. 50mm is a footpath block and will crack under a vehicle. We specify 80mm at gate aprons even on 60mm drives, because a pivoting wheel loads paving far harder than a moving one.
- Which laying pattern is strongest?
- Herringbone, under vehicles, without much argument. The diagonal courses resist turning loads and no joint line runs continuously in the direction of travel. Stretcher bond suits footpaths; basketweave looks good and is weakest under traffic.
- Does coloured cabro fade?
- Through-coloured blocks hold up well; surface-pigmented ones fade under Nairobi UV, and reds and terracottas most visibly. Ask whether the colour goes through the block. On a plot with a murram approach, charcoal or natural also hides the dust.
- My paving has rutted. Do I need new blocks?
- Almost never. Cabro is durable and the blocks are usually reusable. Rutting means the sub-base was inadequate or the subgrade lost bearing when wet. Lifting, correcting the base and relaying the same blocks is far cheaper and is the only fix that holds.
- Why has the edge of my paving spread?
- Missing or failed edge restraint. Cabro works by interlock, and with nothing haunched at the edges the blocks migrate outward, joints open and jointing sand escapes. Relaying without installing restraint first just restarts the process.
- How long does a driveway take?
- Three to five working days for a 60m² domestic drive, longer with excavation or drainage. Anyone promising one day is not compacting the sub-base in layers, and that is the corner that cannot be seen and cannot be undone.
- Can you lay during the rains?
- The blocks do not mind; the base does. Saturated subgrade will not compact and loses bearing capacity, so paving laid on it settles once the ground dries. On black cotton we postpone rather than take a deposit for work we know will move.
- Where does the water go?
- That is the first question on any job, not the last. Paving concentrates water it did not create. Falls, channels and a real outfall are designed before laying, and on plots with no discharge point, permeable construction or a properly sized soakaway is the honest answer.
- What does ready-mix concrete cost?
- KES 9,000–15,500 per m³ for typical residential grades, from about 8,500 for Class 15 to around 20,000 for Class 30. Specify the class rather than ordering "concrete", and allow 10–15% over the calculated volume for an uneven subgrade.
- Which areas do you cover?
- Across Nairobi and the satellite towns: Karen, Runda, Muthaiga, Gigiri, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Westlands, Parklands, Lang'ata, Kiambu Road, South B and C, Embakasi, Kasarani, Ruaka, Syokimau, Rongai, Upper Hill and Thika Road. Open Monday to Saturday, 7am to 5pm.
Send us the area
Rough square metres, what vehicles use it, and a photo of the ground. We will come back with a rate, and an honest view on whether existing paving needs relaying rather than replacing.
Sub-base compacted in layers · edge restraint haunched · falls set at survey, not by eye