Paver Patio Cost Calculator

Size drives the total more than anything else. These are installed prices for concrete pavers on a prepared, level site at the U.S. average rate of $8–22 per square foot.

The calculator uses a flat national rate per square foot. Real quotes for very small patios often carry a minimum charge, because a crew's setup, delivery and equipment costs don't shrink with the area.

Concrete pavers are the budget option. Clay brick, travertine and porcelain cost more for the material itself and often take longer to cut and lay. Flagstone is priced by laying method: dry-laid on gravel and sand, or mortared onto a concrete slab.

On a 12×16 patio, switching from concrete pavers to clay brick moves the installed estimate from $1,550–4,200 to $2,300–5,000. For stone, use the flagstone calculator, which also gives you tons of stone to order.

A paver patio is labor-heavy: excavation, base compaction in lifts, screeding sand, laying, cutting and sweeping joint sand. At the typical estimate, labor is about 39% of a 12×16 concrete paver patio and about 44% of a 20×20. The table shows materials (what you would pay doing it yourself) and the labor estimate as separate ranges, next to the installed total.

If you plan to do it yourself, the materials column is your budget, plus a saw rental (the plate compactor rental is already included). The paver installation cost calculator breaks labor down further.

For the same 12×16 patio, here is what each common surface costs installed. Poured concrete is cheaper up front; pavers cost more but can be repaired one unit at a time and don't crack as a slab.

Compare every option side by side with your own size in the patio cost calculator. For poured concrete pricing in detail, our sister site has a concrete patio cost calculator. Our concrete patio vs pavers guide covers durability and upkeep.

Labor rates move the total most from region to region. These multipliers shift the whole estimate; they are broad averages, not ZIP-level quotes.

The base price assumes bare, roughly level ground. Two common add-ons change the total:

• Removing lawn or sod: a 12×16 patio goes from $1,550–4,200 to about $1,650–4,600.
• Breaking out an old concrete slab: the same patio comes to about $1,900–5,400, including haul-away.

Slopes that need retaining edges, poor drainage that needs a drain line, and difficult access (no way to get a skid steer in) are priced per job, so ask contractors to list them separately.

A complete quote should list each of these. If one is missing, ask, because it is either included silently or will show up later as an extra:

• Excavation to depth (base plus bedding sand plus paver thickness) and haul-away of soil
• Geotextile fabric where soil is soft or clay
• 4 inches of compacted gravel base (about 4.3 tons for 12×16)
• 1 inch of bedding sand (about 0.8 tons)
• Pavers plus 5% or more for cuts
• Edge restraint (56 linear feet around a 12×16)
• Polymeric joint sand (3 bags of 50 lb)
• Cleanup, and optionally sealing

Driveways need 8 inches of base instead of 4 and thicker pavers, which raises the installed rate by about 25%. A 20×24 two-car paver driveway comes to roughly $4,800–13,200. Compare that with poured concrete using the concrete driveway cost calculator on SlabCalc.

• Pick standard concrete pavers in a running bond pattern: the least waste and the fastest to lay.
• Keep the shape rectangular. Curves add cutting time and 5% more waste.
• Schedule off-season. Late fall and early spring quotes are often lower.
• Do the demolition yourself if you can rent a jackhammer and haul the debris.
• Skip sealing at install. New pavers can be sealed later, once efflorescence has cleared.

Browse patio designs for layouts that work with standard paver sizes.

The laying pattern changes how many pavers you buy, because diagonal and interlocking layouts need more cuts at the edges. The installed estimate in the calculator uses one flat rate per square foot, so the table shows where the pattern shows up first: the waste allowance, the number of 6×9 pavers and the materials bill for a 12×16 patio.

Herringbone needs 51 more pavers than running bond on the same patio, and every edge piece is an angled cut, so contractors usually quote it higher on labor too. Running bond is the cheapest pattern to buy and to lay. Get the exact count for your size and pattern with the paver calculator, and see how a patterned paver patio compares with the stamped look in our stamped concrete vs pavers comparison.

The national installed range of $8–22 per square foot for concrete pavers covers everything a contractor supplies: excavation, base, sand, pavers, edging, joint sand and the crew. It does not include removing an old surface. The split between materials and labor shifts with size, because a crew's setup and a fixed delivery charge are spread over more square feet on a larger patio.

Quotes at the low end usually mean basic gray pavers, easy access and a flat, well-drained site. Quotes near the top of the range come with premium or thicker pavers, extra base for soft soil and a lot of cutting. Our methodology page lists the sources behind these rates, and the concrete pavers guide compares paver styles and finishes.

Doing it yourself removes the labor line, about 39% of the typical installed price. For a 12×16 patio with concrete pavers, the DIY estimate comes to $1,000–2,600, compared with $1,550–4,200 installed. That figure includes a one-day plate compactor rental, which you need to compact the base in lifts. Here is what goes into it:

Where a bulk delivery is impractical, bagged base and sand from a home center work too; this patio needs 154 bags of base at $5–10 each and 32 bags of sand at $4–8 each. Not included above: a saw for cuts, a sod cutter if you are removing lawn, and your own time. Size each layer with the paver base calculator, the paver sand calculator and the polymeric sand calculator.