Paver Patio Cost Calculator

About $3,602 installed with concrete pavers on a standard 8-in. build-up — roughly $13 per sq ft, which lands inside Angi's $8–$25 per sq ft and just above Lawn Love's $3,350 national average for that size. Stone, porcelain or a tricky dig pushes the same footprint toward $5,730–$7,735.

Because the pavers are the cheap part. On our reference job the surface accounts for roughly 45% of the total; the rest is digging, gravel, bedding, edging, sand and labor. Unilock puts surface pavers at only about 20% of a premium project's budget — either way, most of what you pay for sits underneath them, which is exactly what a lowball bid skimps on.

A walkway-grade section digs about 6 in.; a patio wants the standard 8-in. build-up (≈ 4 in. compacted Class II base, 1 in. bedding sand, paver); soft or clay soils and freeze-thaw climates justify 10 in.; anything a vehicle crosses should be 12 in. On 280 sq ft, our model prices that decision between $3,425 and $4,058 — skimping here is what causes the dips and puddles five years later.

Yes, almost always. It runs $22–$35 per 50-lb bag — about $76 more than loose sand on a 280 sq ft patio — and it hardens after wetting so joints resist weeds, ants and washout. Loose sand needs topping up every year or two; polymeric sand is a one-and-done install step. Two handling notes: it must be swept in dry and mist-cured, so never spread it ahead of rain, and if joints later erode — aggressive power-washing is the usual culprit — refill with fresh polymeric sand rather than loose sand to keep the lock.

Rarely as much as you'd think. Lawn Love's DIY materials math for a 280 sq ft patio comes out at $5,400–$5,650 once you rent the plate compactor, saw and haul gravel — at or above pro pricing. Bob Vila budgets 35–40 labor-hours for a pro crew versus 40–50 weekend hours for a DIYer. DIY makes sense for small, flat, access-friendly patios where you already own the tools.

Ground-level patios almost never need a building permit, but many cities cap how much of your lot can be impervious surface, and some HOAs require approval. Two things matter more than paperwork: pitch the patio 1/8–1/4 in. per foot away from the house, and never let the finished grade bridge above your siding's weep screed — drainage mistakes are the expensive kind.

On our 280 sq ft reference job stamped concrete lands near $4,256 versus $3,602 for concrete pavers. Pavers cost a little less here and win on repairability — a settle or stain means lifting and relaying a few units, where cracked decorative concrete means patching a visible scar. Stamped wins on a smoother, joint-free surface and fewer weeds. Both are a fraction of stone or porcelain, which run $5,730+ at this size.

A three-person crew excavates, bases and lays 280 sq ft in two to three days: dig and compact on day one, base and bedding on day two, pavers, cuts and polymeric sand on day three. The schedule assumes diggable soil and dump-truck access to the spoil pile — rock or a tight side-yard haul stretches it. Rain matters: the base needs dry compaction, and polymeric sand must stay dry while it activates. Bob Vila's 35–40 labor-hour figure for this size matches that schedule. One difference the stamped-concrete option reverses: pavers take foot traffic the day they're laid, while a stamped pour needs its cure before furniture goes back.