How is a paver patio priced?

Usually per square foot installed, bundling pavers, base, sand and labor. Total = area × your $/sq ft + base cost, times a contingency. Use the price you were actually quoted.

What does a 200 sq ft paver patio cost?

It depends entirely on your local installed rate. At an example $15/sq ft with 10% contingency: 200 × $15 × 1.10 = $3,300. Enter your own quote in the cost tool.

What is included in the per-square-foot price?

Typically pavers, gravel base and bedding sand, excavation and haul-away, compaction, laying and cutting, edge restraints and joint sand. Confirm each quote covers the same scope.

What contingency should I use?

10% is a good default; 5% for a simple job and 15–20% for an old yard with unknowns underground. It absorbs soft spots, extra cuts and drainage fixes.

Why does this tool not have prices built in?

Because material and labor prices vary by region and change over time. Using the price you enter keeps the estimate current forever — but always confirm with itemized written quotes.

How much does a paver patio cost?

A paver patio is usually priced per square foot installed, covering pavers, base, sand and labor. The estimate is straightforward: area × your $/sq ft + base costs, × (1 + contingency) — using the price you were quoted.

By Francesco Zinghinì

The cost formula

This tool holds no prices — it works entirely on the numbers from your own quote or supplier, so it never goes stale:

total = (area (sq ft) × $/sq ft + base cost) × (1 + contingency%)

The paver-patio cost tool takes your area, your installed price per square foot, any separate base cost and a contingency, and returns a planning budget. It is an estimate from your figures, not a bid.

Worked example: 200 sq ft at $15/sq ft

For a 200 sq ft patio at an installed $15/sq ft, with a 10% contingency and base rolled into the per-foot price:

Subtotal = 200 × $15 = $3,000.
Total = $3,000 × 1.10 = $3,300.

Change the price to match your own quote — the point of the tool is that you supply the rate, so the answer is always current.

What the per-square-foot price includes

An installed paver price typically bundles: the pavers, the gravel base and bedding sand, excavation and haul-away, base compaction, laying and cutting, edge restraints, and polymeric sand in the joints. When you compare quotes, check that each one covers the same scope — a low $/sq ft that excludes excavation or base is not really cheaper. To sanity-check the material quantities behind a quote, use the paver count and paver-base tools.

What moves the price

Paver choice — basic concrete pavers cost far less than clay brick, permeable pavers or natural stone.
Pattern — herringbone and circular layouts take more labor and waste more material than running bond.
Site prep — poor drainage, tree roots, a slope, or a long carry from the driveway all add labor.
Access — a backyard a wheelbarrow can reach is cheaper than one that needs everything hand-carried.
Region — labor rates vary widely, which is exactly why we never hardcode a price.

Why the contingency

Even a careful estimate meets surprises — a soft spot that needs more base, extra cuts, a drainage fix. A 10% contingency is a sensible default; use 5% for a simple, well-understood job and 15–20% for an old yard with unknowns underground. It is not padding — it is the difference between a budget you can live with and a nasty mid-project surprise.

DIY vs. hiring out

Labor is usually the biggest slice of an installed paver price, so doing it yourself can cut the cost sharply — if you have the time, the back, and a way to compact the base properly. The material side is knowable: count the pavers with the paver tool, the gravel and sand with the paver-base tool, and joint sand with the polymeric-sand tool, then price those from your supplier and add a plate-compactor rental. Weigh that material-only number against an installed quote to see what the labor is really costing you, and be honest about excavation: moving and compacting tons of base is the hard part.

Comparing quotes fairly

A per-square-foot price is only comparable if the scope matches. When you line up quotes, check each one for: excavation depth and haul-away, base thickness and compaction, bedding sand, the specific paver, edge restraints, polymeric joint sand, and the surface fall for drainage. A quote that is $2/sq ft cheaper but leaves out a proper base is not a saving — it is a patio that sinks. Put the quotes next to your own estimate from this tool; a bid far below your material-plus-labor figure deserves questions, and one far above deserves a second opinion.

Quick reference: patio budget at a few rates

For a 200 sq ft patio with 10% contingency, total = 200 × rate × 1.10:

$12/sq ft → $2,640.
$15/sq ft → $3,300.
$20/sq ft → $4,400.
$25/sq ft → $5,500.

These use example rates only — your real number depends on material, pattern, access and local labor, so always enter your own quoted rate. Note how the contingency compounds on the whole subtotal, not just the pavers: a 10% cushion on a $3,000 job is $300, which is about the cost of a soft spot that needs an extra half-yard of base and the labor to compact it.

This is a planning estimate, not a bid. Before you commit, get itemized written quotes from licensed, insured contractors, confirm the measurements on site, and make sure each quote lists the same scope. Comparing three itemized quotes against your own estimate is the best defense against overpaying. For the surface count and base volumes behind the number, start with the how many pavers guide.

Key takeaways

Total = (area × your $/sq ft + base cost) × (1 + contingency%).
The tool holds no prices — enter the installed rate you were actually quoted.
200 sq ft at an example $15/sq ft with 10% contingency is $3,300.
Check every quote covers the same scope: excavation, base, sand, pavers, edging and joint sand.
It is a planning estimate, not a bid — get itemized written quotes from licensed, insured contractors.