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Paver Patio Calculator

Counts the base and the spoil, not just the pavers

A paver patio is mostly the part you never see. Under the pavers sits an inch of bedding sand and four to six inches of compacted base, so the hole is three times deeper than the paver is thick and most of the tonnage, the labor and the difference between two quotes lives down there.

Paver patio takeoff

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Quantities from your dimensions. Prices are yours to enter; the ranges below are somebody else's, attributed and dated.

Specification summary

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What is actually under a paver patio

What other people are publishing for paving

Prices from Lawn Love, how much does a paver patio cost. Last price check: September 7, 2026.

Lawn Love, how much does a paver patio cost, published 2025-12-27
ItemLowHighUnit
Paver patio, installed$8$24per sq ft
Materials only$3$30per sq ft
Labor only$5$15per sq ft
Concrete pavers$4$6per sq ft, material
Brick pavers$4$8per sq ft, material
Interlocking pavers$3$6per sq ft, material
Natural stone$7$16per sq ft, material
Flagstone$13$30per sq ft, material

Bylined and dated, which is the bar this site sets, but the article does not publish a methodology. These are national ranges for installed work, not a quote, and paving is one of the trades where regional labor rates move the total most.

Brick and paver patio prices

As each row states
ItemLowHighUnit
Paver patio, typical project$2,400$7,000total
10 x 10 ft patio$800$2,500total
12 x 12 ft patio$850$4,300total
16 x 16 ft patio$1,500$7,700total
16 x 20 ft patio$1,900$9,600total
Brick pavers, bricks only$10$20per sq ft
Thin paving brick (brick veneer)$3$10per sq ft
Labor$5$10per sq ft

Source: HomeAdvisor, how much does a paver patio cost. Last price check: September 15, 2026.

Brick pavers at $10 to $20 per sq ft for the bricks alone put a 12 x 12 ft patio at $1,440 to $2,880 before labor, while the source's row for that size starts at $850.

Stamped concrete prices

Installed, as each row states
ItemLowHighUnit
Stamped concrete$8$19per sq ft
Basic, one pattern and color$8$13per sq ft
Mid-range, two or more colors$13$19per sq ft
High-end, custom or hand carved$19$26per sq ft, and up
12 x 12 ft patio$1,150$2,750total
20 x 20 ft patio$3,200$7,600total
2-car driveway, 24 x 24 ft$6,900$10,400total
4 x 20 ft walkway$800$1,700total

Source: HomeGuide, how much does stamped concrete cost. Last price check: September 15, 2026.

The source prices a regular 10 by 20 ft concrete patio at $800 to $2,400 against $1,600 to $3,800 stamped; excavation and ground prep are excluded from all rows.

Fire pit prices

As each row states
ItemLowHighUnit
Fire pit, typical job$200$3,000total
Portable fire pit$75$500each
Above-ground, built in$200$1,500total
In-ground$1,000$3,000total
Wood burning$300$1,000total
Propane$300$950total
Natural gas$400$3,000total
Concrete$200$1,000total
Brick$300$2,200total
Stone$350$3,000total
Installer, less than a day$400$500total
Permit$20$500total
Fire pit built into a new patio$6,750$6,750average

Source: HomeAdvisor, how much does a fire pit cost. Last price check: September 16, 2026.

The source says material costs for a fire pit run $400 to $500, and its own table by material runs from $200 for concrete to $3,000 for stone.

Paver driveway prices

As each row states
ItemLowHighUnit
Paver driveway, typical project$6,000$18,000total
Paver driveway, installed$10$70per sq ft
Concrete pavers$10$25per sq ft
Brick pavers$10$45per sq ft
Cobblestone$18$50per sq ft
Stone pavers$15$60per sq ft
Permeable pavers$10$70per sq ft
Labor$5$10per sq ft
12 x 20 ft driveway$2,400$16,800total
24 x 20 ft driveway$4,800$33,600total
Removing a concrete driveway$550$1,700total

Source: HomeAdvisor, how much does a paver driveway cost. Last price check: September 16, 2026.

Every row of the source's size table is exactly its area times $10 to $70 per sq ft.

Outdoor kitchen prices

As each row states
ItemLowHighUnit
Outdoor kitchen, typical project$6,269$27,087total
Outdoor kitchen$33$130per sq ft
100 to 200 sq ft$6,600$26,000total
200 to 400 sq ft$9,900$39,000total
Framing$200$800per linear ft
Built-in grill$100$5,000each
Appliances and fixtures$1,500$7,000total
Countertops$15$185per sq ft
Permits$250$2,000total
Plumber$45$200per hour
Electrician$50$150per hour

Source: HomeAdvisor, how much does an outdoor kitchen cost. Last price check: September 16, 2026.

The source gives the typical project as $6,269 to $27,087 in one place and $6,304 to $27,087 in another, and prices framing at $200 to $800 in its table and per linear foot in its text.

Worked example

A 20 ft by 14 ft patio in 8 by 4 in concrete pavers, 2 3/8 in thick, 1/8 in joints, on 1 in of sand over a 6 in compacted base.

  1. Area. 280 sq ft.
  2. Pavers. Each 8x4 paver with its joint covers 0.233 sq ft, so 280 sq ft needs 1,324 pavers with 10% waste.
  3. The hole. 2.375 + 1 + 6 = 9.4 in deep, and 64% of that is base nobody ever sees.
  4. Spoil. 8.1 cu yd of soil to get rid of, which is roughly a skip and a half.
  5. Base. 5.2 cu yd of crushed stone, around 8 tons delivered.

The spoil line is the one that surprises people. Eight cubic yards is not a wheelbarrow job, and the cost of removing it is usually missing from the cheerful per-square-foot numbers.

The formula

Pavers divide the area. The layers are the interesting part:

n = ⌈ A (1+w) / [(l+j)(b+j)/144] ⌉    dig = t + s + base    spoil = A · dig / 324
A
patio area, sq ft
l, b, j
paver length, width and joint width, in. The joint counts: it is area you do not pave
t, s, base
paver thickness, bedding sand and compacted base, in
324
the constant that turns square feet times inches into cubic yards
w
waste. 10% on a rectangle, more where the patio has curves or a border course

Including the joint in the paver footprint is the term most calculators drop. On 8x4 pavers with 1/8 in joints it is a 5% difference, which is about 60 pavers on this patio: not fatal, but it is the difference between finishing and a second trip.

The patio is the base, and the base is why quotes differ

Ask three contractors to price the same patio and you will get three very different numbers, and it is usually not the pavers. Pavers are a commodity with a published price. What varies is how deep they dig, what they put back, and how well they compact it.

On the worked example the excavation is 9.4 in deep and the base is 64% of it. That is 5.2 cubic yards of crushed stone to buy, compact in lifts, and 8.1 cubic yards of soil to remove first. A quote that skips half of it looks competitive and settles within a few seasons.

This page therefore prints the base, the sand, the spoil and the edge restraint as first-class outputs rather than an afterthought, and the figure it draws attention to is what proportion of your digging is base.

What it will not do is tell you how deep your base should be. That depends on your soil, your drainage and your frost, and it is exactly the sort of number this site refuses to publish as a single figure. The default here is a common patio depth, not a specification.

The order the patio is actually built in

The quantities above assume the job is done in the right sequence. Most failed patios are not a materials problem, they are a sequence problem, and the errors are all in the half of the job that ends up buried.

Excavate wider than the patio. The edge restraint has to sit on compacted base, not on the soil beside it, so the base needs to extend past the finished edge. Dig to the line and the restraint has nothing to hold and nothing to be spiked into.

Compact the base in lifts, not all at once. A plate compactor densifies the top few inches. Six inches dumped and compacted once is a firm crust over loose material, which is exactly the profile that settles in a line down the middle of the patio two winters later.

Screed the bedding sand and then leave it alone. It is a levelling layer for the pavers, not a way to correct a base that is out of level. Sand thick enough to fix a low spot is sand thick enough to keep consolidating under it.

Edge restraint goes in before the joint sand, not after. The field has to be locked before it is sanded and compacted, or the perimeter walks outward on the first pass of the plate.

What a paver quote should itemize

Paver patios are quoted per square foot more often than any other job on this site, and the per square foot figure hides the parts that vary most.

The base depth, in inches, and what it is made of. Four inches and six inches are a fifty percent difference in the biggest material line and in the excavation. If the quote does not say, it is not a quote you can compare with another one.

Whether the spoil leaves the site. A 280 sq ft patio dug to 9 in produces something like eight cubic yards of soil. That is a skip, a truck or a heap on your lawn, and which one it is changes the number.

Edge restraint, and along which edges. Every open edge needs it. An edge against a wall or an existing slab does not.

Polymeric sand, separately from bedding sand. They are different products doing different jobs and only one of them is in the base price on some quotes.

Cutting. A rectangle with a soldier course cuts differently from a curve, and a herringbone field cuts at every edge. This is where the waste allowance above turns into labor hours.

Frequently asked questions

How many pavers do I need for a 20x14 patio?
About 1,330 8 by 4 in pavers with a 1/8 in joint and 10% waste. The joint matters: each paver plus its joint occupies 0.232 sq ft rather than the 0.222 sq ft the paver alone measures.
How deep should the base be for a paver patio?
Commonly 4 to 6 in of compacted base for a pedestrian patio, more for poor soil, poor drainage or vehicle traffic. It is a soil and climate question rather than a universal figure, so this page treats it as an input and will not publish one number.
How much does a paver patio cost per square foot?
Lawn Love published $8 to $24 per square foot installed in December 2025, with materials $3 to $30 and labor $5 to $15. This site publishes no price of its own; those are somebody else's figures, attributed and dated, and paving is a trade where local labor rates move the total a lot.
How much soil do I need to remove for a patio?
Area times total excavation depth, divided by 324 to get cubic yards. A 280 sq ft patio dug 9.4 in deep is 8.1 cubic yards, which is a skip and a half and a real cost line.
Do I need edge restraint?
Yes, along every open edge. Without it the perimeter pavers migrate outward, the joints open and the field loses its interlock. It is the cheapest part of the job and the most commonly skipped.
What waste allowance should I use for pavers?
Ten percent on a plain rectangle. More where the patio has curves, a soldier or border course, or a herringbone pattern, all of which need cut pavers around the edge and produce offcuts that do not fit anywhere else.
Is polymeric sand different from bedding sand?
Yes, and both are needed. Bedding sand is the levelling layer under the pavers. Polymeric sand goes into the joints afterwards and hardens to lock the field together and resist weeds. Do not substitute one for the other.
Does this work for a paver walkway or driveway?
A walkway uses the same takeoff from its length and width: pavers, bedding sand, base, spoil and edge restraint. A paver driveway carries vehicles, so it needs a deeper base than a patio, and the Lawn Love prices on this page are for patios rather than driveways.
Does the takeoff include paver sealer?
No. Sealing is a finish applied after the joint sand is in, and it is neither a quantity this page counts nor a line in the Lawn Love ranges quoted here.
Is a cement patio cheaper than pavers?
On the figures carried here, usually. HomeGuide prices a regular 10 by 20 ft concrete patio at $800 to $2,400, while the same 200 sq ft in pavers at Lawn Love's $8 to $24 installed is $1,600 to $4,800. Strictly the patio is concrete; cement is the binder inside it. Stamped concrete closes the gap, at $1,600 to $3,800 for that 10 by 20 ft size.
How much does it cost to install a fire pit?
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide gives $200 to $3,000 for a fire pit, $850 on average. A portable pit is $75 to $500, an above-ground built-in pit $200 to $1,500 and an in-ground pit $1,000 to $3,000. By fuel, wood burning is $300 to $1,000, propane $300 to $950 and natural gas $400 to $3,000. An installer charges $400 to $500 for less than a day, and a permit, where one is required, is $20 to $500. Built into a new patio, the guide averages $6,750 against about $3,500 for the patio alone.
How much does a paver driveway cost?
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide gives $6,000 to $18,000 for a typical paver driveway and $10 to $70 per square foot installed. Concrete pavers are $10 to $25 per square foot, brick $10 to $45 and stone $15 to $60, with labor at $5 to $10. A 12 by 20 ft driveway is $2,400 to $16,800. The base under a driveway has to carry vehicles, so size it for that rather than for a patio.
How much does an outdoor kitchen cost?
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide gives $6,269 to $27,087 for a typical outdoor kitchen, $16,533 on average, and $33 to $130 per square foot. A 100 to 200 sq ft kitchen is $6,600 to $26,000. A built-in grill is $100 to $5,000, appliances and fixtures $1,500 to $7,000, countertops $15 to $185 per square foot, and permits $250 to $2,000. The patio under it is priced by this page.
Is stamped concrete cheaper than pavers?
HomeGuide's December 2025 guide gives $8 to $19 per square foot for stamped concrete. Lawn Love's December 2025 article gives $8 to $24 per square foot for a paver patio installed. The ranges overlap, so a basic stamped slab can be cheaper and a high-end one is not.
How much does a paver walkway cost?
A walkway is priced like a patio, per square foot. Lawn Love's December 2025 article gives $8 to $24 per square foot for pavers installed. A 4 by 30 ft walkway is 120 sq ft, $960 to $2,880 at that rate.
How much does it cost to lay a brick patio?
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide gives $2,400 to $7,000 for a typical brick paver patio, $850 to $4,300 for 12 by 12 ft and $1,500 to $7,700 for 16 by 16 ft, with labor at $5 to $10 per square foot.

Check these numbers yourself

How every figure here is verified: Sources & Method. Who builds this: , and the method is on About. Found something wrong? Tell us and it gets fixed or removed.

Figures on this page last checked against the source documents on 2026-09-07. Codes are amended locally; confirm against the edition your jurisdiction enforces.

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Guides that use this calculator

More of them: all guides.

Quantities, not a specification. Base depth, compaction and drainage depend on your soil, climate and use, and the defaults here are common patio values rather than a design. Prices are quoted from a third party with a byline and a date; this site publishes none of its own.