How to Budget for Your New Paver Patio
A new paver patio is one of the best investments you can make in your home. But before you get started, it's important to have a realistic understanding of the costs.
On this page, we'll be transparent about what actually goes into the price of a professionally installed hardscape. The "price-per-square-foot" can be misleading, as it often leaves out critical factors that determine the project's final cost and long-term durability.
This is a key part of our Ultimate Hardscape Planning Guide, which we created to help you plan your investment with confidence.
What Am I Really Paying For?
When you get a quote for a paver patio, you are not just paying for the stones. In fact, the pavers themselves are often a small fraction of the total cost.
You are paying for:
Expertise & Labor: The skill of the crew to do the job right.
The "Invisible" Base: The deep, compacted gravel base that ensures your patio lasts a lifetime. This is the most labor-intensive and important part of the job.
Machinery & Tools: Excavators, plate compactors, and other heavy equipment.
Materials: The pavers, gravel, sand, concrete edging, and jointing sand.
Overhead: Insurance (we are fully insured), fuel, and business costs.
A quote that seems "too good to be true" is almost always cutting corners on the most important part: the base.
Key Factors That Influence Your Patio's Cost
Here is exactly what we look at when we build a quote for your project.
The Total Square Footage (The Obvious One)
This is the starting point. A larger 400-square-foot patio will, of course, cost more than a 150-square-foot walkway. It requires more materials, more excavation, and more labor.
Site Access (A Major Cost Factor)
This is a huge one that most homeowners don't think about.
Easy Access: Do you have a wide-open backyard where we can drive a small excavator and dumper right to the patio site? This is efficient and keeps labor costs down.
Difficult Access: Is your backyard only accessible through a narrow 4-foot gate? This means all the excavated soil (tons of it) must be removed by wheelbarrow, and all the gravel (tons of it) must be brought in by wheelbarrow. This adds significant time and labor to the job, which increases the cost.
Excavation & Demolition
What are we removing? A simple, flat patch of grass is the easiest. Do we need to demolish and haul away an old, cracked concrete slab first? That adds labor and disposal fees.
Is the site on a slope? A patio on a slope will require us to dig out a large amount of earth and may even require a small retaining wall to hold the new, level space, which adds to the cost.
Your Choice of Paver
Materials have different price points.
"Builder Grade": A simple, classic paver (like a "Holland" brick shape) is the most budget-friendly.
"Architectural": A more complex, multi-size paver with special textures and colors will cost more per square foot.
"Premium": High-end, porcelain-style pavers or large-format slabs are the most expensive but offer a sleek, modern look.
Project Complexity
A simple square patio is the most straightforward. Do you want intricate curves, inlays, borders in a different color, or a multi-level patio? These beautiful design elements add complexity and time, which will be reflected in the price.
Our Promise: A Quote You Can Trust
We don't provide "too good to be true" quotes because we don't do "too good to be true" work.
We build every patio on a proper, deep-excavated base designed to last a lifetime in our Virginia clay soil. Our quotes are comprehensive, fair, and reflect the true cost of a professional installation that you will not have to replace in 5 years.
If you're ready to invest in a permanent, high-quality outdoor space, we'd love to discuss your project.