Patio cost per square foot, by surface
Every figure is per square foot installed, materials and labor together. Each band is where two published ranges overlap, so the low end and the high end were each printed by one of the two sources.
| Surface | Installed / sq ft | The two sources |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete pavers | $10–$16 | LawnStarter $8–$16; Fixr $10–$25 |
| Brick pavers | $14–$20 | LawnStarter $14–$24; Fixr $12–$20 |
| Natural stone / flagstone | $16–$30 | LawnStarter natural stone $12–$30; Fixr flagstone $16–$30 |
| Poured concrete | $6–$16 | LawnStarter $4.40–$16; Fixr $6–$17 |
| Stamped concrete | $9–$16.25 | LawnStarter $9–$16.25; Fixr $8–$18 (basic and mid-range designs) |
4 retrieved figures do not fit these bands. All are shown rather than averaged away:
- Lawn Love (updated 27 Dec 2025) prints a plain concrete slab at $4–$9 per sq ft, well under the $6–$16 overlap used for poured concrete.
- Lawn Love (updated 27 Dec 2025) prints stamped concrete at $5–$10 per sq ft, under the $9 floor used here.
- LawnStarter's concrete patio page (updated 13 Dec 2024) prints $9–$16.25 per sq ft for stamped concrete but also says high-end options reach $25.25, above the $16.25 ceiling used here.
- Fixr's patio page (updated 19 Aug 2022) prints stamped concrete at $15–$30 per sq ft. Its newer stamped-concrete page (31 Jan 2025) prints $8–$12 for basic designs and $18–$30 only for custom work.
What goes under a paver patio
A paver patio is only as flat as what is under it. The construction spec the paving industry publishes, ICPI Tech Spec 2 (revised February 2020), sets out the layers:
- Compacted gravel base, at least 4 inches on well-drained soil, and 2 to 4 inches more on wet, weak or cold-climate soil.
- Bedding sand, 1 inch nominal, screeded flat. It is not meant to level out a lumpy base.
- Pavers, 2.375 inches thick for pedestrian areas, held by an edge restraint and locked with joint sand.
The calculator turns those depths into cubic yards for your patio. It does not put a price on the gravel or sand: no dated per-yard price from a non-vendor source was found, and both are already inside the installed figure. The quantity is still the useful part. If a quote digs noticeably shallower than base plus sand plus paver, ask where the base went.
The two lines billed on top
- Removing an old patio, $2–$6 per sq ft. LawnStarter and Lawn Love print the same range.
- Grading or site preparation, $770–$3,000. Lawn Love's range, which it says depends on the size of the area. It publishes no per-square-foot rate, so the calculator adds the whole range; on a small patio, expect to be nearer the low end and ask for it itemized.
Neither is ticked by default. The default result prices the patio alone, so it can be compared with the published per-square-foot bands above.
The installed band per square foot is only half of a patio estimate. The other half is the site: wet or cold-climate soil calls for a deeper base that no published band prices separately, and removal and grading are billed on top. On a small patio those two lines can outweigh the paving.
One patio, five surfaces
| Surface | Per sq ft | 280 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Poured concrete | $6–$16 | $1,680–$4,480 |
| Stamped concrete | $9–$16.25 | $2,520–$4,550 |
| Concrete pavers | $10–$16 | $2,800–$4,480 |
| Brick pavers | $14–$20 | $3,920–$5,600 |
| Natural stone / flagstone | $16–$30 | $4,480–$8,400 |
Area × each surface's installed band from this page's dataset.
The bands overlap more than the surface names suggest. A poured slab at the top of its band costs the same $4,480 as concrete pavers at the top of theirs, so compare two quotes on what is in them, not on the material alone. Flagstone's low end starts where the other four's high ends sit.
Wet or cold soil: what changes and what does not
The extra 2 to 4 in of base ICPI Tech Spec 2 calls for on wet, weak or cold-climate soil is not a small change. On 280 sq ft it moves the gravel from 3.5 to 5.2–6.9 cubic yards, and the dig from 7.375 in (base, 1 in of sand and a 2.375 in paver) to 9.375–11.375 in. None of the installed bands is keyed to base depth, so the price above does not move. Ask whether a quote on poor soil includes the deeper base; a cheap quote that does not is digging shallower, not working cheaper.
Joint sand: the one inside cost that depends on the stone
A 50 lb bag of polymeric sand covers only 22–42 sq ft in the wide joints of flagstone, against 65–85 sq ft in narrow paver joints. At $22 a bag, 280 sq ft of pavers takes 4–5 bags ($88–$110); the same area of flagstone takes 7–13 bags ($154–$286). It sits inside the installed price either way, but it is a real line on a DIY materials list.
When site work outweighs the patio
Sources
- ICPI Tech Spec 2 — Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (rev. Feb 2020) — accessed 2026-09-13
- Cambridge Pavingstones — Alliance polymeric sand coverage — accessed 2026-09-13
- Lawn Love — Paver Patio Cost (updated 27 Dec 2025) — accessed 2026-09-13
- LawnStarter — Concrete Patio Cost (updated 13 Dec 2024) — accessed 2026-09-13
- Fixr — Cost to Build a Patio (updated 19 Aug 2022) — accessed 2026-09-13
Related calculators
If the patio is part of a bigger hardscape job, the driveway paving cost calculator prices asphalt and concrete driveways. (If you are weighing pavers for the driveway too, ICPI calls for a 6 inch base under a paver driveway against 4 under a patio.) A patio cut into a slope may need a wall to hold the high side, and the retaining wall cost calculator prices that by face area and material. For a raised outdoor space instead of one on the ground, compare the deck building calculator.
Methodology & sources
The cost figures on this page are generated from a single, sourced cost-data file (A new US residential patio priced per square foot INSTALLED (materials and labor) by surface material — concrete pavers, brick, natural stone or flagstone, poured concrete and stamped concrete — using the overlap of two published installed bands for each material. Removing an old patio and grading a difficult site are separately invoiced add-ons, both defaulted off. Base gravel, bedding sand, edge restraint and polymeric sand are components of the installed price and are shown for checking, never added; base and sand depths are ICPI Tech Spec 2's and edging is a length, all quantified but not priced because no dated non-vendor price was retrieved; only joint sand carries a price. Figures reflect publisher pages updated between August 2022 and December 2025, read 13 September 2026). Each material's band is the overlap of two sources: concrete pavers $10–$16 (LawnStarter $8–$16, Fixr $10–$25), brick $14–$20 (LawnStarter $14–$24, Fixr $12–$20), natural stone $16–$30 (LawnStarter $12–$30, Fixr flagstone $16–$30), poured concrete $6–$16 (LawnStarter $4.40–$16, Fixr $6–$17) and stamped concrete $9–$16.25 (LawnStarter $9–$16.25, Fixr $8–$18 for basic and mid-range designs). Four retrieved figures do not fit these bands and are shown, not reconciled: Lawn Love's plain slab $4–$9 and stamped $5–$10, LawnStarter's stamped high end of $25.25, and Fixr's older stamped $15–$30. Last verified September 2026.
- LawnStarter — Paver Patio Cost (page updated 2 Dec 2024) — retrieved 2026-09-13
- Fixr — Cost to Build a Patio (page updated 19 Aug 2022) — retrieved 2026-09-13
- LawnStarter — Concrete Patio Cost (page updated 13 Dec 2024) — retrieved 2026-09-13
- Fixr — Stamped Concrete Patio Cost (page updated 31 Jan 2025) — retrieved 2026-09-13
- Lawn Love — Paver Patio Cost (page updated 27 Dec 2025) — retrieved 2026-09-13
- Lawn Love — Concrete Patio Cost (page updated 27 Dec 2025) — retrieved 2026-09-13
- ICPI Tech Spec 2 — Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (revised Feb 2020). No dollar figures; base, bedding sand and paver thickness only — retrieved 2026-09-13
- Cambridge Pavingstones — Alliance polymeric sand coverage per 50 lb bag. No dollar figures — retrieved 2026-09-13
Frequently asked questions
How much does a paver patio cost per square foot?
Installed, concrete pavers run $10–$16 per square foot, brick $14–$20 and natural stone or flagstone $16–$30. Across every patio surface, including poured concrete, the range is $6–$30. Each band is the overlap of two published installed ranges, so both ends are figures a publisher printed. A 20 by 14 foot concrete-paver patio (280 sq ft) comes to $2,800 to $4,480 before any removal or grading.
Is a paver patio cheaper than a concrete patio?
Usually not. Poured concrete runs $6–$16 per square foot installed and stamped concrete $9–$16.25, against $10–$16 for concrete pavers. The bands overlap, so a plain paver patio can cost less than a detailed stamped slab. What pavers buy is repairability: a cracked or sunken paver can be lifted and reset, while a crack in a slab is hard to patch without it showing.
How deep should the base be under a paver patio?
The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute's construction spec (Tech Spec 2) calls for at least 4 inches of compacted base under a patio on well-drained soil, and 2 to 4 inches more on wet, weak or cold-climate soil. On top of that goes a 1 inch screeded sand bed, then the pavers. A quote that digs much shallower than base plus sand plus paver is skipping base, which is the usual cause of a patio that sinks.
How much polymeric sand and edging does a paver patio need?
A 50 lb bag of Alliance polymeric sand covers 65 to 85 square feet on narrow paver joints, and far less on wide flagstone joints. Lawn Love prices a bag at $22. Pavers also need an edge restraint around every open side. A 20 by 14 foot patio open on all sides needs 68 linear feet of it; none of the cost sources used here prices a paver edge restraint, so no figure is given. Both are part of an installed price, not extras on top of it.
What does removing an old patio or grading the yard add?
Removing an old slab adds $2–$6 per square foot, a figure LawnStarter and Lawn Love both print. Grading a sloped or uneven site is $770–$3,000 according to Lawn Love, which says the cost depends on the size of the area but publishes no per-square-foot rate. Expect a small patio to sit nearer the low end of that range.