DIY vs Hire Paver Installation: Save or Hire a Pro?

What does a $1,010.00 DIY win mean?

On the defaults — $900 of pavers, $180 of base and sand, $70 of edge restraints, $150 of tool rental, 14 hours at $35 an hour and a $2,800 pro quote — the DIY cost is $1,790.00 and the pro quote is $2,800.00, so DIY wins by $1,010.00. The DIY cost is the pavers plus the base and sand plus the edge restraints plus the tool rental plus the hours times the hourly value: $900 + $180 + $70 + $150 + 14 × $35 = $1,790.00. The win is the pro cost minus the DIY cost: $2,800.00 − $1,790.00 = $1,010.00. A positive win means DIY is cheaper by that much — the $1,010.00 stays in your pocket if you lay the patio yourself, and the pro’s $2,800.00 buys the laying, the base and the risk.

Three things about the model are worth stating plainly.

First, the arithmetic is $900 + $180 + $70 + $150 + 14 × $35 = $1,790.00, and the win is $2,800.00 − $1,790.00 = $1,010.00 — the DIY cost and the win are two outputs, never the same number. Second, the meaning is $1,010.00 saved by doing it yourself — the money that stays in your pocket, not the value of the patio, and the pro quote is the whole job. And third, the win flips when the DIY cost passes the pro cost: at $107 an hour the DIY cost is $2,798.00 — still a $2.00 DIY win — and at $108 it is $2,812.00, so hiring wins by $12.00 — all listed in Accuracy & limitations.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: pavers $900, base and sand $180, edge restraints $70, tool rental $150, hours 14, hourly value $35, pro quote $2,800.

Line 1 — the hours cost. 14 × $35 = $490.00.

Line 2 — the materials. $900 + $180 + $70 + $150 = $1,300.00.

Line 3 — the DIY cost. $1,300.00 + $490.00 = $1,790.00.

Line 4 — the win. $2,800.00 − $1,790.00 = $1,010.00 — DIY wins.

Line 5 — the check. At $108 an hour the DIY cost is $2,812.00 and hiring wins by $12.00; and at $107 it is $2,798.00 — still a $2.00 DIY win.

Every branch, checked

Hours 10: DIY $1,650.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $1,150.00 — Fewer hours of your own time, so a cheaper DIY cost.

Hours 18: DIY $1,930.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $870.00 — More hours of your own time, so a smaller DIY win.

Hours 24: DIY $2,140.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $660.00 — More hours of your own time, so a smaller DIY win still.

Pavers $1,200: DIY $2,090.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $710.00 — Pricier pavers, so a smaller DIY win.

Pavers $600: DIY $1,490.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $1,310.00 — Cheaper pavers, so a bigger DIY win.

Base and sand $300: DIY $1,910.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $890.00 — More base and sand, so a smaller DIY win.

Hourly $45: DIY $1,930.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $870.00 — Your time is worth more, so DIY costs more.

Hourly $25: DIY $1,650.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $1,150.00 — Your time is worth less, so DIY costs less.

Pro $3,500: DIY $1,790.00; pro $3,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,710.00 — A higher pro quote widens the DIY win.

Pro $1,500: DIY $1,790.00; pro $1,500.00 — Hiring wins by $290.00 — A lower pro quote flips it to hiring.

The reverses, worked backwards

Smallest hourly value where hiring WINS: At the displayed $108 the figures are DIY $2,812.00; pro $2,800.00 — Hiring wins by $12.00. At the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $2,798.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $2.00 — no tie — so $108 is the smallest hourly value where hiring WINS.

Largest hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $500.00: At the displayed $71 the figures are DIY $2,294.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $506.00. At the upper neighbor the figures are DIY $2,308.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $492.00 — no tie — so $71 is the largest hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $500.00.

Smallest pavers where hiring WINS: At the displayed $1,911 the figures are DIY $2,801.00; pro $2,800.00 — Hiring wins by $1.00. At the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $2,800.00; pro $2,800.00 — exact tie — a dead heat, a TIE — so $1,911 is the smallest pavers where hiring WINS.

Smallest hours where hiring WINS: At the displayed 43 hours the figures are DIY $2,805.00; pro $2,800.00 — Hiring wins by $5.00. At the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $2,770.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $30.00 — no tie — so 43 hours is the smallest hours where hiring WINS.

Smallest pro price where DIY WINS at all: At the displayed $1,791 the figures are DIY $1,790.00; pro $1,791.00 — DIY wins by $1.00. At the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $1,790.00; pro $1,790.00 — exact tie — a dead heat, a TIE — so $1,791 is the smallest pro price where DIY WINS at all.

Smallest base and sand where hiring WINS: At the displayed $1,191 the figures are DIY $2,801.00; pro $2,800.00 — Hiring wins by $1.00. At the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $2,800.00; pro $2,800.00 — exact tie — a dead heat, a TIE — so $1,191 is the smallest base and sand where hiring WINS.

A warning about the ties: at $1,910 of pavers the DIY cost is $2,800.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a hiring win — and at $1,911 the DIY cost is $2,801.00 and hiring wins by $1.00. At $1,790 of pro price the pro cost is $1,790.00 — a dead heat, a TIE — and at $1,791 the pro cost is $1,791.00 and DIY wins by $1.00. At $1,190 of base and sand the DIY cost is $2,800.00 — a dead heat, a TIE — and at $1,191 the DIY cost is $2,801.00 and hiring wins by $1.00. The $108-an-hour reverse has NO tie: at $107 DIY wins by $2.00 and at $108 hiring wins by $12.00. The $71-an-hour reverse has NO tie: at $71 DIY wins by $506.00 and at $72 DIY wins by $492.00. The 43-hour reverse has NO tie: at 42 hours DIY wins by $30.00 and at 43 hours hiring wins by $5.00.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are $900 of pavers, $180 of base and sand, $70 of edge restraints, $150 of tool rental, 14 hours at $35 an hour and a $2,800 pro quote — DIY $1,790.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $1,010.00. With Hours 10, DIY $1,650.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $1,150.00. With Hours 18, DIY $1,930.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $870.00. With Hours 24, DIY $2,140.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $660.00. With Pavers $1,200, DIY $2,090.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $710.00. With Pavers $600, DIY $1,490.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $1,310.00. With Base and sand $300, DIY $1,910.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $890.00. With Hourly $45, DIY $1,930.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $870.00. With Hourly $25, DIY $1,650.00; pro $2,800.00 — DIY wins by $1,150.00. With Pro $3,500, DIY $1,790.00; pro $3,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,710.00. With Pro $1,500, DIY $1,790.00; pro $1,500.00 — Hiring wins by $290.00. With All zero, DIY $0.00; pro $0.00 — exact tie — a dead heat, with nothing to buy and nothing to pay. With Pavers $450, base and sand $90, edge restraints $35, tool rental $75, 6 hours, $30 an hour, pro $1,200, DIY $830.00; pro $1,200.00 — DIY wins by $370.00 — a small patio, a quick job, a cheap pro quote. With Pavers $749.95, base and sand $129.40, edge restraints $42.75, tool rental $89.60, 9.5 hours, $38.25 an hour, pro $1,499.60 (DIY unrounded 1375.075), DIY $1,375.08 (unrounded 1375.0750); pro $1,499.60 — DIY wins by $124.53 (unrounded 124.5250) — the unrounded DIY cost rounds to the displayed figure. With Pavers $2,400, base and sand $480, edge restraints $180, tool rental $300, 32 hours, $45 an hour, pro $6,500, DIY $4,800.00; pro $6,500.00 — DIY wins by $1,700.00 — the same shape at a much bigger size. With Pro $1,790, DIY $1,790.00; pro $1,790.00 — exact tie — a dead heat, a TIE. With Pavers $0, base and sand $120, edge restraints $40, tool rental $100, 8 hours, $35 an hour, pro $800, DIY $540.00; pro $800.00 — DIY wins by $260.00 — pavers on hand, so the DIY cost is just the base, the edge, the rental and the hours.

A note on the rounding: the DIY cost and the win are displayed to two decimals, half-up. With the fractional inputs the unrounded DIY cost is 1375.075 — it displays as $1,375.08 — and the unrounded win is 124.525 — it displays as $124.53. The page prints the unrounded values so the rounding does not mislead you.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner laying a patio in the back yard: they learn $900 of pavers, $180 of base and sand, $70 of edge restraints and $150 of tool rental, 14 hours at $35 an hour costs $1,790.00 DIY against a $2,800.00 pro quote — and they check the $108 reverse to see the hourly value at which hiring wins.
• The landlord putting patios on every rental: they learn the DIY win is $1,010.00 on one patio — and they check the $1,911 reverse to see the pavers price at which hiring wins.
• The renter redoing a shared patio: they learn the pro quote is the whole job — and they check the $1,791 reverse to see the pro price at which DIY wins at all.
• The student learning to price their own time: they learn the DIY cost is the pavers plus the base plus the edge plus the rental plus the hours times the hourly value — and they check the $71 reverse to see the hourly value that still leaves a $500.00 DIY win.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles: the DIY cost is the pavers plus the base and sand plus the edge restraints plus the tool rental plus the hours times the hourly value, and the win is the pro cost minus the DIY cost — all in dollars and hours, the DIY cost and the win displayed to two decimals half-up. There is NO division in this calculator — nothing can be undefined — but there ARE ties: at $1,910 of pavers the DIY cost is $2,800.00, exactly the pro quote — a dead heat, a TIE, not a hiring win — and at $1,911 the DIY cost is $2,801.00 and hiring wins by $1.00. At $1,790 of pro price the pro cost is $1,790.00 — a dead heat, a TIE — and at $1,791 the pro cost is $1,791.00 and DIY wins by $1.00. At $1,190 of base and sand the DIY cost is $2,800.00 — a dead heat, a TIE — and at $1,191 the DIY cost is $2,801.00 and hiring wins by $1.00. The $108-an-hour reverse has NO tie: at $107 DIY wins by $2.00 and at $108 hiring wins by $12.00. The $71-an-hour reverse has NO tie: at $71 DIY wins by $506.00 and at $72 DIY wins by $492.00. The 43-hour reverse has NO tie: at 42 hours DIY wins by $30.00 and at 43 hours hiring wins by $5.00. With the fractional inputs the unrounded DIY cost is 1375.075 — it displays as $1,375.08 — and the unrounded win is 124.525 — it displays as $124.53. What the model cannot do is say whether the $1,010.00 saving is worth your weekend: it says nothing about the base — whether the ground needs excavating first — and it says nothing about the weather — whether the sand will wash out before the pavers are set. Use it to see the money — then check the patio installation, driveway paving and deck building comparisons before you decide whether to hire.

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