How to Calculate Paver Patio Cost — Step by Step

The short answer

To work out what a paver patio costs, measure the area, add 10% extra for cuts and waste, and price the pavers, the labour, the gravel and the delivery. For a 400 square foot patio that gives a billable area of 440.00 square feet, which is $5,280.00 of pavers at $12.00 a square foot, plus $3,200.00 of labour at $8.00 a square foot, plus $271.60 of base gravel, plus $75.00 delivery, which is $8,826.60 in total.

The four numbers that matter

The first number is the area, in square feet, measured across the patio. For this patio that is 400 square feet. The second number is the paver price, which is about $12.00 a square foot for pavers. The third number is the labour rate, which is about $8.00 a square foot for the crew to lay the patio. The fourth number is the base depth, which is 4 inches for a patio, and the gravel price, which is about $50.00 a cubic yard.

The billable area is the area plus 10% extra, which is 400 times 1.10, which is 440.00 square feet to order. The paver materials are the billable area times the paver price, which is 440.00 times $12.00, which is $5,280.00. The labour is the actual area times the labour rate, which is 400 times $8.00, which is $3,200.00.

The method

The method is four parts and an addition. One: multiply the area by one plus the extra, to get the billable area. Two: multiply the billable area by the paver price, to get the paver materials, and multiply the actual area by the labour rate, to get the labour. Three: multiply the billable area by the depth in inches and divide by 12, to get the gravel volume in cubic feet, then divide by 27, to get the cubic yards, then multiply by the gravel price, to get the gravel cost. Four: add the materials, the labour, the gravel and the delivery, to get the total.

Step by step

Step 1: find the area. Measure the patio in feet, with a tape measure, and multiply the length by the width. For this patio that is 400 square feet. A patio that follows a curve is measured in pieces, and the pieces are added up, because the straight-line distance is not the patio.

Step 2: find the billable area. Multiply the area by one plus the extra. For this patio that is 400 times 1.10, which is 440.00 square feet to order. The extra is 10% for a normal patio, and 15% for a patio with a curved edge.

Step 3: price the pavers and the labour. Multiply the billable area by the paver price. For this patio that is 440.00 times $12.00, which is $5,280.00. Multiply the actual area by the labour rate. For this patio that is 400 times $8.00, which is $3,200.00. The labour is charged on the patio you lay, not on the pavers you order.

Step 4: price the gravel. Multiply the billable area by the depth in inches and divide by 12. For this patio that is 440.00 times 4 divided by 12, which is 146.67 cubic feet. Divide by 27, because a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, and it is 5.43 cubic yards. Multiply by the gravel price, and it is 5.43 times $50.00, which is $271.60. The gravel cost is worked out from the unrounded cubic yards, not the rounded 5.43 cubic yards, so the arithmetic is exact.

Step 5: add the delivery and total it up. Add the materials, the labour, the gravel and the delivery, to get the total. For this patio that is $5,280.00 plus $3,200.00 plus $271.60 plus $75.00, which is $8,826.60 in total. The check is the cost per square foot: $8,826.60 divided by 400 is $22.07, the number to compare between patios and between quotes.

Step 6: count the pavers and the weight. At 1 paver per square foot for 12 by 12 inch pavers, the billable area is the paver count. For this patio that is 440 pavers. The weight is 5.43 times 2,800, which is 15,210 pounds, or 7.60 tons.

The worked example

A homeowner is building a 400 square foot paver patio, and the pavers cost $12.00 a square foot, the labour is $8.00 a square foot, the base is 4 inches deep, the gravel is $50.00 a cubic yard, and the delivery is $75.00. The billable area is 400 times 1.10, which is 440.00 square feet to order. The paver materials are 440.00 times $12.00, which is $5,280.00, and the labour is 400 times $8.00, which is $3,200.00. The gravel volume is 440.00 times 4 divided by 12, which is 146.67 cubic feet, or 5.43 cubic yards, which is $271.60. The total is $8,826.60, or $22.07 a square foot. The patio takes 440 pavers, and the gravel weighs about 15,210 pounds, and it comes on a truck, not in a car boot.

A smaller patio, and other round numbers

A 300 square foot patio is 300 times 1.10, which is 330.00 square feet to order, so the materials are $3,960.00 and the labour is $2,400.00, the gravel is 110.00 cubic feet, which is 4.07 cubic yards, which is $203.70, and the total is $6,638.70, or $22.13 a square foot. Pavers at $18.00 a square foot cost $7,920.00, and the total is $11,466.60. Labour at $12.00 a square foot costs $4,800.00, and the total is $10,426.60. A patio with no delivery is $8,751.60, or $21.88 a square foot.

Working backwards from a budget

To find how much patio a budget covers, subtract the delivery from the budget, then divide what is left by the per-foot cost. The per-foot cost is 1.10 times $12.00 of pavers, plus $8.00 of labour, plus 1.10 times 4 divided by 12 divided by 27 times $50.00 of gravel, which is 21.8790123. An $8,000 budget minus the $75 delivery leaves $7,925. Divide that by 21.8790123, and it is 362.22 square feet of patio. A $15,000 budget buys 682.16 square feet.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is ordering the patio area, not the billable area. A 400 square foot patio is 440 pavers to order, not 400, so ordering the patio area leaves the last corner bare by 40 pavers. The second mistake is charging labour on the billable area instead of the actual area, which overstates the labour by $320.00. The third is forgetting the delivery, which is $75.00. The fourth is measuring the straight-line distance instead of the patio. The fifth is guessing the extra: 5% looks the same as 10% on the day, but the last corner comes up short.

The verdict

A 400 square foot paver patio costs $8,826.60: 440 pavers, at $12.00 a square foot, plus $8.00 a square foot of labour, 5.43 cubic yards of base gravel, and $75.00 delivery. Measure the area, add 10% extra, and price the pavers, the labour, the gravel and the delivery. Check the numbers on the paver patio cost calculator, the paver patio vs concrete patio comparison, or the concrete cost calculator.