What factors affect the pricing of a paver installation?

When it comes to understanding what the investment is when installing pavers, there are several factors to consider. We have seen many clients over the years not truly understand the pricing of pavers because there is not enough educational information online that factors in all of the elements that contribute to the final price. Generic national websites often miss the key factors, so being mindful of square foot pricing or the industry average is a great starting point, but often does not reflect the true price of a patio.

Type of pavers

The type of pavers that are being used does play an effect on the end price of your project. Different manufactures have different products that vary drastically in price. The low end of pavers is around $3 per square foot and the high end can be $15 per square foot (+/-). Due to the wide range, final paver choice can play a large factor in the overall price of a job. On average, the most commonly used pavers fall somewhere around the $5-$10 per square foot price.

What is pre-existing?

The process of site prep for installing a patio does vary depending on the conditions that are pre-existing. For example, a patio that is to be installed in an area that is currently grass compared to an area that has a 6” thick rebar reinforced concrete patio requires two very different preparation practices. The more demo and site prep needed to perform before a single paver can be laid will result in an increase overall price. Factors to consider are disposal costs, specialty equipment rentals, labor costs, and trucking fees.

Type of installation practice

There are several different types of installation practices when it comes to how contractors install a patio. The three most commonly used options are dense graded base, open graded base, and synthetic base. Dense graded base uses quarry process (QP) and concrete sand under the pavers. Open graded base uses ¾" clean stone and ¼" clean stone under the pavers. Synthetic base uses ¼" clean stone and a man-made polypropylene material under the pavers. All three of these installation practices will provide a similar end result in terms of looks, however, the price of the materials, labor, and disposal costs do vary drastically. Being mindful of the type of installation practice being performed on your property is essential to analyzing the true cost of what an installed patio will cost.

 Grade

The grade, or slope of the ground, does determine if additional elements are needed to be incorporated into the patio project. For example, if a walkway is to be installed on sloped ground, it may require retaining wall(s) or step(s) to be installed to make the patio level. The additional elements needed for the patio installation will increase the price of the overall project.

Access

How simple or difficult it is for crews and machines to access the work location will play effect into the overall price of a patio installation. If the crew must go around to the back of the home several hundred feet, with only being able to use a wheelbarrow and no machines, this is yet another factor that plays effect on the overall price. On the flip side, if a machine can be used in the same example, or instead of going all the way to the backyard, the work location is several feet from the driveway, this would greatly increase efficiency when installing the project which can help reduce cost.

Number of cuts

When installing pavers, since they are modular units, the need to be altered to contour to curves, inlays, boarders, etc. The additional time and material wasted to preform custom cuts in a paver installation does play effect into the overall cost of a job. If a patio is circular compared to square, it would require additional time to cut each of the pavers to match the requested shape. Also, when cutting all the pavers, the cut portions are thrown out since they can’t be reused. This does result in additional material needed to be ordered to account for the increase in waste. A more efficient installation of pavers does require more straight lines which would result in fewer cuts and less waste.

All in all, the factors listed above are the most considered elements that affect the overall price when installing pavers. There can be additional factors that can affect price since each job is unique, hence the reason for not having a standard square foot price. Square foot pricing is great for giving ballpark estimates to set expectation of what a project could cost. Always keep an open mind when talking about price since there are several factors that can fluctuate the overall final project price. Asking your contractors to elaborate more on each of these factors can help you get a better idea of why the project may cost what is does.