Backyard Paver Patio Material & Cost Estimator
Calculate complete patio hardscape materials. Enter patio dimensions once to compute pavers, excavator base gravel tons, screed sand, polymeric joint sand, and snap-edging.
Step 1: Enter Project Dimensions
Shared across all toolsEstimated Total Material Cost (STANDARD)
Covers 252 sq ft (23.4 m²) project footprint
Interlocking Concrete Pavers (12x12)
252 sq ft with 10% waste
Crushed Stone Road Base (4" depth)
3.11 cu yds compacted
Coarse Bedding Sand (1" depth)
Level screeded bed
Polymeric Joint Sand
Locks joints and prevents weeds
Snap-Edge Restraints & Spikes
Heavy-duty plastic edging with 10" spikes
Material estimates only — does not include demolition, permits, contractor labor, or specialty tools. Local building code and freight delivery charges vary.
Planning a backyard patio: what to know before you buy
A paver patio is almost entirely a groundwork job. The pavers themselves are the visible part and roughly half the material cost; the base beneath them is what determines whether the patio is still flat in ten years.
The base is not optional depth. A compacted aggregate sub-base spreads load and, critically, drains. Water that cannot escape beneath a patio freezes, expands and lifts the surface — which is why patios built straight onto soil or sand fail in the first hard winter almost everywhere that has one.
The estimator below covers pavers, aggregate base, bedding sand, jointing sand and edge restraint. Excavation volume is the line most commonly underestimated: you are removing not just the paver depth but the full base depth beneath it.
What actually drives the cost
Base depth
Four to six inches of compacted aggregate for foot traffic, eight to twelve for anything a vehicle crosses, and more again on clay soils. This drives both the aggregate volume and the excavation and disposal cost.
Paver type
Standard concrete pavers, large-format slabs, permeable systems and natural stone span a wide price range. Large-format slabs also need a flatter, more carefully screeded bed to avoid rocking.
Excavation and disposal
Spoil removal is routinely forgotten. A 300 sq ft patio at eight inches of total excavation generates roughly seven cubic yards of spoil that has to go somewhere.
Pattern and cuts
Running bond is efficient. Herringbone at 45 degrees is stronger under load but adds cutting at every edge, raising both waste and labour.
Correct order of work
- 1. Set out, check falls and servicesMark the area, establish a fall of roughly one inch in four to eight feet away from the building, and check for buried services before digging.
- 2. ExcavateDig to paver thickness plus bedding plus full base depth. Cut the excavation wider than the finished patio so the edge restraint has something to bear on.
- 3. Sub-baseAggregate placed and compacted in lifts of no more than four inches. Compacting the full depth in one pass leaves the bottom loose, and it will settle.
- 4. Bedding layerOne inch of coarse bedding sand, screeded level and left uncompacted. Screed to the fall, not to level.
- 5. Lay pavers and cut edgesWork from a straight edge, keep joints consistent, and lay full pavers across the field before cutting the perimeter.
- 6. Edge restraint and jointingRestraint fixed around the full perimeter, then jointing sand swept in and vibrated, topping up until joints stay full.
Mistakes that cost the most to undo
Skimping on base depth
This is the failure mode for paver patios. An under-built base settles unevenly, and the only repair is lifting every paver and starting again.
Compacting in one deep lift
A plate compactor only densifies the top few inches. Aggregate placed twelve inches deep and compacted once is loose at the bottom and will settle under load.
No edge restraint
Without restraint the perimeter pavers migrate outward, joints open across the whole field, and the pattern unravels from the edges inward.
Laying level instead of to a fall
A patio needs a consistent fall away from the building. Laid dead level, it ponds, and against a wall it drives water at the damp course.