How much does a paver patio cost?
National cost guides put a paver patio at $8 to $25 per square foot installed. A 20 by 20 foot patio runs about $3,200 to $9,600.
· Tulsa
The short answer
Most homeowners pay $8 to $25 per square foot for a professionally installed paver patio, according to HomeAdvisor's June 2026 cost guide. Its typical project runs $2,400 to $7,000, with an average of $3,800 for a 280-square-foot patio. Lawn Love's guide lands close: $8 to $24 per square foot, averaging $3,350 for the same size.
For a 20 by 20 foot patio (400 square feet), Lawn Love puts the price at $3,200 to $9,600. LawnStarter's guide gives $4,000 to $9,600 for that size.
Those are national figures, not Tulsa quotes. Three things move the number most: the size, the paver you pick, and how much digging and base the ground needs before the first paver goes down.
Cost by size
HomeAdvisor's table, labor included:
| Patio size | Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 10 x 10 (100 sq. ft.) | $800 to $2,500 | $1,800 |
| 12 x 12 (144 sq. ft.) | $850 to $4,300 | $2,600 |
| 12 x 16 (192 sq. ft.) | $1,200 to $5,800 | $3,500 |
| 16 x 16 (256 sq. ft.) | $1,500 to $7,700 | $4,600 |
| 16 x 20 (320 sq. ft.) | $1,900 to $9,600 | $5,700 |
| 18 x 24 (432 sq. ft.) | $2,600 to $13,000 | $7,800 |
LawnStarter notes that bigger patios usually cost less per square foot. Material buys in bulk, and the fixed costs of setting up, hauling and compacting get spread across more ground.
To size your own, measure the space where the table and chairs will sit and multiply length by width. A 14 by 18 foot patio is 252 square feet. At $8 to $25 per square foot, that comes out around $2,000 to $6,300. That's arithmetic on a published range, not a quote.
Cost by paver
The paver itself sets the floor. LawnStarter's installed prices per square foot:
- Concrete pavers: $8 to $16
- Brick: $14 to $24
- Natural stone: $12 to $30
Fixr's older guide, updated in 2022, runs in the same range: pavers at $10 to $25 per square foot installed, brick at $12 to $20 and flagstone at $16 to $30. For comparison, Fixr puts a poured concrete patio at $6 to $17 per square foot.
Labor
Labor is a large share of the bill. HomeAdvisor puts it at about $5 to $10 per square foot for most paver work, rising to $25 for harder materials, and says a 300-square-foot patio takes a crew 35 to 40 hours. Lawn Love gives $5 to $15 per square foot, or $50 to $80 an hour.
Curves, borders and herringbone or mixed-size patterns take more cuts, and LawnStarter notes complex patterns cost more than a simple running bond.
What's under the patio
Two quotes for the same size patio can differ by thousands because one digs deeper. The base is most of the work you never see.
The Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association's construction guide calls for at least 4 inches of compacted aggregate base under patios and walkways on well-drained soil, compacted to 98% of standard Proctor density. On top goes about 1 inch of concrete sand, then the pavers. Unilock, a paver maker, gives 4 to 6 inches of base for walkways and says clay generally needs to be dug deeper so water can drain. Over clay or ground that stays wet, the association lists a geotextile fabric under the base to keep soil from working up into the gravel.
The base also runs past the edge of the pavers. Unilock says to extend it by the same distance as its depth. A 12 by 16 foot patio on a 6-inch base means digging an area 13 by 17 feet, plus the depth of the base, sand and pavers combined.
Ask each contractor how deep the base will be, what stone goes in it, and how many layers they compact. Unilock says a base should be compacted in layers of 3 to 4 inches, since most plate compactors can't pack more than that at once.
Slope and drainage
A patio sheds water, so it has to fall away from the house. The paver association sets a minimum slope of 1.5%. Oklahoma adopted the 2024 International Residential Code statewide on September 14, 2026, and that code's grading rule (R401.3) requires hard surfaces within 10 feet of the foundation to slope at least 2% away from the building. On a patio that runs 12 feet out from the house, 2% is about 3 inches of drop.
If the yard already holds water near the back door, the fix may cost more than the patio. HomeAdvisor lists lawn leveling or regrading at $1,000 to $3,250, and Lawn Love puts grading at $770 to $3,000.
Other costs to plan for
- Tearing out an old slab: Fixr lists $2 to $6 per square foot, plus disposal.
- A raised patio: Fixr puts raised patios at $4 to $10 more per square foot than one built at ground level.
- Seat walls: Fixr lists $40 to $60 per linear foot.
- Sealing: Fixr's patio repair guide puts sealing at $3 to $10 per square foot.
- A fire pit: HomeAdvisor lists $300 to $1,400.
- A cover: HomeAdvisor puts a patio cover at $8,600 to $28,500. In Tulsa, the city's residential guidelines list covered patios with carports and porches as structures that need a building permit.
Common questions
How much does a 20x20 paver patio cost?
Lawn Love puts a 400-square-foot patio at $3,200 to $9,600, and LawnStarter gives $4,000 to $9,600. The paver, the base depth and any removal or grading decide where in that range a project lands.
How much does a paver patio cost per square foot?
National cost guides put it at about $8 to $25 per square foot installed. HomeAdvisor lists $8 to $25 and Lawn Love $8 to $24. High-end natural stone can reach $50 per square foot in HomeAdvisor's guide.
Are pavers more expensive than a concrete patio?
Usually, up front. Fixr puts a poured concrete patio at $6 to $17 per square foot installed and pavers at $10 to $25. Pavers can be lifted and relaid one at a time, so a repair doesn't mean replacing a whole slab.
How deep should the base be under a paver patio?
The Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association calls for at least 4 inches of compacted base on well-drained soil. Unilock gives 4 to 6 inches and says clay needs deeper digging so the base can drain.
Why do two paver patio quotes differ so much?
They may not include the same work. Compare the base depth and stone, the sand, the edge restraint, the paver, the pattern, removal of the old surface and any grading or drainage.
Getting a real number
National ranges only get you close. We build paver patios across Jenks, Bixby, Glenpool, Sand Springs and Sapulpa, and each written quote sets out the layout, the base and the finish before work starts. See how we build paver patios or send us photos of the space.
Sources: HomeAdvisor, How Much Does a Paver Patio Cost? (updated June 17, 2026) · Lawn Love, How Much Does a Paver Patio Cost in 2026? (updated December 27, 2025) · LawnStarter, How Much Does a Paver Patio Cost? (updated December 2, 2024) · Fixr, Patio Cost (updated August 19, 2022) · Fixr, Patio Repair Cost (updated January 31, 2025) · Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association, PAV-TEC-002-22: Construction of Interlocking Concrete Pavements · Unilock, Dos and don'ts of paver installation: base preparation · Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission, 2024 IRC permanent rule (PDF, effective September 14, 2026) · Maricopa County, Building elevation plan requirements (restates IRC R401.3 grading) · City of Tulsa, Residential Building Guidelines (PDF, January 2025)