A straight answer to the question we hear most — plus the factors that actually move the number.
“How much will a patio cost?” is the first question almost every homeowner asks us — and it’s a fair one. The honest answer is that it depends on your space, but there’s a real range you can plan around before anyone visits your property.
In Central Ohio, most professionally installed paver patios run about $18–$35 per square foot. A simple 300-square-foot patio therefore tends to land somewhere between roughly $5,400 and $10,500 installed, while larger projects with walls, steps, or built-in features run higher. The number depends far more on what goes under and around the pavers than on the pavers themselves.
What’s included in that price
A quality paver installation is mostly the work you never see once the job is done:
- Excavation and haul-off of existing soil or sod
- A compacted aggregate base built to the right depth for our soil
- Bedding sand and precise screeding
- The pavers themselves — material is usually 20–35% of the total
- Edge restraints so the field doesn’t spread over time
- Polymeric joint sand and a final compaction pass
What moves the price up or down
- Size: larger patios cost more overall but often less per square foot
- Material: standard concrete pavers are the most affordable; premium lines from Belgard, Unilock, and Techo-Bloc or natural stone cost more
- Site access: a tight backyard that machines can’t reach means more hand labor
- Grading and drainage: sloped or wet sites need extra base work
- Add-ons: seat walls, steps, fire pits, and lighting each add to the total
Why the base matters more than the pavers
Central Ohio sits on heavy clay soil and goes through dozens of freeze-thaw cycles every winter. Water that gets trapped under a patio expands as it freezes and heaves the surface — which is why the cheapest installs, the ones that skimp on base depth and compaction, are the ones that end up wavy and cracked in a few seasons.
A patio is only as good as the base beneath it. Spend on the part you can’t see.
A properly built base costs more up front but is the single biggest factor in whether your patio still looks level and tight a decade from now. It’s the part of the estimate worth protecting.
Getting an accurate number for your yard
A per-square-foot range is a great planning tool, but the only way to get a real number is an on-site look at your soil, slope, and access. Our consultations and written, itemized quotes are always free and carry no obligation — you’ll see exactly what you’re paying for before any work begins.
