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Set your square footage, material and pattern, tell it what is on the ground now, and see where your patio lands against the $17 – $30 per square foot installed that this area actually runs.
A patio is the most forgiving paver project to price and the easiest one to underestimate, because almost nothing that moves the number is visible in a photograph. The pavers themselves are typically a third of the cost. The rest is excavation, four to six inches of compacted base, bedding sand, cutting, edge restraint, and getting several tons of material into a rear yard that may only be reachable through a side gate.
Standard concrete pavers and premium tumbled units are separated by a few dollars a square foot; natural stone and porcelain are separated from both by considerably more. Pattern then decides how much of that material becomes offcuts — a running bond wastes very little, a 45-degree herringbone against a curved edge wastes a great deal and takes longer to lay.
Four to six inches of compacted Class II base under a patio is the difference between a surface that is flat in ten years and one that is not. It is also invisible the moment the pavers go down, which is why it is the first thing a cheap quote thins out. Ask what depth is being priced and whether it is being compacted in lifts.
Everything arrives on a pallet and leaves as spoil. If a skid-steer can reach the area, that is machine work. If it has to go through a 36-inch side gate by wheelbarrow, the same tonnage becomes a day or two of labour, and the calculator moves accordingly.
This calculator works from the 2026 cost figures published for Carmel Valley and North County San Diego. What it cannot see is what your subgrade is made of, where your water currently goes, whether a machine can reach the area, or what is buried under the lawn. We will come out, measure the site and give you a written scope with no pressure attached.
Book a free site visitPublished 2026 figures for this area put paver patio work at $17 – $30 per square foot installed. By project size that works out at roughly $3,500 – $8,500 for a small patio of 100 – 200 square feet, $8,500 – $17,000 for a medium patio of 200 – 400 square feet, and $17,000 and up beyond that. Where you land inside those ranges is decided mostly by material, pattern complexity, base depth and access.
Not up front. A poured slab is usually the cheaper installation, and pavers usually win over time — an individual paver can be lifted and reset or replaced, so a settled area or a stained unit is a repair rather than a demolition. Pavers also handle ground movement better, because the surface flexes at every joint instead of cracking in one line. If the budget is tight and the patio is small and simple, concrete is worth pricing honestly alongside.
Typically four to six inches of compacted aggregate base for pedestrian areas, over a properly compacted subgrade, with an inch of bedding sand above it. Soft, sandy or expansive soil pushes that deeper and often adds a geotextile separation fabric. A driveway is a different specification entirely — eight to twelve inches, because it carries vehicles. If a quote does not state the base depth, that is the question to ask first.
An at-grade patio generally falls under the residential building-permit exemptions in the California Residential Code and California Building Code, which exempt certain uncovered platforms and walkways not more than a set height above grade. Walls, steps, covers, electrical and anything that changes drainage across a property line are separate questions, and many Carmel Valley neighbourhoods also have HOA design review that applies regardless of the building code. Confirm your specific project with the City of San Diego Development Services Department before you commit to a start date.
Most residential patios run three to seven working days on site once the material is delivered — a day or two of excavation and base, a day of screeding and laying, then cutting, edging, jointing and compaction. Removing an existing concrete slab adds a day or more. Wet ground stops base compaction entirely, which is the most common reason a January start date slips.
No. It is a planning estimate built from published Carmel Valley figures and checked against how projects here actually price. It cannot see your soil, your access, where your water currently goes, or what is buried under the lawn. Use it to set a budget and to ask better questions, then get the job measured on site before you commit to anything.
Planning the whole project? Start at the Carmel Valley paver calculator hub, or read more about our paver patio installation service.