What is a fair price to install pavers?

[dgreen1069]

I'm thinking about installing a paver patio in my backyard. I have only gotten one estimate, but it is a bit higher than I was expecting. Does anyone here have an idea of how much pavers should cost per square foot installed? I know the pavers don't cost much themselves, but they look very labor intensive to install. The guy I'm dealing with is charging 16 per square foot....is he in the right ballpark?

Secondly, my back door is about three steps higher than the ground.
We want to build a set of three steps from the house out of stone.....the first step down from the house would be a stoop that is 4 feet x 10 feet wide. It would have a nice curve to it and the other two steps would also. We were quoted $4400 for the steps on top of the patio price. Does this sound fair?

 

[John Larkin]

For $4400 you should be able to have a slab laid and stamped with brick pattern about 4 times. That would be more durable and stable. It just sounds like a high cost to me.

 

[fitz3820]

I put in a paver walk in front of my house including two granite steps. It wasn't all that hard.

The most difficult part was digging down 10+ inches is rocky soil to prepare the walk. Gravel, landscape cloth, crushed stone.

The pavers I used were only $.49 but the granite steps were $100 each, total cost for a 20ft walk was $600 for materials (delivered) Outside of the digging, the project was pretty fun.

 

[daviss]

I don't think $16 a foot is bad for a patio. Consider all of the digging and rock and compacting that needs to be done. That's all before the pavers even go down. Laying the pavers is the simplest part of the operation. What kind of outfit are you dealing with. Pavers are installed by either landscapers or bricklayers. Bricklayers are probably more expensive unless you find a non-union shop. I am biased, however, being a union bricklayer/mason contractor. I would recommend using real masons since you are putting down stone steps. Even better, do it yourself. There are plenty of books out there and I promise if you can get your TR to run right, you can figure this out.

 

[dgreen1069]

I've thought long and hard about trying to do it myself, but I think it is more work than I want to take on. I generally like to do most things myself, but like you said, there is A LOT of prep. work that needs to be done before the pavers get laid. The patio we want to build will be about 700 square feet....I wouldn't mind trying to do a small patio, but I've heard it gets more difficult to keep things straight the bigger you go.

The guy I got the estimate from is a landscaper (he owns a patio and spa store). He quoted me a price of 20k to do the patio, the stoop, 3' tall by 12' wide stone wall, and lots of landscaping. It is a lot of money, but I think it would take me forever to try to do the work myself.....and then I'm worried it wouldn't look as nice.

 

[BandAid]

The guy I got the estimate from is a landscaper (he owns a patio and spa store).

Find a different company,this is the first and only biggest mistake ,Patio stores are Fu@king crazy with their prices,
got to say it again ,,,Fu@king crazy...

 

[daviss]

I would have to agree. Shop around. With that size patio, if you can save a dollar or two per foot, it makes it a lot easier to swallow.

 

[Pronto]

I'm in the process of rebuilding a retaining wall in my driveway and running up the sidewalk. It's a lot of work. I've rented a demo hammer to break up concrete and a walk behind front end loader for digging and dumping the dirt. Both were a great help. Still it's alot of hand shoveling and wheelbarrowing and I haven't even set a block yet. That starts this weekend and hopefully it will be mostly done this week. Maybe you can get a landscaper to do the site prep and then you do the rest.