About

A well-built patio is mostly invisible: a thick base compacted in lifts, a thin bedding layer, an edge restraint, a slope. What you cannot see is also what costs money, and what quotes most often leave out. We show the quantities, hours and prices behind each project, with their sources, so you can compare quotes on substance.

An open calculation engine turns your dimensions into quantities, then costs, from a database of published, dated prices. The calculation runs in your browser. The guides are written in our own words and cite their sources: municipal specifications, manufacturer guides, public agencies. The methodology explains each step.

No advertising, no sponsors, no commissions. No supplier pays for a product to be chosen in a calculation. The photos come from Rinox and its dealers, with their written permission, and each one carries its credit. When a product is named in a guide, it is because its technical data is public.

The guides are awaiting review by an installer and an engineer, and each one says so at the top. The numbers come from the engine, but some prices are still industry estimates; each limit is flagged where it applies. Prices are as of the date shown at the bottom of every page.

The site is published by Lightplane Inc.. A question, a price that looks wrong, a mistake in a guide: write to [email protected]. Corrections to numbers are dated and published.