For a typical project of 55.7 m² (600 sq ft), clay soil (all of Quebec): $30,323 doing it yourself, $27,000 to $44,000 by a contractor, before tax.
Materials at retail prices, rentals, delivery and disposal, plus your time as a beginner (*).
* Includes your time: 318.4 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $19,164
Tools to buy, on top: $305
Labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.
Crew pace: 104 person-hours
Stacked extremes (everything low, everything high): $17,848 to $69,697
The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.
At $35/h: doing it yourself still costs less.
Break-even = (the contractor's typical price minus the money spent doing it yourself) divided by your person-hours. Before tax on both sides: GST and QST apply to both.
| Measure | Beginner | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|
| Money spent | $19,164 | $19,164 |
| Person-hours | 318 h | 219 h |
| Days of 8 h, 2 people | 20 days | 14 days |
| Your time at $35/h | $11,159 | $7,683 |
| True cost | $30,323 | $26,847 |
Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).
Before tax, one scale for every bar.
| Money, do it yourself | $19,164 |
|---|---|
| True cost, beginner | $30,323 |
| True cost, intermediate | $26,847 |
| Contractor | $27,000 to $44,000 ($35,000) |
| Materials | 25% | $8,660 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 11% | $3,843 |
| Equipment and rentals | 8% | $2,896 |
| Delivery and disposal | 13% | $4,563 |
| Overhead | 27% | $9,380 |
| Margin | 10% | $3,474 |
| Other | 6% | $1,925 |
The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.
The only layer you see, and the quickest to lay when everything below it is right.
If corners are cutMisaligned pavers and uneven joints. The cause is usually in the layers below.
WhyFills the joints, locks the pavers together, slows weeds and erosion.
If corners are cutPlain sand: joints wash out, pavers move, weeds move in.
WhyA thin layer, screeded level, that gives the flat surface. It does not fix an uneven base.
If corners are cutStone dust or too thick a bed: water stays trapped, the bed shifts and dips appear.
WhyThe heart of the job. It carries the loads, drains water and limits frost effects. It is spread and compacted in thin lifts.
If corners are cutA base too thin or compacted in one go: settling and frost heave.
WhyOn clay or silt, a fabric separates the stone from the fine soil so the two do not mix.
If corners are cutWithout geotextile on fine soil, the base sinks into the soil within a few years and loses its bearing capacity.
WhyThe soil is dug to the computed depth, sloped and compacted. The base does not go below the frost line: it drains.
If corners are cutDigging too shallow to save on the bin: the base is thin and the patio follows the soil's movements.
WhyThicknesses computed for: 55.7 m² (600 sq ft), clay soil
Pro recommended
Hours for the typical project: the work calculation (a crew's pace times the level's factor, with rework, learning and unloading) plus the guide's planning and checks.
A paver driveway carries the weight of cars, turning tires, snow clearing and salt. Compared with a patio, the base is markedly thicker, the pavers thicker and the geotextile always there. Access to the street goes through the municipality. Professional help is recommended for this project, especially on clay or silt.
A driveway touches public land and parking rules. Plan two separate steps: the parking area permit for your lot, and the curb cut certificate for the curb and sidewalk, which the city often does itself on its own schedule. Locating underground networks comes before any digging.
Grades are taken from two fixed points: the garage slab and the sidewalk. Between them, the surface keeps a continuous slope toward the street. The excavation is deep and the soil volume large: "Your project" shows the depth, the volume and the number of truckloads.
Under a driveway, the base is the most important part of the project. It is built in lifts compacted with a reversible plate, on a geotextile, and extends past the paving on free sides. A driveway laid on a patio base forms ruts within the first years.
Under the tires, a driveway needs an even bed, tight joints, no small pieces in the wheel paths, full compaction and well-filled joints. Keep cars off until the polymeric sand has cured.
Before digging, file a free request with Info-Excavation. The RBQ asks contractors to file it at least 4 business days before the work; it is valid until the stated end date, for at most 180 days. The construction safety code requires the employer to locate lines before digging. For an owner doing their own work, the request is strongly recommended even though that duty targets employers, and some municipalities, such as Magog, require it on their land.
Régie du bâtiment du QuébecGouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Ville de MagogChecked October 10, 2026
Per the RBQ licence guide, landscaping on private land, such as private driveways, low walls and paver landings resting on gravel that are not attached to the building, needs no licence. Owners may do this work at their own home, except electrical and gas work, which always goes to a qualified contractor. If you hire, check in the RBQ register that the contractor's subcategories cover the other parts of the contract, such as excavation or concrete. The RBQ's subcategory 2.7 includes paver parking lots; the line between a residential driveway and a parking lot is not defined, and our reading is that a single-family driveway stays exempt (interpretation to confirm with the RBQ).
Régie du bâtiment du QuébecRégie du bâtiment du QuébecRégie du bâtiment du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
A permit is required to build, modify or remove a parking space or access. For the curb cut, the City lowers the sidewalk itself from May to October; an access is 2.4 to 7.5 m wide, all accesses take no more than 50% of the lot width and two accesses are at least 7.5 m apart. Some boroughs bill the actual cost plus 15% and prohibit cutting a tree for the access.
Ville de MontréalVille de MontréalChecked October 10, 2026
A certificate is required to widen or narrow a sidewalk or curb. Only the City does that work and bills it after issuance. The file includes a sketch of the widths, a site plan and a surveyor's certificate. (Search summary of the official site, to re-check.)
Ville de LavalChecked October 10, 2026
A certificate is required for every curb cut, filed with the parking area application and a certificate of location. Width equal to the driveway at the street line, at most two accesses per lot, at least 6 m apart and 7.5 m from the intersection. The applicant pays, and a City contractor does the work in about 8 weeks, sometimes the following year.
Ville de LongueuilChecked October 10, 2026
The allowed driveway width depends on the lot frontage, measured at the street line: 2.5 to 5.5 m up to 11 m of frontage, 2.5 to 6 m from 11 to 20 m, 2.5 to 7.5 m beyond. (Search summary of the official site, to re-check.)
Ville de GatineauChecked October 10, 2026
A permit is required to widen a curb cut or build a new asphalt yard; curb and sidewalk cutting and repair fees may apply. (Search summary of the official site, to re-check.)
Ville de SherbrookeChecked October 10, 2026
Act R-20 on the construction industry excludes landscaping, including asphalt or concrete driveways, done on a detached single-family house by an employer that is not a professional construction employer. For a semi-detached, row house, duplex or condo, or with a contractor whose main activity is construction, CCQ rules can apply, which changes the labour rates in a quote.
Commission de la construction du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
The Civil Code (art. 979) requires lower land to receive the natural flow from higher land, but forbids the owner of the higher land from making the neighbour's situation worse. A new paved surface that concentrates water toward the lot line can therefore make you liable.
Gouvernement du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
If you hire, ask for a written contract. The RBQ recommends that it show the licence number where applicable, the NEQ, the GST and QST numbers, the exact legal name and an itemized price (labour, materials, transport, equipment rental, subcontractors), with the smallest possible deposit. The Office de la protection du consommateur also lists what to ask for.
Régie du bâtiment du QuébecOffice de la protection du consommateurChecked October 10, 2026
The answer should be a number in millimetres and a named material, for example MG-20, matched to the soil and the use.
A base is compacted in thin lifts with a plate compactor. One pass over the full thickness is not enough.
On clay or silt, it separates the stone from the fine soil. Without it, the base mixes into the soil over the years.
Concrete sand for the bedding, polymeric sand for the joints. Stone dust holds water under the pavers.
Every free side needs an edge restraint fixed into the base, or the pavers spread apart.
The number of years and what is covered: settling, heaving, joints.
In every case: an RBQ licence when the work requires one, a business number (NEQ), civil liability insurance and a written contract.
Guide: choosing a contractorDraft: this content has not yet been reviewed by an installer or an engineer. The numbers come from the engine; the explanations may still change.