For a typical project of 27.9 m² (300 sq ft), sand and gravel soil (all of Quebec): $12,616 doing it yourself, $11,000 to $18,000 by a contractor, before tax.
Materials at retail prices, rentals, delivery and disposal, plus your time as a beginner (*).
* Includes your time: 152 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $7,290
Tools to buy, on top: $305
Labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.
Crew pace: 50 person-hours
Stacked extremes (everything low, everything high): $7,079 to $27,698
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 | $7,290 | $7,290 |
| Person-hours | 152 h | 105 h |
| Days of 8 h, 2 people | 9.5 days | 7 days |
| Your time at $35/h | $5,326 | $3,671 |
| True cost | $12,616 | $10,961 |
Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).
Before tax, one scale for every bar.
| Money, do it yourself | $7,290 |
|---|---|
| True cost, beginner | $12,616 |
| True cost, intermediate | $10,961 |
| Contractor | $11,000 to $18,000 ($14,000) |
| Materials | 29% | $4,080 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 13% | $1,907 |
| Equipment and rentals | 11% | $1,554 |
| Delivery and disposal | 10% | $1,438 |
| Overhead | 27% | $3,848 |
| Margin | 10% | $1,425 |
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: 27.9 m² (300 sq ft), sand and gravel soil
Intermediate
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 patio is a flexible system that floats on a stone base. It does not go below the frost depth: it gets through winter thanks to a thick, free-draining base, a slope that sheds water and joints that let the pavers move a little. The two decisions that matter most are made before digging: the type of soil and where the water goes.
Municipal rules vary from city to city and, in Montreal, from borough to borough, especially in front yards. Locating underground networks is free and comes before any digging.
The excavation depth adds up three layers: the paver, the bedding and the base, whose thickness comes from the maker's table by use and soil. "Your project" shows the depth and the volume of soil to haul away for your dimensions.
The base carries the loads, drains water and limits the effect of frost. On clay or silt it is markedly thicker than on sand or gravel, and a geotextile separates it from the soil. It also extends past the pavers on free sides to carry the edging.
Laying goes fast when the base is right. The sand bed stays thin and even, the pavers are tight, the edges are cut cleanly, and everything is compacted before and after jointing. Polymeric sand needs a dry day.
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.
Régie du bâtiment du QuébecRégie du bâtiment du QuébecRégie du bâtiment du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
In Montreal, a permit is needed to build, modify or remove a parking space or access, and front-yard rules vary by borough: Saint-Laurent caps paving at 40% of the front yard with a 1 m green strip along the lot line, and several boroughs require materials with a solar reflectance index of at least 29. For a back-yard patio, check your borough's zoning bylaw.
Ville de MontréalChecked 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.