Patio estimator

Your project

mft

1Size and shape300 ft² · 50 ft · 70 ft

Area

= 27.87 m²

ft²

Edge to restrain (free sides)

= 15.24 m

Sides along the house, steps or existing paving

= 21.34 m

More options

Outside corners

2Region and siteQuebec (province) · Sand or gravel · Nothing (bare soil) · Rear yard

Region

Soil type

Existing surface

Front yardSide yardRear yard

More options

Surface slope

Access width for a machine

Hauled awayKept on the lot

3The productProma slab 60 mm · Random modules · Plastic

Customize the assumptions

Replace our values with yours (a supplier quote, the rental time you plan). The estimate is recomputed and the link keeps your choices.

Turn on JavaScript to change these values.

Base thickness

Default: 7.9 in · allowed 7.9 to 23.6

Never thinner than the table for your soil and use.

Waste (cuts and breakage)

Default: 11.9 % · allowed 2 to 25

Share of pavers added for cuts and breakage.

Price: Proma slab 60 mm

$ / ft²

Default: 10 $ / ft² · allowed 2.5 to 40

The unit price before tax your supplier quoted you.

Rental days

days

Default: 2 days · allowed 1 to 14

Mini excavator 1.7 t, Plate compactor, 14 in cut-off saw

Amounts before taxes. GST (5%) and QST (9.975%) are added and shown separately.

Do it yourself, beginner: $13,000*; * Includes your time: 152 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $7,290
Money spent only: $7,300; doing it yourself, before taxes
Contractor, typical: $14,000; $11,000 to $18,000
Break-even, beginner: $46/h; At $35/h: doing it yourself still costs less.

OverviewOverview MaterialsMaterials and rentals HoursHours by step ContractorHire a contractor SourcesAssumptions and sources

Before you digAny digging needs an Info-Excavation locate request at least 4 business days before starting, and hand digging within 1 m of the marks.

Any digging needs an Info-Excavation locate request at least 4 business days before starting, and hand digging within 1 m of the marks.

Source: Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Travaux d'excavation · APSAM (Association paritaire pour la santé et la sécurité du travail, secteur affaires municipales), Fiche technique 34, Protéger les services publics souterrains

Other notes from the calculation (2)

No machine within 1 m of the locate marks: expose utilities by hand.
Isolation joint of 21.34 m along the building or steps: paving must not butt against a fixed element (frost).

Where the money goes

Before taxes, one scale for both bars.

Do it yourself, money spent

$7,290

Materials$4,653
Equipment rental$1,199
Delivery$188
Disposal$1,250

Contractor, typical price

$14,251

Materials$4,080
Labour$1,907
Equipment and rentals$1,554
Delivery and disposal$1,438
Overhead$3,848
Margin$1,425

True cost: money and time

Before tax, one scale for every bar.

People

Value of one hour$35.05/h

By default, the average hourly wage in Quebec:

Money spentYour time ($35/h)Contractor's rangeTypical price ($14,000)

Do-it-yourself true cost and a contractor's price, before tax
Money, do it yourself	$7,290
True cost, beginner	$12,616
True cost, intermediate	$10,961
Contractor	$11,000 to $18,000 ($14,000)

Your time

Money, hours, days, value of the time and true cost, beginner and intermediate
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).

Hiring costs less if your time is worth more than:

$46/h

Based on beginner hours.

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.

Actions

Estimates are computed in your browser: no account, and your projects stay on your device. The page link holds your choices: copy it to come back or to share it. "Save this project" keeps it in this browser only, nothing is sent. My projects

Step-by-step guide

Phases, "done when" checks, safety, common mistakes and sources, with your project's quantities.

Read the guide

Do it yourself

What you buy, rent and pay for

Quantities in orderable units, retail prices before taxes, with the source, date and region of every price.

Do-it-yourself cost detail
Item	Quantity	Unit price	Amount
Materials
MG-20 crushed stone (0-3/4 in)	15 t	$39.50/t	$592.50$39.50/t
Plastic paver edge restraint (8 ft)	7 8 ft pieces56 ft · 17.07 m	$18.77/piece	$131.36$18.77/piece
10 in edging spike	55 units	$2.31/unit	$127.05$2.31/unit
Non-woven geotextile	1 roll563 ft² · 52.35 m²	$139.99/roll	$139.99$139.99/roll
Isolation joint strip (foam)	70 ft21.34 m	$0.70/ft	$49.00$0.70/ft
Standard polymeric sand (22.7 kg)	4 bags	$25.49/bag	$101.96$25.49/bag
Proma slab 60 mm	3 pallets + 2 rows341 ft² · 31.69 m²	$10.00/ft²	$3,411.20$10.00/ft²
Concrete sand (bedding)	1.5 t	$71.00/yd³	$100.21$71.00/yd³
Delivery
Boom truck pallet delivery	1 trip	$187.50/trip	$187.50$187.50/trip
Equipment rental
Mini excavator 1.7 t	weekendUse: 20.8 machine h	-	$907.44
Plate compactor	1 dayUse: 3.2 machine h	-	$142.69
14 in cut-off saw	weekendUse: 11.2 machine h	-	$148.86
Disposal
Clean soil (sand and gravel) (container)	16.79 t	$625.00/container	$1,250.00$625.00/container

Total before taxes: $7,289.76
GST (5%): $364.49
QST (9.975%): $727.15
Total with taxes: $8,381.40

GST and QST are computed on purchases and rentals; your own work is not taxed.

Notes on prices(5)

Price for "MG-20 crushed stone (0-3/4 in)" out of date since 2025-04-01: confirm with the supplier.
Price for "Concrete sand (bedding)" out of date since 2025-04-01: confirm with the supplier.
Price for "delivery.boom_truck" is an estimate (no published price list).
Price for "Isolation joint strip (foam)" is an estimate (no published price list).
Price for "Proma slab 60 mm" is an estimate (no published price list).

Your time

How many hours, at what pace

Person-hours (p-h): a professional's hours times a documented factor for your experience, rework and machine learning included, plus the guide's planning and checks (planning, locate request, permits). The factors are in the assumptions.

Beginner

152 h

about 9.5 days of 8 h with 2 people

Work: 131.8 h
Rework: 13.2 h
Learning the machines: 1.5 h
Planning and checks: 5.5 h

Beginner: has never compacted a base or cut pavers.

Intermediate

105 h

about 7 days of 8 h with 2 people

Work: 95.5 h
Rework: 4.8 h
Learning the machines: 0.5 h
Planning and checks: 4 h

Intermediate: has done at least one similar project.

For comparison, a professional: 49.7 h of work, about 2.5 crew days.

Step by step, from the guide

Each guide step, timed by the same calculation as the total: each task's hours at your level's pace, rework included. Hover a value to see the range.

Hours per guide step, beginner and intermediate
Step	Beginner	Intermediate
1Measure, sketch and choose the productguide rate	2	1
Assess the soil and where water goesguide rate	1	0.7
2Request a utility locate from Info-Excavationguide rate	0.5	0.5
Check your municipality's rulesguide rate	1	1
Plan deliveries, rentals and disposalguide rate	1	0.7
3Lay out the area and set the grades	6.2	4.3
Dig to the right depthweather	29.3	20.2
4Prepare the subgrade and lay the geotextileweather	3.2	2.2
Build the MG-20 base in compacted liftsweather	30.8	21.3
Install the edge restraint	6.2	4.3
5Spread and screed the beddingweather	12.3	8.5
Lay the paversweather	38.6	26.7
Cut the edge pavers	12.3	8.5
Compact the pavers and fill the jointsweather	3.1	2.2
Finish the edges, clean up and inspectweather	3	2.1
Learning the machines	1.5	0.5
Total (p-h)	152	104.7

The rows add up to the total: 146.5 h of work calculated by the engine, plus 5.5 h of planning and checks at the guide's rate (beginner). 7 steps depend on the weather. Read the full guide

Detail by calculation task(11)

Detail by calculation task
Task	Pro	Beginner	Intermediate
Machine excavation	10	29.3	20.2
Edge restraint installation	2.1	6.2	4.3
Isolation joint	1.1	3.1	2.2
Layout and grades	2.1	6.2	4.3
Subgrade preparation	0.6	1.8	1.3
Geotextile placement	0.5	1.3	0.9
MG-20 base compacted in lifts	10.6	30.8	21.3
Bedding screed	4.2	12.3	8.5
Paver laying	12.2	35.5	24.5
Cutting	4.2	12.3	8.5
Compaction and joints	2.1	6.2	4.3
Learning the machines	-	1.5	0.5
Total	49.7	152	104.8

Person-hours per task. Beginner and intermediate hours include rework.

Hire a contractor

What a contractor would charge

Range before taxes for the same project built by a crew: labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.

Low

$11,000

Typical

$14,000

High

$18,000

Before taxes · $37 to $59 per ft²

Where the money goes (typical price before taxes, $14,251)

Breakdown of the typical price before taxes
Materials	28.6%	$4,080
Labour	13.4%	$1,907
Equipment and rentals	10.9%	$1,554
Delivery and disposal	10.1%	$1,438
Overhead(estimate)	27%	$3,848
Margin(estimate)	10%	$1,425
Typical price before taxes		$14,251
GST (5%)		$712.56
QST (9.975%)		$1,421.55
Typical price with taxes		$16,385

What moves the total

1Contractor overhead
Typical price from $12,826 to $16,324 with this factor
2Labour productivity (pavers)
Typical price from $12,681 to $15,926 with this factor
3Price: Proma slab 60 mm
Typical price from $12,749 to $15,754 with this factor

Each factor is pushed alone to its low, then high value; the others stay at their typical value.

The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.

Every price, production rate and parameter has a documented low, typical and high value. The range shown starts from the typical cost and combines the swing of each factor taken one at a time, by the root of the sum of squares (independent spreads rarely all land at their extreme together). The stacked extremes stay in the detail. It is not a probability.

Range with taxes: $13,000 to $20,000.

Contractor crew: 49.7 h of work, about 2.5 days.

Rules in Quebec

Permits, licences and neighbours

What applies to this kind of work, with the source of every rule.

Utility locate
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.
Source: Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Travaux d'excavation · Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec), Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction, RLRQ c. S-2.1, r. 4 · Ville de Magog, Demande de localisation Info-Excavation
RBQ licence
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.
Source: Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Guide pour déterminer le besoin d'une licence et la sous-catégorie pertinente : sous-catégorie 2.7, Entrepreneur en travaux d'emplacement · Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Travaux que vous pouvez faire vous-même · Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Vérifier la licence d'un entrepreneur
Permit · Montréal
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.
Source: Ville de Montréal, Obtenir un permis pour aménager ou modifier un espace de stationnement
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
Neighbours
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.
Source: Gouvernement du Québec, Écoulement des eaux (rapports de voisinage)
Consumer protection
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.
Source: Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Signer un contrat de rénovation · Office de la protection du consommateur, Request a contract (before hiring a renovation contractor)

Assumptions

Calculation parameters

Typical value (low to high), source, date, region and confidence grade of every parameter in the calculation.

See the assumptions(22)

Calculation parameters
Assumption	Value	Source, date, region	Grade
Contractor overhead (share of price)	27% (20% to 35%)
Net profit (share of price)	10% (3% to 15%)
Contractor discount on retail prices	7.5% (15% to 0%)
Crew round trip to the site	1 h	fixed rule	-
Non-productive time per person per day	0.5 p-h (0.25 p-h to 1 p-h)
Job Bank median wages, no CCQ rates	Job Bank medians, no CCQ rates	fixed rule	-
GST	5%	fixed rule	-
QST	9.975%	fixed rule	-
Base hourly wage: foreman	$28.00/h ($22.00/h to $40.03/h)
Base hourly wage: heavy equipment operator	$36.00/h ($24.00/h to $43.40/h)
Base hourly wage: labourer	$21.89/h ($17.36/h to $28.50/h)
Base hourly wage: operator	$36.00/h ($24.00/h to $43.40/h)
Base hourly wage: paver installer	$27.00/h ($20.00/h to $38.00/h)
Time multiplier, beginner	2.65 x (1.88 x to 3.81 x)
Time multiplier, intermediate	1.92 x (1.52 x to 2.44 x)
Rework, beginner	0.1 x
Rework, intermediate	0.05 x
Learning time per machine, beginner	1.5 h (1 h to 2 h)
Learning time per machine, intermediate	0.5 h
People working (do it yourself)	2
Productive hours per day (do it yourself)	6 h
Fuel price	$1.51/L

Region: Quebec · prices as of October 13, 2026 · engine 1.2.0. These three values are enough to reproduce this calculation.

Sources

Where the numbers come from

Every price and parameter on this page points to one of these sources.

1.paysagement (research), Costs: equipment rentals, labour, production rates and contractor sell prices (Quebec, 2025 to 2026)October 10, 2026 · Amérique du Nord · 10 values
2.paysagement (engine plan), Engine parameter registry seed list (estimates with no external source)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 3 values
3.paysagement (research), Quebec landscaping materials, delivery and disposal: sourced reference prices (2025 to 2026)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 3 values
4.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 2 values
5.Patrick Morin, Gant de travail WATSON GLOVES STEALTH, grandOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 2 values
6.Canac, Sable polymere pour paves RG+ granite 22,7 kg (code 8440001)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
7.Canadian Tire product page (price read from the search engine's copy of the page)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
8.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
9.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
10.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
11.Lee Vrac Transport, Pierre concassee 0-3/4 DB en vracOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
12.Lou-Tec (web catalogue, CAD before tax)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
13.Patrick Morin, Bois d'epinette sec no. 2 et meilleur, 2 po x 4 po x 10 piOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
14.Patrick Morin, Bordure a pave-unis EMS Extrusion (0902367)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
15.Patrick Morin, Coquilles anti-bruit (Workhorse)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
16.Patrick Morin, Genouilleres de travailleur en mousse avec doublure TASKOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
17.Patrick Morin, Geotextile gris 5 3/4 pi x 98 pi (1402824)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
18.Patrick Morin, Lunette de securite legere (Workhorse)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
19.Patrick Morin, Maillet en caoutchouc BEAUFORT, manche en bois, 32 ozOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
20.Patrick Morin, Masque de protection respiratoire anti-poussieres N95, 2/pqt (3M)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
21.Paves Concept, CLOU VRILLEOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
22.Paves Concept, Sable a betonOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
23.Paysagement research estimate (Patrick Morin conduit price)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
24.Paysagement research estimate (Patrick Morin stake and chalk line prices)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
25.Simplex (product page, CAD before tax)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
26.Simplex (product page, CAD before tax)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
27.Soumission Renovation, driveway paver expansion guideSeptember 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value

Yourself$13,000*Money spent$7,300Contractor$14,000Break-even$46/hbefore taxes, estimate

Good to know before you start

Where the money goes

Do it yourself, money spent

Contractor, typical price

True cost: money and time

Your time

Hiring costs less if your time is worth more than:

Actions

Tools to buy (11)

Step by step, from the guide

Where the money goes (typical price before taxes, $14,251)