For a typical project of 41 m² (442 sq ft), unknown fill soil (all of Quebec): $23,989 doing it yourself, $20,000 to $33,000 by a contractor, before tax.
Materials at retail prices, rentals, delivery and disposal, plus your time as a beginner (*).
* Includes your time: 286.8 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $13,938
Tools to buy, on top: $305
Labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.
Crew pace: 93 person-hours
Stacked extremes (everything low, everything high): $12,687 to $55,387
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 | $13,938 | $13,938 |
| Person-hours | 287 h | 198 h |
| Days of 8 h, 2 people | 18 days | 12.5 days |
| Your time at $35/h | $10,052 | $6,924 |
| True cost | $23,989 | $20,862 |
Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).
Before tax, one scale for every bar.
| Money, do it yourself | $13,938 |
|---|---|
| True cost, beginner | $23,989 |
| True cost, intermediate | $20,862 |
| Contractor | $20,000 to $33,000 ($26,000) |
| Materials | 29% | $7,563 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 13% | $3,470 |
| Equipment and rentals | 10% | $2,726 |
| Delivery and disposal | 10% | $2,688 |
| Overhead | 27% | $7,049 |
| Margin | 10% | $2,611 |
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: 41 m² (442 sq ft), unknown fill 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 pool surround is a patio at the water's edge: splashing, bare feet, treated water. Three existing elements drive the work: the pool itself, with its wall, coping and lines; the enclosure that controls access; and the equipment with its power supply. The soil around an in-ground pool is often disturbed backfill, hence the cautious assumption in "Your project".
In Quebec, a municipal permit is required to build anything that gives or blocks access to a pool, and the permit holder must control access during the work. Around a pool, most pipes and cables are private: Info-Excavation does not locate them.
Grades start from the coping: the finished surface meets it at the height given by the pool maker's detail, then falls away. Along the wall, dig by hand and without a machine: the soil against the wall is part of what supports the pool.
A surround's base follows the patio row of the table, with careful drainage. The backfill around an in-ground pool often settles over the years: compact it carefully in thin lifts, and stay cautious against the wall.
Laying starts at the coping and moves outward. The pool's curves need many cuts, and the pool water must stay protected from dust, cutting slurry and sand. Nothing reopens before the enclosure check.
The residential pool safety regulation requires an enclosure around every pool whose water is 60 cm deep or more. The enclosure is at least 1.2 m high, stops a 10 cm sphere, offers no hold for climbing (chain-link mesh openings of at most 30 mm), and a hedge does not count. Every gate closes and latches automatically, with the latch on the inside at the top of the gate or on the outside at least 1.5 m above ground. Municipalities may be stricter.
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Gouvernement du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
A municipal permit is required to build, install or replace a pool or to build anything that gives or blocks access to a pool. During the work, the permit holder must take temporary measures to control access.
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Checked October 10, 2026
Pool equipment (pump, filter, heater) is installed more than 1 m from the pool wall or enclosure, except as the regulation provides, and any fixed structure or equipment that could be used to climb is kept at least 1 m away.
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Checked October 10, 2026
Installations existing before 1 November 2010 must comply by 30 September 2027; replacing the pool triggers full compliance. An owner in breach faces a fine of $500 to $700, $700 to $1,000 for a repeat offence. Montreal and Quebec City both remind owners of this deadline.
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Ville de MontréalVille de QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
Pool electrical work (pump, lighting, receptacles, bonding) is reserved to master electricians who are CMEQ members when done for others, and an owner may not do it themselves. The paving itself needs no licence on private land.
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Régie du bâtiment du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
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
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
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.