For a typical project of 12 m² (129 sq ft), clay soil (all of Quebec): $8,825 doing it yourself, $7,400 to $12,000 by a contractor, before tax.
Materials at retail prices, rentals, delivery and disposal, plus your time as a beginner (*).
* Includes your time: 103.2 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $5,209
Tools to buy, on top: $305
Labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.
Crew pace: 32 person-hours
Stacked extremes (everything low, everything high): $4,443 to $19,515
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 | $5,209 | $5,209 |
| Person-hours | 103 h | 71 h |
| Days of 8 h, 2 people | 6.5 days | 4.5 days |
| Your time at $35/h | $3,616 | $2,488 |
| True cost | $8,825 | $7,697 |
Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).
Before tax, one scale for every bar.
| Money, do it yourself | $5,209 |
|---|---|
| True cost, beginner | $8,825 |
| True cost, intermediate | $7,697 |
| Contractor | $7,400 to $12,000 ($9,500) |
| Materials | 24% | $2,254 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 13% | $1,265 |
| Equipment and rentals | 11% | $1,049 |
| Delivery and disposal | 15% | $1,438 |
| Overhead | 27% | $2,574 |
| Margin | 10% | $953 |
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: 12 m² (129 sq ft), clay soil
Beginner possible
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 walkway mostly carries foot traffic, but it goes through the same frost as a patio, with two free sides along its whole length. It is a good DIY project if the base matches the native soil and both edges are restrained. Plan from the start where it meets the steps, the driveway and the sidewalk.
A front walkway often crosses the service lines that run from the street to the house. Locating is free and comes before any digging. In a front yard, the paved share and the materials are often regulated.
The excavation depth adds up the paver, the bedding and the base, whose thickness depends on the soil, even for a pedestrian surface. Both free sides get extra base width. "Your project" shows the depth and the volume to haul away.
Even under foot traffic, a base that is too thin on clay or silt lets the walkway heave into steps in the first winter. Build the thickness calculated for your soil, in compacted lifts, and restrain both edges.
On a walkway, cuts and joins take a larger share of the time than on a patio. Work from one end to the other keeping joint lines straight to the string, then compact and joint in dry weather.
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, 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, several boroughs require a solar reflectance index of at least 29, and Verdun accepts permeable paving with joints of at least 8 mm. A walkway that also serves as a parking access needs a permit.
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
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.