Do It Yourself or Not: Install a brick patio
Laying a modest brick patio is not a trivial pursuit, it’s hard work. But we’ve never regretted creating a place outdoors for sipping morning coffee and stargazing on a clear night. And it’s the ideal spot to read a book or enjoy eating and entertaining. With its traditional appeal, brick pavers are attractive in most home designs in an understated way.
When locating your patio you don’t know what’s beneath the ground on your property. To find out go to www.missutility.net, where you’ll be referred to a local service to mark any underground pipes or lines you want to avoid.
A mason or landscape contractor will charge $2,028, which includes labor and material, to build a 15-by-10-foot brick patio. A handy homeowner can do the job for $1,260, the cost of the material.
Before you begin, decide what you’ll do with the lawn and landscape material you remove from the location of your new patio. If there’s a good lawn, consider renting a sod cutter to save it, and reuse it somewhere in your yard.
Planning and laying out the bricks are important, so is edging the bricks with edging pavers or pressure treated lumber. To help refine your design walk through a home or garden center to see your options.
In general, the process begins with laying out the space, digging up the soil, then leveling the area to a depth of about five inches. Then lay the bricks freehand or use plastic grids set in sand to help align the bricks in a basket-weave pattern. Then sweep the sand off the bricks into the cracks and lightly mist the bricks with a garden hose to clean them. The job is strenuous, involving digging, hauling, and working on your hands and knees for long periods of time. Wear knee pads!
Pro Cost: $2,028 — DIY Cost: $1,260 — Pro time: 16.0
DIY Time: 45.0 — DIY Savings: $768 — Percent Saved: 38%
$2,028 — $1,260 — 16.0 — 45.0 — $768 — 38%
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To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com and m.diyornot.com on smartphones.
©2025 Gene and Katie Hamilton. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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