brick patio cost

Average Cost of Brick Patio Installation

Expect to pay about $18 per square foot for a genuine brick patio. Your price will be lower if your yard is level and has sandy soil, and it will be higher if the soils are harder to work with or if there are slopes and obstacles such as brush removal to deal with.

Given the average cost per square foot, a 10×10 patio costs about $1,800 when professionally done. A larger patio in the 15×25 range, or almost 400 square feet, will cost above $6,000.

The cost of a installation includes removing grass and topsoil, adding a base layer of gravel and sand plus landscaper fabric to prevent weed growth. The bricks are then installed in your preferred design.

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Overview of Brick Patios

We should note upfront that this page of Business Finance News discusses genuine brick patios. If you’re planning a brick paver patio using bricks made from concrete rather than clay, see our Paver Stone Patio Costimate. A Stamped Concrete Patio that looks a lot like brick, especially if color is added to the concrete, is another option, along with a more affordable patio made of gravel or crushed stone.

A real brick patio delivers a classic touch and creates an outdoor living area that adds value to your home, especially if you install an outdoor firepit or kitchen to the space.  Cost is higher than poured concrete patios and paver patios, but the look can be superior and high end like stamped concrete patio pads, especially on upscale homes. A major advantage of building a brick patio over having a concrete slab patio is that you can build it on your own with minimal equipment.  Another advantage is that you can be creative and use different colored bricks to make designs that are aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.

Brick patios can be installed or built in a variety of ways and can use many different types of bricks.  A dry brick patio is a patio that has sand or slag between the bricks to keep the bricks in place, rather than mortar.  A few advantages of using a dry set brick patio are that you can replace bricks easily and the patio is less expensive to build and upkeep.

Wet set or mortar set brick patios are patios that have either concrete or mortar between the brick to secure the bricks.  This type of brick patio is very durable and repels both ants and weeds well. The disadvantage for using a mortar set brick patio is that it is more costly to install and repair. Most brick patios are the dry-set type.

The type of brick used can have a significant impact on cost, as discussed below. For example, some “vintage” reclaimed brick is highly sought after, especially in classic colors, and is quite pricey. If you have a pre-WWII or historic home, vintage brick is an ideal choice if it’s in the budget. Even contemporary clay brick is a better option than concrete pavers.

Let’s dig deeper into cost factors, retail brick and material prices, DIY tips and much more.

Product and Installation Supplies Cost Details

Genuine Brick Patio Cost Factors

How much does a real brick patio cost? Your price will be affected by these materials and installation factors.

• DIY vs Pro Installation – If you decide to build your brick patio instead of hiring a pro, you’ll save $6 to $12 on labor costs.
• Size of the Brick Patio-  As the size increases, the price will increase due to the need for more materials and supplies. That’s obvious – but brick patio cost per square foot goes down a little as the size of the patio increases. This is because the installation crew and their equipment are already on site, so overhead costs are spread over more square footage.
• Access – The tougher it is to reach the area where your brick patio will be located, the more costly it may be due to having to move the needed materials to the work site. For example, can a truck get to the patio area to deliver bricks, or will they have to be offloaded to a wheelbarrow, for example, and carted to the location?
• Installation / Site Challenges – Flat ground without obstacles and with soft soils are the ideal – and least costly – types of installation. When there are hard clay, drainage problems, bushes to remove, etc., cost will rise. Note that Tree Removal Cost is not part of this cost estimate.
• What Type of Brick Patio is Built –  You can use many different types of brick to create your brick patio and some will add more costs to the project.  See the Retail Cost section for your options and their cost.
• Where you Live – Is the cost of living in your area low, average or high? It will affect brick patio price by as much as 35%.

Retail Brick and Supplies Cost

A brick patio is constructed of more than just a layer of bricks. Here are the retail costs for the bricks and the underlying materials plus tools you might need.

• $6.00 – $15.00 per Square Foot | Genuine Clay Bricks
• $1.00 – $2.00 per Square Foot | Gravel to supply a stable base. Soil type determines how thick the gravel or pea stone layer needs to be. Other cost factors are delivery charges and the amount of gravel ordered – cost per square foot goes down the more gravel you purchase, especially if delivered.
• $0.10 – $0.20 per Square Foot | Leveling Sand – This sand is used on top of gravel because it drains well and doesn’t “heave” with frosts.
• $40 – $100 per Day | Sod Cutter Rental and Plate Compactor from a local home improvement store or landscape supply company.
• $15 – $50 per 100 Square Foot Roll | Landscape Fabric. Options vary by material and thickness.
• $12 – $40 Each | Hand tools such as a sod knife and flat spade

These costs add up, and that’s why genuine brick patio cost rises to $14.00 to $21.00 per square foot, or the higher cost estimate of $17.00 to $24.00 according to Homewyse. That’s far more accurate than the Remodeling Expense estimate of just $3.00 to $6.00 per square foot, which won’t cover materials when installing a genuine brick patio. Inch Calculator suggests $7.70 to $16.00 per square foot, and you could do a brick patio for that range if lower-end materials are used and installation is relatively easy.

Permits, Inspection, Related Costs and Installation Time

Permits and Inspection Cost

• $0 – $300 |  As long as you are simply putting in a brick patio, a permit shouldn’t be required.  If a gas or electrical line is also being installed for a fire pit, grill or lighting, then a permit will probably be required.  Check with your local city, country, or state to find out what permits are needed before you begin your project.

Related Costs and Installation Time

For the average DIY project, building a brick patio will mostly take a weekend or 2-3 days depending on patio size and design.  Home Depot offers a nice tutorial explaining step by step how to build the brick patio to enhance your outdoor living space.

Costs of Related Projects

Here are common projects homeowners also complete when considering an outdoor gas fire pit.

• A Patio or Deck Enclosure – The cost of an enclosure averages about $64 per square foot, but there are many factors which affect cost and could make it significantly more affordable or costly. Check out our guide for full details.
• A Gas Fire Pit adds warmth and ambiance to any patio or deck.
• Making sure your gutters are in good shape will keep an overflow of wet leaves and debris from staining your patio bricks.  Cleaning gutters and adding gutter guards will protect your investment in a brick patio.

DIY or Hire a Pro?

This is one project that you can tackle and complete if you have the time and energy to make it happen. It’s not technically difficult, just physically challenging. Like many outdoor home improvement projects, it is labor-intensive. “Many hands make light work,” as they say, so ask some buddies to help with the promise you’ll return the favor on their home improvement projects.

We recommend a dry set patio for DIYers. It makes sense for many reasons, but might lack the vintage look of a mortared brick patio. Save yourself the cost, hassle and long-term maintenance issues.

However, if you decide on a mortar or wet brick patio then there is a bit more work involved, which makes the entire process more complicated and difficult.  Also, if you have to cut bricks to make special designs or curves, then it will also be more difficult to build, but not necessary to hire a professional landscaper or contractor.

If you decide to hire the project out, try to get at least three quotes.  This will give you an idea on whether or not you are getting fair estimates for your brick patio.