How Much Does a Paver Patio or Driveway Cost in Seattle? 2026 Price Guide

Paver patio cost per square foot

National cost surveys put paver patios at $8 to $24 per square foot installed, with a typical 280-square-foot patio averaging about $3,350. Seattle sits at the top of that range because labor is 75 to 90 percent of a hardscape bill and local wages run well above the national average, which is why most Eastside paver patios land at $15 to $30 per square foot. By size, that means a 200-square-foot sitting area runs roughly $3,000 to $6,000, a 300-square-foot patio $4,500 to $9,000, and a 500-square-foot entertaining space $7,500 to $15,000. Site grading adds $800 to $3,000 on sloped lots, and a pallet of pavers covering 100 to 160 square feet costs $335 to $1,165 in material alone.

Cost by paver material

Standard concrete pavers are the workhorse at the bottom of the range and come in dozens of shapes and blends. Clay brick runs $10 to $20 per square foot installed nationally and a few dollars more here, with color that never fades because it is fired in. Natural stone and flagstone run $30 to $40 per square foot installed in our market, and cobblestone can reach $70. Permeable pavers — designed with wider joints over an open-graded gravel base so rain soaks through — typically price between standard concrete pavers and stone, and they earn their premium in Seattle for reasons covered below. For material context, bare paver stock runs $4 to $20 per square foot before anyone touches a shovel.

Paver driveway costs

Driveways need a deeper excavation and a thicker compacted base than patios because they carry vehicles, so expect $15 to $35 per square foot installed. A single-car 12-by-30 driveway runs about $5,500 to $12,500, a two-car driveway $9,000 to $20,000, and a long or circular Eastside driveway can pass $30,000. Removing an old driveway first adds $1,500 to $2,500. Those numbers are roughly 1.5 to 2 times the cost of a reinforced broom-finish slab, so if budget is the deciding factor, read our concrete driveway cost guide before choosing — and if curb appeal and repairability lead, pavers pay that difference back over a 25-to-50-year life.

Pavers vs. poured concrete in Puget Sound weather

Concrete is cheaper on day one; pavers age better here. A slab cracks when tree roots, settling soil or a hard freeze move the ground beneath it, and the fix is usually saw-cutting or replacement. A paver surface flexes with the ground, individual stones lift and relay for the cost of an hour's labor, and sand joints let water escape instead of ponding. Winter traction is also better on textured pavers than on a troweled slab. The honest trade-offs: pavers cost more up front, weeds and moss will try the joints if sand is not maintained, and a poorly compacted base will telegraph ruts under a driveway — which is why the crew you hire matters more than the stone you pick. Our concrete services page and paver services page show both options on real local projects.

Permits, impervious surface and permeable pavers

A paver patio or walkway on your own lot normally needs no building permit in Seattle, Bellevue or the other Eastside cities. What trips projects up is impervious-surface coverage: every city caps how much of a lot can shed rain, and standard pavers count toward the cap. Permeable pavers over an open-graded base are treated far more favorably under local stormwater codes, which can be the difference between approval and redesign on a lot that is already near its limit — common on smaller Seattle lots with a house, garage and existing driveway. A new or widened driveway apron or curb cut in the public right-of-way always needs a street-use permit from SDOT or your city's transportation department. We check coverage, pull the permits and schedule inspections as part of every job; our Washington permit guide explains the rules city by city.

The base is the project

Paver failures in Western Washington are base failures. The right build here is excavation to firm subgrade, 4 to 6 inches of compacted crushed rock for a patio and 8 to 12 for a driveway, a screeded sand setting bed, edge restraints, and polymeric sand swept and watered into the joints. Excavation runs $500 to $6,000 depending on access and soil, and skipping compaction to save a day is how a new driveway ends up with tire ruts by February. On sloped lots we pitch the surface away from the house and, where runoff concentrates, add a trench drain — cheap insurance given what our water damage cost guide says the alternative costs.

Maintenance: moss, sand and sealing

Plan on sweeping and rinsing a couple of times a year, topping up joint sand when rain washes it low, and pulling the occasional weed before it roots. Sealing is optional on concrete pavers but keeps color rich and moss slower to take hold; sealing a typical patio runs $175 to $445 every three to five years. Done right, a paver surface lasts 25 to 50 years, and repairs stay local to the stones that moved.

Pairing pavers with the rest of the yard

Hardscape projects share mobilization, so bundling saves real money: a paver patio pairs naturally with a patio cover that makes it usable ten months a year, a deck where the grade drops away (see our deck cost guide to compare per-square-foot numbers), a new fence to frame the yard, and lighting and planting beds that finish an outdoor living space. Crews book out for spring quickly, so winter is the right time to design and get on the schedule — our best-time-to-remodel guide covers the seasonal calendar.

Get a fixed price for your patio or driveway

Blue Lake Construction designs and installs paver patios, walkways and driveways across Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Lynnwood, Sammamish, Issaquah, Renton, Mercer Island, Kent and Puyallup, as a licensed, bonded and insured Washington general contractor (#BLUELLC760C3). Visit our paver services page or request a free estimate and we will measure the space, talk through materials and give you one fixed, itemized price — or call (206) 786-5988.