Paver Patio Cost in New Orleans (2026): Size & Sq Ft Guide

Q: How much does a 20x20 paver patio cost?

A 20x20 patio covers 400 square feet, which spans roughly $4,000 to $11,200 at the installed rates published by LawnStarter ($10 to $24 per square foot) and Tomahawk Power ($12 to $28). Base and drainage prep on our soft delta soil can carry a specific New Orleans yard past that bracket.

Q: How much does a 12x12 paver patio cost?

A 12x12 patio covers 144 square feet, which works out to $1,440 to $4,032 at the same published rates. Small patios rarely hit the bottom of the math, though, because mobilization and base material minimums don't shrink with the footprint.

A paver patio in New Orleans usually lands somewhere in the low-to-mid four figures for a small courtyard and climbs from there as the square footage, paver type, and groundwork grow. There’s no honest flat price because your yard sets the number, not a chart. The biggest swing here isn’t the pavers on top; it’s what we do underneath to handle our soft alluvial delta soil, high water table, and the heavy rain that rolls through from June to November. Below are the real drivers so you can read any quote with confidence.

Quick answer: published national rates put an installed paver patio at $10 to $24 per square foot (LawnStarter) or $12 to $28 per square foot (Tomahawk Power’s 2025 guide). New Orleans yards often land in the upper half of those spans because of the base and drainage work our ground demands, and real quotes can run past them. Here’s what that means at the sizes people actually ask about.

Interlocking paver patio installed in New Orleans

Paver patio cost by size

The brackets below multiply those published rates ($10 to $28 per square foot installed) across the footprints people actually price out. Treat them as planning ranges, not quotes.

Patio size	Square feet	Published installed range
12×12	144 sq ft	$1,440 to $4,032
20×20	400 sq ft	$4,000 to $11,200
400 sq ft (a 16×25, or an L-shape)	400 sq ft	$4,000 to $11,200
1,000 sq ft	1,000 sq ft	$10,000 to $28,000

Source math: square footage times the $10 to $28 per square foot span published by LawnStarter ($10 to $24) and Tomahawk Power ($12 to $28). Small jobs rarely touch the bottom of the math because mobilization and base material minimums don’t shrink with the patio.

Cost by paver type

Material sets the personality of the patio and a real chunk of the price. Here’s how the common choices stack up for New Orleans builds.

Paver type	What to expect on price
Standard concrete pavers	The budget-friendly workhorse. These anchor the low end of LawnStarter’s published $10 to $24 range and take color and pattern well.
Clay brick	Homeyou’s New Orleans pricing guide lists dry-laid brick patios at $18 to $25 per square foot. The classic courtyard look, and the color runs all the way through.
Travertine and natural stone	Premium tier. Material cost and hand-cutting push these builds toward the top of the national ranges, and past them once borders get intricate.
Porcelain	Also premium. Dense, stain-resistant, and cool underfoot, with a fussier install that shows up in the labor line.
Permeable pavers	Higher upfront cost for the deeper open-graded base, but they drink stormwater instead of shedding it toward your slab. See which permeable pavers work best for flood-prone New Orleans homes.

Why a paver patio is priced by your yard, not a flat rate

Two patios the same size can cost very different amounts. One sits on flat, well-drained ground with easy access. The other slopes toward the house, sits over a soggy spot, and can only be reached through a narrow side gate. The pavers cost the same; the prep does not. Pavers also stay repairable by design, so a single sunken unit lifts and resets instead of the whole slab cracking like poured concrete does when our ground shifts. That long-term value is part of what you’re buying.

The five things that move the price

Size and shape. Square footage is the headline number. Curves, multiple levels, and tight cut-heavy borders add labor because every angled paver gets cut and fit by hand.
Paver type. Standard concrete pavers sit at the friendly end. Tumbled, large-format, porcelain, and natural stone cost more per square foot and change the look and the install method.
Base and drainage work. This is the line that protects your investment in New Orleans. A deep compacted base, proper slope away from the house, and any French drain or channel drain to move standing water all add cost, and skipping them is why cheap patios fail here.
Site access and prep. A narrow gate, a second-story courtyard, demo of an old slab, tree roots, or hauling spoil out by wheelbarrow all add hours.
Add-ons. Seat walls, steps, fire features, lighting, and a built-in grill or kitchen each carry their own material and labor.

New Orleans cost factors: what our ground adds

Our process is built for soft alluvial delta soil and a high water table, which is where a lot of the cost goes and why it’s worth it.

We dig out and compact a deep, engineered base so the surface won’t pump or sink after the next heavy rain.
We set positive slope away from your foundation and add drainage where water wants to pool.
We lay the pavers, then lock the joints with polymeric sand so weeds and washout stay out.
Access in older neighborhoods adds handling time. Narrow side gates on shotgun lots, courtyard-only access in the Quarter and Marigny, and street-side material staging Uptown all mean more carrying and less machine work. Wheelbarrow jobs run longer than skid-steer jobs, and the quote reflects it.
We handle the parish permit, if your scope needs one, since fees and rules vary by parish; we check the local office for you.

Pavers vs concrete: the cost verdict

A basic poured slab usually wins on day-one price. Pavers cost more upfront and tend to win the long game on our shifting ground, because a settled or stained paver lifts and resets while a cracked slab is a demo and a repour. If you’re weighing the two, read our full pavers vs concrete comparison for New Orleans patios before you sign anything.

What real quotes look like

Published ranges are a floor, not a promise. In one r/landscaping thread, a homeowner shared two estimates from highly rated contractors that worked out to roughly $35 and $44 per square foot installed, well above the guide numbers. That gap isn’t padding. Full excavation, a deep compacted base, drainage, and tight access all live in the real number and not in the national average. It’s also why we put every figure in writing after we’ve walked the yard.

General ranges and a clear disclaimer

As a rough planning guide, a simple patio in standard concrete pavers sits at the lower end per square foot, mid-grade tumbled or large-format pavers in the middle, and porcelain or natural stone with seat walls and drainage at the higher end. Those bands are wide on purpose. Until someone measures your yard, checks access, and sees your drainage, any precise number is a guess. Every estimate we give is free, written, and site-specific, with the scope spelled out and the price held so there are no surprises later.

Pairs well with

Most of our patio budgets started as one project and grew once people saw the space. If you want the full picture, read our paver patio service page, and if you’re weighing an outdoor kitchen on the same slab, planning it now saves a teardown later. When you’re ready for a real number, contact us for a free on-site estimate.

Serving the New Orleans metro

We build paver patios across New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, River Ridge, Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, Madisonville, and Abita Springs. Ground conditions shift from the river side to the north shore, so we price each yard on what it actually needs. For street-level context, see our paver patio pages for Metairie, Kenner, and Slidell.

Paver patio cost FAQ

How much does a paver patio cost in New Orleans?

Published national rates run $10 to $28 per square foot installed (LawnStarter and Tomahawk Power). Size, paver type, and how much base and drainage work your yard needs set where you land in that span, and New Orleans site work often pushes quotes toward the top. We give a free written estimate after we see the site, so the number fits your yard instead of a generic chart.

How much does a 20×20 paver patio cost?

A 20×20 patio covers 400 square feet, which spans roughly $4,000 to $11,200 at the installed rates published by LawnStarter ($10 to $24 per square foot) and Tomahawk Power ($12 to $28). Base and drainage prep on our soft delta soil can carry a specific New Orleans yard past that bracket.

How much does a 12×12 paver patio cost?

A 12×12 patio covers 144 square feet, which works out to $1,440 to $4,032 at the same published rates. Small patios rarely hit the bottom of the math, though, because mobilization and base material minimums don’t shrink with the footprint.

How much does a 1,000 sq ft paver patio cost?

Roughly $10,000 to $28,000 at published national rates. Large builds earn some efficiency on materials, but 1,000 square feet of hardscape sheds a lot of water in a New Orleans rain, so drainage design becomes a bigger share of the price.

Is it cheaper to lay concrete or pavers?

Upfront, a basic poured slab usually costs less. Over time pavers often win because a shifted or stained unit lifts and resets, while concrete cracks as our ground moves and the whole slab has to be redone. Our pavers vs concrete comparison breaks down the full trade.

How much of the price is labor?

Most of a professional install is labor and base construction rather than the pavers themselves: excavation, hauling spoil, compacting in lifts, setting slope, and cutting borders. Access decides the hours, which is why two identical designs can price differently across town. Our written estimates itemize the split so you can see it.

Why is the base and drainage such a big part of the price?

Our soft delta soil and high water table mean the surface is only as good as what’s under it. A deep compacted base, proper slope, and drainage keep the patio from sinking or pumping after heavy rain. It’s the part you can’t see, and it’s the part that decides whether the patio lasts.

Is the estimate really free?

Yes. We come out, measure, check access and drainage, and give you a written scope and a price that holds. There’s no charge and no obligation.

Ready for a number built on your yard instead of a national chart? Request your free written estimate and we’ll measure, check access and drainage, and put the price in writing.

What a Paver Patio Costs in New Orleans (2026 Guide)