Craft Quantities
Plan & Takeoffs

Job takeoff

Paver patio takeoff

Pavers, base, bedding sand, edging, jointing sand and sealer for a laid patio.

A takeoff is the trade word for the shopping list a job produces — every material, and how much of each, worked out by its own cited calculator.

  • 2Measurements in
  • 5Trades out

Give the job once

Every figure on the right follows these, in the units you choose.

Been given a quote for this job?

Paste it into the paver patio quote check: each line is read against these same calculators — what it leaves out, what it adds, and what to ask.

Check the quote

Every trade, from those dimensions

5 of 5 trades chosenNot pricedNot in project

then change a dimension, and each line shows what moved.

TradeQuantity
Paver CalculatorUnits at the default paver size and waste factor.
Base
215 pavers
Waste factor
+21 pavers · 10%, trade convention
Adjusted
236 pavers
Order
236 pavers, already whole
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity215 paverscalculatorPaver Calculator v1.1.0, headline with the waste factor at 0%
  2. Waste factor21 paversworked outthe adjusted figure less the base, at 10% (the calculator's working figure, a trade convention)
  3. Adjusted quantity236 paverscalculatorPaver Calculator v1.1.0, headline with the waste factor at 10%
  4. Order quantity236 paversworked out236 pavers, already whole

Resting on

  • Patio length16.5 ftgivenyour patio length
  • Patio width13 ftgivenyour patio width
  • Area Left Unpaved0 sq ftassumedthe Paver Calculator's default
  • Paver Length12 inassumedthe Paver Calculator's default
  • Paver Width12 inassumedthe Paver Calculator's default
  • Waste Factor (%)10%assumedthe Paver Calculator's default

The waste factor: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention.

Change any other figure on the Paver Calculator

236 pavers
Paver Base & Sand CalculatorBase gravel and bedding sand at the default depths.
Base
2.65 cubic yards (gravel base)
Allowance
+0 cubic yards (gravel base) · none added
Adjusted
2.65 cubic yards (gravel base)
Order
2.65 cubic yards (gravel base) (no pack size recorded)
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity2.65 cubic yards (gravel base)calculatorPaver Base & Sand Calculator v1.0.1, headline
  2. Allowance0 cubic yards (gravel base)worked outnone: the calculator adds no allowance, and none was added
  3. Adjusted quantity2.65 cubic yards (gravel base)worked outthe base plus the allowance
  4. Order quantity2.65 cubic yards (gravel base)worked out2.65 cubic yards (gravel base) (no pack size recorded)

Resting on

  • Patio length16.5 ftgivenyour patio length
  • Patio width13 ftgivenyour patio width
  • Gravel Base Depth4 inassumedthe Paver Base & Sand Calculator's default
  • Bedding Sand Depth1 inassumedthe Paver Base & Sand Calculator's default

Change any other figure on the Paver Base & Sand Calculator

2.65 cubic yards (gravel base)
Paver Edging CalculatorRestraint around the perimeter, in stock lengths.
Base
8 x 8 ft sections
Cutting allowance
+1 x 8 ft section · 10%, trade convention
Adjusted
9 x 8 ft sections
Order
9 x 8 ft sections, already whole
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity8 x 8 ft sectionscalculatorPaver Edging Calculator v1.1.0, headline with the cutting allowance at 0%
  2. Cutting allowance1 x 8 ft sectionworked outthe adjusted figure less the base, at 10% (the calculator's working figure, a trade convention)
  3. Adjusted quantity9 x 8 ft sectionscalculatorPaver Edging Calculator v1.1.0, headline with the cutting allowance at 10%
  4. Order quantity9 x 8 ft sectionsworked out9 x 8 ft sections, already whole

Resting on

  • Patio length16.5 ftgivenyour patio length
  • Patio width13 ftgivenyour patio width
  • Stock Edging Length: 8 ftassumedthe Paver Edging Calculator's default
  • Cutting Allowance (%)10%assumedthe Paver Edging Calculator's default

The cutting allowance: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention.

Change any other figure on the Paver Edging Calculator

9 x 8 ft sections
Paver Polymeric Sand CalculatorJointing sand at the default coverage — check the bag for your joint width.
Base
3 x 50 lb bags
Allowance
+0 x 50 lb bags · none added
Adjusted
3 x 50 lb bags
Order
3 x 50 lb bags, already whole
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity3 x 50 lb bagscalculatorPaver Polymeric Sand Calculator v1.0.1, headline
  2. Allowance0 x 50 lb bagsworked outnone: the calculator adds no allowance, and none was added
  3. Adjusted quantity3 x 50 lb bagsworked outthe base plus the allowance
  4. Order quantity3 x 50 lb bagsworked out3 x 50 lb bags, already whole

Resting on

  • Patio length16.5 ftgivenyour patio length
  • Patio width13 ftgivenyour patio width
  • Coverage per 50 lb (22.7 kg) Bag90 sq ftassumedthe Paver Polymeric Sand Calculator's default

Change any other figure on the Paver Polymeric Sand Calculator

3 x 50 lb bags
Paver Sealer CalculatorSealer, if you are sealing; many pavers are better left unsealed.
Base
3 gallons
Allowance
+0 gallons · none added
Adjusted
3 gallons
Order
3 gallons (no pack size recorded)
Why this quantity?
  1. Base quantity3 gallonscalculatorPaver Sealer Calculator v1.0.1, headline
  2. Allowance0 gallonsworked outnone: the calculator adds no allowance, and none was added
  3. Adjusted quantity3 gallonsworked outthe base plus the allowance
  4. Order quantity3 gallonsworked out3 gallons (no pack size recorded)

Resting on

  • Patio length16.5 ftgivenyour patio length
  • Patio width13 ftgivenyour patio width
  • Number of Coats2assumedthe Paver Sealer Calculator's default

Change any other figure on the Paver Sealer Calculator

3 gallons
Paver CalculatorUnits at the default paver size and waste factor.
Base
216 pavers
Waste factor
+21 pavers · 10%, trade convention
Adjusted
237 pavers
Order
237 pavers, already whole
Why this quantity?
237 pavers
Paver Base & Sand CalculatorBase gravel and bedding sand at the default depths.
Base
2.03 m³
Allowance
+0 m³ · none added
Adjusted
2.03 m³
Order
2.03 m³ (no pack size recorded)
Why this quantity?
2.03 m³
Paver Edging CalculatorRestraint around the perimeter, in stock lengths.
Base
8 x 2.4 m sections
Cutting allowance
+1 x 2.4 m section · 10%, trade convention
Adjusted
9 x 2.4 m sections
Order
9 x 2.4 m sections, already whole
Why this quantity?
9 x 2.4 m sections
Paver Polymeric Sand CalculatorJointing sand at the default coverage — check the bag for your joint width.
Base
3 x 20 kg bags
Allowance
+0 x 20 kg bags · none added
Adjusted
3 x 20 kg bags
Order
3 x 20 kg bags, already whole
Why this quantity?
3 x 20 kg bags
Paver Sealer CalculatorSealer, if you are sealing; many pavers are better left unsealed.
Base
11.36 L
Allowance
+0 L · none added
Adjusted
11.36 L
Order
11.36 L (no pack size recorded)
Why this quantity?
11.36 L

Estimates, not a quote. Each row gives its base, the allowance on top, the adjusted figure and what to order; change an allowance on the row, or open its reasoning to see every figure it rests on. A trade's own page carries what it does not cover — open the one you are about to order against.

Labour and programme

Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.

  • Paver28 h (16–56)
  • Paver Base & Sand2.0 h (0.8–6.1)
  • Paver Sealer3.6 h (2.0–8.0)

About 34 person-hours in all, between 19 and 70.

Trade by trade

  1. Landscaper1 landscaper + 1 labourer1½ days
  2. Labourer2 labourersunder a quarter of a day
  3. Painter1 painterhalf a day

About 2½ days, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.

2 rows carry no hours of their own
  • Paver Edging: counted with Paver
  • Paver Polymeric Sand: counted with Paver

Labour and programme

Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.

  • Paver28 h (16–56)
  • Paver Base & Sand2.0 h (0.8–6.1)
  • Paver Sealer3.6 h (2.0–8.0)

About 34 person-hours in all, between 19 and 70.

Trade by trade

  1. Landscaper1 landscaper + 1 labourer2 days
  2. Labourer2 labourersunder a quarter of a day
  3. Painter1 painterhalf a day

About 2½ days, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.

2 rows carry no hours of their own
  • Paver Edging: counted with Paver
  • Paver Polymeric Sand: counted with Paver

Setups you have saved

The build-up, the dimensions and any allowance you changed — kept on this device, and reusable on any job. Your prices are not copied in: they stay in your price book, so a setup never holds a stale one.

How far does a budget go?

At your own prices, with this build-up unchanged.

About this job

A paver patio is a structure that happens to look like a surface, and four parts of it decide whether it lasts. The base is the structure. The bedding sand is a levelling course and not a base — 25 mm (1 in) of it, screeded, and never more to make up for a base that is out. The pavers are the wearing surface. The edging is what stops the whole thing spreading sideways, which is the failure mode: without restraint, the perimeter units creep outward, the joints open, and the patio grows a ragged edge within two seasons.

Jointing sand is where the modern product changed the job. Polymeric sand binds when it is wetted, locking the joints against weed growth and ant excavation, and it is unforgiving about being installed on a damp surface or watered wrongly. It is a bagged product with a coverage rate, which is why it has its own row rather than being folded into the pavers.

The base depth in the rows below is a default, not a specification. A pedestrian patio and a surface a vehicle crosses want materially different builds, and the hardscape calculator asks that question directly.

How each line reads

Base
What the calculator gives for these dimensions, before anything is added.
Allowance
Cutting waste, a lap or spare stock — named, with where it comes from, and changeable on the row.
Adjusted
The base with its allowance on top.
Order
What to buy: the adjusted figure in whole boards, bags, rolls or lengths.

The order this happens in

Quantities do not tell you the sequence, and on this job the sequence is where the money goes wrong.

  1. Excavate to the full base depth plus the bedding and the paver, and check the fall away from the building.
  2. Compact the sub-grade before any base goes in.
  3. Lay the base in layers no deeper than the compactor can actually reach, compacting each one.
  4. Set the edge restraint before the field, not after.
  5. Screed the bedding sand to a constant depth; never fill a dip in the base with more sand.
  6. Lay the pavers, cut the perimeter, then compact them into the bedding before sanding the joints.
  7. Sweep in the jointing sand, compact, top up, then wet it exactly as the bag says.

What this takeoff does not cover

  • Drainage and the sub-grade's own condition, which decide whether the base stays where you put it.
  • Steps, level changes, kerbs and any retaining edge taller than a restraint strip.
  • The cutting waste on a complex perimeter, which a rectangle's waste factor understates badly.
  • Geotextile between sub-grade and base, which soft ground needs and firm ground does not.

Quote check

Been given a quote for this job?

Paste it into the paver patio quote check. Every line of it is read against these same calculators and your measurements. Quantities only, never prices.

Check the quoteEvery quote check

  • What it leaves out

    Every line this takeoff has that nothing on the quote reads as.

  • What it adds

    Labour, removal, hire, fees — each named for what it is.

  • What to ask

    One list of questions, ready to copy. Never a verdict.

More takeoffs

Other job takeoffs

All job takeoffs

Frequently asked questions

What does the paver patio takeoff give for a typical job?
Opened at Patio length 5 m · Patio width 4 m, it orders: Paver, 237 pavers; Paver Base & Sand, 2.03 m³; Paver Edging, 9 x 2.4 m sections; Paver Polymeric Sand, 3 x 20 kg bags; Paver Sealer, 11.4 L. Opened at Patio length 16.5 ft · Patio width 13 ft: Paver, 236 pavers; Paver Base & Sand, 2.65 cubic yards (gravel base); Paver Edging, 9 x 8 ft sections; Paver Polymeric Sand, 3 x 50 lb bags; Paver Sealer, 3 gallons. Every figure follows the dimensions you give it.
Which calculators does the paver patio takeoff run?
5 calculators, one to a line: Paver Calculator, Paver Base & Sand Calculator, Paver Edging Calculator, Paver Polymeric Sand Calculator, Paver Sealer Calculator. Each has a page of its own with its formula and its sources; the takeoff runs them all on one set of dimensions.
What does the paver patio takeoff leave out?
4 things, each named on this page: Drainage and the sub-grade's own condition, which decide whether the base stays where you put it; Steps, level changes, kerbs and any retaining edge taller than a restraint strip; The cutting waste on a complex perimeter, which a rectangle's waste factor understates badly; Geotextile between sub-grade and base, which soft ground needs and firm ground does not.
Can I check a quote for this job against the takeoff?
Yes. The paver patio quote check reads a quote's lines against these same calculators and your measurements, and reports what it leaves out, what it adds and what to ask. It reads quantities, never prices.