How Much Does a Paver Patio Cost in Illinois in 2027?

By Jonathan Garcia, G Construction & Landscape • Aurora, Illinois • 2027 planning guide prepared November 2026

For a professionally installed, ground-level paver patio in Chicago’s western suburbs, start with $25 to $45 per square foot when planning for 2027. That puts a 20-by-20-foot patio at about $10,000 to $18,000. For an early budget, I’d pencil in $14,000 for the patio itself and price steps, walls, lighting and major drainage work separately. These figures are based on local 2026 pricing available in November. Your site visit, material selections and written proposal will determine your 2027 price. Naperville pricing benchmark · Unilock patio cost guide

Picture the first cookout. Somebody pulls a chair back from the table just as somebody else comes through the patio door with a tray of burgers. Can they pass each other? That little stretch of pavement may do more for your backyard than a premium border. Then again, if you have plenty of room and can see the patio from your kitchen window every morning, the border might be what you enjoy most.

My dad and I build patios around Aurora, Naperville and the Fox Valley. When we walk a yard with a homeowner, we want to know two things early. How do you want to use this space? And what will it take to build it in this particular yard? Here’s how we turn those answers into a budget.

What does a paver patio cost by square foot and size?

Measure length times width, then multiply the square footage by an installed rate. The middle column below uses $35 per square foot so you have one practical number to work with. The last column shows what happens when the rate moves toward either end of the local planning range.

Patio dimensions	Paved area	Budget at $35/sq. ft.	Planning range at $25–$45/sq. ft.
12 × 16 ft.	192 sq. ft.	$6,720	$4,800–$8,640
15 × 20 ft.	300 sq. ft.	$10,500	$7,500–$13,500
20 × 20 ft.	400 sq. ft.	$14,000	$10,000–$18,000
22 × 20 ft.	440 sq. ft.	$15,400	$11,000–$19,800
20 × 30 ft.	600 sq. ft.	$21,000	$15,000–$27,000

The table assumes a new pedestrian patio with excavation, aggregate base, bedding, pavers, edge restraint, joint material and installation. Ask how much hauling and lawn restoration your proposal includes. Small jobs can cost more per foot because it still takes a crew, equipment and deliveries to get started. A raised patio with a retaining wall needs a separate estimate.

Where do the numbers come from? Unilock puts a 400-square-foot installation at roughly $12,000–$16,000, or $30–$40 per square foot. A Naperville installer published a $25–$45 range in 2026. A contractor serving Kane and DeKalb counties reported $25–$55, illustrating how much the upper end can move. Those are different sources with different project mixes. We use the Naperville range for the table and check it against a proposal of our own below. Homeowners elsewhere in Illinois should check rates in their own market. Unilock · Naperville pricing · Kane and DeKalb County pricing

A real Naperville example. What did $16,000 cover?

In October 2026, we quoted $16,000 for a 22-by-20-foot paver patio in Naperville. That works out to $36.36 per square foot for the proposed 440-square-foot project. The design paired Unilock Beacon Hill Smooth with EasyClean with a triple Mattoni accent border. Our scope included excavation, soil haul-away, an open-graded stone base and extra reinforcement in the first 10 feet out from the house.

That last detail matters. Look at the drawing and you see a rectangle. Read the estimate and you see two different base conditions inside it. Along the house, we specified woven stabilization fabric, geogrid and 12 inches of clean stone. If you’re comparing bids on a newer home, ask each contractor how they intend to handle the backfilled area beside the foundation. In this case you can trace part of the price to a specific strip of ground.

What makes two patios of the same size cost different amounts?

1. The trip from the driveway to the backyard

On one property a compact machine can reach the patio from the driveway. Next door, a fence, AC unit and window well may leave only enough room for wheelbarrows. Same paver. Same patio dimensions. Very different workday.

Consider the volume. Across 400 square feet, each additional inch of excavation equals about 1.23 cubic yards of soil in place. Four extra inches mean nearly five more cubic yards to dig, move and haul, before allowing for soil loosening as it comes out. Then the replacement stone travels back in. When you send photos for an estimate, include the narrowest point along the access route and a measurement of the clear opening. It tells us something a beautiful backyard photo can’t.

2. What’s under the grass or old concrete

Building in lawn usually starts with stripping sod and excavating soil. Replacing a concrete patio adds breakup, loading and disposal. If you have existing pavers, ask whether the proposal assumes the old base can stay and what happens if the crew uncovers soft material. Reusing sound material and rebuilding a failed base are quite different scopes.

For many of our new ground-level patios, we plan 6–8 inches of CA-7 clean stone with a thin layer of smaller stone chips for bedding. Actual depths depend on the site and design. The larger stone provides support. The bedding gives the crew a precise surface on which to set the pavers. Ask for the compacted base depth in writing so you know which layer a quoted measurement describes.

If you’ve heard installers refer to ICPI, that’s the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, now part of the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA). Its conventional construction guide describes a different assembly using aggregate base and bedding sand. The common questions worth asking are how the crew will prepare the soil, compact the base, establish elevations and restrain the perimeter. The exact materials should match the system being installed. CMHA construction guidance · ICPI and CMHA

3. Where the water goes after it reaches the edge

If a Downers Grove backyard holds water after a storm, I want to know where the puddle forms before we draw the patio. A patio can shed rain exactly as designed and still deliver it to the low spot in front of your gate. Look at the downspouts, the elevation at the back door and the route water can follow beyond the new paving.

Sometimes the design can address that with surface grading. Sometimes we need to price a buried downspout extension, catch basin or another outlet. Ask your installer to show you the route on the plan and identify which work is in the price. A phone photo taken during a downpour is worth bringing to the consultation.

Does a permeable paver patio cost more? It can. In a permeable interlocking concrete pavement system, rain passes through aggregate-filled openings and into an open-graded stone reservoir. Depending on the soil and design, water can soak into the ground or leave through an underdrain. Excavation, reservoir depth, outlet and joint material all affect cost. Clean stone beneath ordinary pavers alone doesn’t establish that the finished patio qualifies as permeable for a municipal review. CMHA permeable pavement construction guide · CMHA permeable system specification

4. Paver selection, border length and the number of cuts

Unilock estimates that the pavers themselves typically account for about 20% of a project budget. The percentage varies by job, but it explains why switching to a less expensive color or style can save less than homeowners expect. If two products differ by $2 per square foot in material price, a 400-square-foot field has an $800 material difference before waste, delivery and any change in installation labor. Ask for the installed price difference between the two samples you like. Unilock patio design and budgeting advice

For a dining patio, Beacon Hill Smooth with EasyClean is one option we discuss. Unilock describes EasyClean as a factory-applied treatment for stain resistance. Its Chicago catalog lists a 60 mm, three-size pedestrian bundle with units up to roughly 15 by 22½ inches. That gives a homeowner two concrete decisions. Do you want a smoother, larger-scale pattern under the table? Is stain resistance near the grill worth the quoted upgrade? Look at the physical sample next to your siding, both in sun and in the shade where the table will actually sit. Unilock Chicago catalog · Chicago product sheet

Borders tell a different cost story. A 20-by-20 square has 80 feet around it. A 10-by-40 rectangle has 100 feet. Both cover 400 square feet, but the longer shape has 25% more perimeter. On a freestanding patio with a triple border, that difference repeats across three rows. Curves and corners add cuts and layout time. For a cost-conscious design with some personality, try a single contrasting row first. Ask to see the price for the triple border alongside it.

The decorative border and the structural edge restraint also serve different purposes. One frames the patio. The other keeps the outside pavers from spreading and helps the field stay interlocked. CMHA treats perimeter restraint as an essential part of an interlocking installation. If you simplify the border to save money, the proposal should still explain how the edge will be secured. CMHA edge restraint guide

5. The height of the back door

A raised patio is one of the quickest ways to outgrow a square-foot calculator. Stand at the back door and look toward the far corner of the proposed patio. How far below the threshold is the lawn there? A yard can look fairly flat from the kitchen and still need a wall along the outer edge to hold the finished terrace.

Compare two layouts. One keeps the dining area near door height and puts steps down to the lawn. The other puts the steps near the house and keeps most of the patio closer to yard level. Both can fit the same table. They can require very different quantities of wall block, coping, fill and stair work. Ask for the wall length, exposed height and number of steps on each option before choosing.

How can I keep a patio on budget without making it feel small?

Start with your furniture. Set out the table, pull the chairs back as though people are sitting in them, and walk from the door to the grill carrying something wide. A laundry basket makes a surprisingly good stand-in for a loaded tray. Mark where the walk feels cramped. That’s where an extra foot will earn its keep.

Then try one of these changes on the drawing:

• Trim an unused strip. Changing a 22-by-20 layout to 20 by 20 removes 40 square feet. At the $35 planning rate, that’s about $1,400 of budget to discuss. Actual savings depend on which labor and materials come out of the scope.

• Keep the paver you love and simplify the pattern. A straight edge and one well-chosen border can make a smooth paver look finished without paying for multiple accent rows.

• Build in phases where it makes sense. If lighting or a pergola is a future goal, discuss conduit routes or footing locations before paving. Ask for the preparation and future features as separate prices.

• Decide how you want the crew to leave the lawn. We typically include topsoil and seed for disturbed patio edges and can quote sod as an upgrade. If equipment will cross a long side yard, mark the restoration limits on the plan. A two-foot strip around the patio and a full side-yard repair are different quantities.

Do I need a patio permit in Naperville or Aurora?

In Naperville, size and features both matter. The city’s patio guidance says a permit is required for a new or expanded patio when total paved area will exceed 500 square feet. It also lists triggers at any size, including a permanent fire pit, fireplace or grill, electrical, plumbing or gas fixtures, or a patio more than 30 inches above adjacent ground. Setbacks and easements still apply. A 20-by-20 patio with a permanent gas fire pit is a good example of why square footage alone won’t settle the question. Confirm the current requirements for your design before starting. City of Naperville patio permit guidance

For an Aurora address, start with the city’s permit resources and confirm the scope with the building division. If you live in Batavia, Geneva, Plainfield or an unincorporated area, check which jurisdiction reviews your property. Bring a survey if you have one, show existing paved areas and add the proposed dimensions. Where an HOA is involved, find out what it needs for its own review. Ask who will prepare drawings, submit them and cover fees. City of Aurora permit resources

What should I compare in two paver patio estimates?

If one estimate is $14,000 and another is $17,000, put the drawings next to each other before looking at the bottom line again. These are the details I’d circle with a pen.

Look for	Ask the contractor
Measured footprint	How many square feet belong to the patio, walkway and landings?
Removal and disposal	Does this cover old concrete, soil hauling and disposal fees?
Foundation	Which base and bedding materials are included? What is the compacted base depth?
Drainage	Where will runoff discharge? Which grading or pipe work is included?
Pavers and edges	What exact product, finish, border pattern, restraint and joint material am I buying?
Extras	Are steps, seat walls, lighting, permits and restoration included or priced separately?
After installation	Who handles a settlement issue? What do the written workmanship and product warranties each cover?

Quick answers for western suburban homeowners

Can I build a paver patio for $10,000 near Aurora?

Possibly. At $35 per square foot, $10,000 corresponds to roughly 285 square feet before separately priced extras. A 14-by-20 layout is 280 square feet and gives you a realistic shape to test in the yard. Straightforward access, limited demolition and a simple border make that conversation easier.

How much should I budget for a 20-by-20 Unilock patio?

Unilock’s published example is $12,000–$16,000 for 400 square feet. Our western-suburban planning range is wider at $10,000–$18,000 for a ground-level installation. Give your contractor the product name, a photo of the yard and the height from the back door to the lawn to narrow it down. Unilock patio cost guide

Is it cheaper to extend my existing patio?

It can be, if the existing section is sound and the new section can meet it at the right elevation. Ask the installer to check settlement, drainage direction and whether the original paver is still available. Sometimes a contrasting band between old and new looks more intentional than trying to match a weathered color exactly.

What should I send to get a more accurate patio estimate?

Send your town, rough dimensions, photos from the back door and far corner, and one photo showing the crew’s access route. Mention any standing water, existing concrete, planned steps or permanent features. A sentence like “We want six people to eat outside and still have room to get to the grill” helps us price a patio you’ll actually enjoy using.

Planning a paver patio in Aurora, Naperville, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Downers Grove or a nearby western suburb? My dad and I would be glad to walk the yard with you. Show us where the table goes and where the water sits after a storm. We can work from there. Call G Construction & Landscape at (630) 303-3774 or request a patio consultation.