Preparation checklist: decide what each line owns
- Keep a dated dimensioned sketch: finished footprint, elevations, slopes, curves, steps, openings, wall edges and access route.
- Obtain the approved layer/detail schedule. Record excavation depth, each base layer, bedding, paver thickness, joint product, edge detail and fabric separately.
- Write the supplier's selling basis beside each item: loose bulk volume, compacted installed volume, mass, bag, piece, roll, square metre, fixed delivery or installed quote.
- Mark scope owner: owner purchase, installer supply, package allowance, existing stock, or excluded/pending. One physical material must have one priced owner.
- Collect exact SKU, package/stock size, density or yield, delivery minimum, lead time and current installation instructions before converting a takeoff into an order.
What and how to measure: use one sketch, not one number
Measure the finished paved footprint in consistent units, split irregular shapes into rectangles/triangles and retain each calculation. Then measure depths at their own layer: excavation is not base; base is not bedding; bedding is not paver thickness. Measure exposed restraint by run length, not area. For fabric, measure each zone and choose strip direction before calculating rolls. Record paver dimensions, joint product coverage basis and any openings or cuts separately.
For a practical starting sequence, use the Excavation Volume Calculator for the dig, the Paver Base Calculator for its stated layers, the Paver Calculator for units and cutting allowance, and the Polymeric Sand Calculator for the selected joint-product basis. None of those outputs replaces the separate product data required by the four patio tools below.
Quantity language: do not price unlike quantities as if they match
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Net | Geometry before allowances or package rounding. | 10.00 m of exposed edge run. |
| Installed | Material occupying the approved finished layer. | 20.00 m² × 0.040 m = 0.800 m³ bedding. |
| Loose | Delivered/uncompacted quantity only when the supplier states that basis. | Do not assume 0.800 m³ installed equals 0.800 m³ loose. |
| Ordered | Need after the entered product/order factor, before final packs. | 0.800 m³ × 1.00 = 0.800 m³; 1,280 kg at 1,600 kg/m³. |
| Whole-pack purchased | Sellable bags, pieces or rolls after upward rounding. | ceil(1,280 kg ÷ 25 kg/bag) = 52 bags. |
Ask the bulk supplier which conversion bridges installed and loose quantities; density, compaction and moisture conditions are product/site-specific. A bag order can be a whole-pack purchase even where the calculated ordered mass is not a whole bag. Do not use a loose-delivery rate to price a compacted installed volume unless the supplier confirms the conversion.
Connect the takeoff to the four patio tools
- Bedding Sand Calculator (C01): carries footprint × installed depth through order factor, density and bags.
- Paver Edge Restraint Calculator (C02): separates exposed runs from wall-supported exclusions and rounds stock under the chosen offcut policy.
- Geotextile Roll Coverage Calculator (C03): turns zone geometry, strip direction and overlap into gross cut and whole-roll quantities.
- Patio Installation Cost Calculator (C04): prices named material, labour and delivery lines or one exclusive all-in installed quote.
For the underlying layout math and product-input caveats, see the live Patio Bedding, Edge Restraint & Fabric Takeoff guide. For quote comparison, use the itemized outdoor project estimate guide.
Worked material order: C01–C03 fixture quantities
All inputs in this table are illustrative. The C01–C03 fixtures use a 20.00 m² bedding footprint at 0.040 m depth, two separately ordered 5.00 m exposed edge runs on 2.00 m stock, and a 10.00 m × 3.80 m fabric zone with 2.00 m × 20.00 m rolls and one 0.20 m side lap. A wall-supported edge is excluded; no offcuts are pooled.
| Line | Calculation | Order result |
|---|---|---|
| C01 bedding | 20.00 m² × 0.040 m = 0.800 m³ installed; × 1.00 = 0.800 m³ ordered; × 1,600 kg/m³ = 1,280 kg | ceil(1,280 kg ÷ 25 kg/bag) = 52 bags |
| C02 restraint | 5.00 m + 5.00 m = 10.00 m net exposed; ceil(5.00 ÷ 2.00) = 3 pieces per run | 3 + 3 = 6 pieces / 12.00 m purchased |
| C03 fabric | Two 2.00 m strips − one 0.20 m lap = 3.80 m net; 2 × 10.00 m = 20.00 linear m; 2.00 m × 20.00 m = 40.00 m² gross | 38.00 m² net coverage; 1 roll |
These are distinct lines. Bedding does not include base aggregate; the edge line excludes a wall-supported side; fabric gross cut is not paver area; and the C02 2.00 m surplus is purchased stock, not installed restraint. Bring the existing excavation/base/paver/joint outputs in as additional named rows only after checking they have no overlapping material or labour package.
Worked budget: C04 itemized price fixture
Illustrative C04 price fixture, USD, zero tax and contingency: this is an independent manual price worksheet. Its 1 tonne bedding line is not the 52-bag C01 order above, so they must not be added together. In a real estimate choose the supplier's one selling basis, then enter that purchased quantity once.
| Scope | Purchased quantity × entered rate | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Pavers | 20 m² × $30/m² | $600 |
| Base | 3 tonnes × $40/tonne | $120 |
| Bedding | 1 tonne × $50/tonne | $50 |
| Labour | 20 m² × $25/m² | $500 |
| Delivery | 1 fixed fee × $80 | $80 |
| Direct total | $600 + $120 + $50 + $500 + $80 | $1,350 |
Do not place a supplier's all-in paver installation quote beside its pavers, base, bedding, labour and delivery components. Either price the separated lines above or record one all-in line with every included/excluded scope stated. Excavation, disposal, fabric, edge restraint, joint product, permits and tax are excluded from this limited fixture—not free.
Changed-input comparison: one price change, one scoped result
Keep every C04 fixture input unchanged except change the paver rate from $30.00/m² to $32.50/m². The paver line becomes 20 m² × $32.50/m² = $650; the direct total becomes $650 + $120 + $50 + $500 + $80 = $1,400. The base, bedding, labour and delivery lines do not change. A blank labour rate is unpriced, not $0, so it cannot support a complete total.
Practical purchase checklist and common ordering mistakes
- Give suppliers the same dated sketch, revision, SKU/finish, selling basis, package size and delivery/access conditions.
- Confirm every line as supplied, installed, excluded, existing stock or pending. Keep a zero only for an explicitly free charge; keep unknown price as unpriced.
- Round only on the actual selling increment: bags, pieces and rolls round upward; do not round installed area/volume and then add a second hidden allowance.
- Do not count base in excavation, bedding in base, fabric in pavers, or an all-in installed quote plus its component lines.
- Check the selected product's current density/yield, stock length, roll dimensions, permitted overlap, fixing rule, returns/cut policy, lead time and delivery minimum.
- Before issuing a purchase order, reconcile quantities, quote date/currency, tax, delivery, unloading, waste/disposal, labour boundary and every exclusion with the installer or supplier.
Sources, scope, and limitations
The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute publishes technical resources for concrete paver systems, and PAVE EDGE's official product page identifies product-specific restraint information. They support checking the current approved system and selected SKU; they do not establish the synthetic depths, densities, overlaps, quantities, rates or labour allowance below.
Illustrative values: every dimension, density, bag mass, stock length, roll size, rate, fee and labour quantity on this page is a synthetic fixture. They are arithmetic examples, not recommendations or local prices. Confirm product instructions, approved details, subgrade/drainage design, structural requirements, utilities, permits, access, taxes, delivery rules and return policy before purchasing.