Design conceptPatios
Rectangles, curves and multi-level patios with steps, seat walls and a fire pit if you want one. We lay out the shape with paint and string before the first shovel so you see the size in your yard, not on paper.
Paver installation in Charlotte and across North Carolina
Concrete and natural-stone pavers on a six to eight inch compacted base, with edge restraint and locked joints. Patios, walkways, pool surrounds and paver driveways that flex with North Carolina clay instead of cracking over it.
- Base depth and lifts named on every quote
- Written quote within two business days
- Based in Mooresville, serving Charlotte and Lake Norman
Design concept
The short answer
A paver patio in North Carolina costs about $14 to $30 per square foot installed in 2026 with concrete pavers, $20 to $30 with premium large-format pavers, and $25 to $50 with natural stone such as travertine or bluestone. The price includes excavation to seven to nine inches, geotextile fabric over the clay, six inches of crushed stone compacted in two- to three-inch lifts, one inch of screeded bedding sand, the pavers themselves with wet-saw cuts and a border, edge restraint spiked every ten inches, and polymeric sand swept and set in the joints. A 16 by 20 foot dining patio of 320 square feet usually lands between $4,500 and $9,600 in concrete pavers and takes three to five working days. On Piedmont clay that swells wet and shrinks dry, pavers flex instead of cracking and can be lifted and re-set, which is why Empire Stone Group recommends them for patios, walkways and pool decks.
| Paver work | What is included | Typical NC range |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete paver patio | 6" base, 1" bedding, 60 mm pavers, edge restraint, polymeric sand | $14–24 / sq ft |
| Premium or large-format pavers | Same build, slab-style or textured pavers, border course | $20–30 / sq ft |
| Natural stone (travertine, bluestone, flagstone) | Same base, mortared or dry-laid to suit the stone | $25–50 / sq ft |
| Walkway or front path | Narrow runs cost more per foot: more cutting, more edge | $18–30 / sq ft |
| Pool surround | Coping, pitched away from the pool, slip-rated surface | $20–35 / sq ft |
| Paver driveway | 8–12" base, 80 mm pavers, herringbone, concrete edge | $20–32 / sq ft |
| Seat wall or step, added | Matching wall block, capped | $60–120 / linear ft |
Ranges reflect published 2026 North Carolina pricing and our own quoting. Pattern, cuts, access and drainage change the number. Your written quote is the price.
What you are paying for, in the order it goes in
Seven layers. Scroll and the cross-section is built up under the pavers. Every one of them is on your quote by name.
Illustration, not a photograph. Depths shown are for a patio; driveways take 8 to 12 inches of stone.
Excavate
To 7 to 9 inches below finished grade for a patio, 10 to 14 for a driveway. Shape painted on the grass, string lines set for height and pitch.
Geotextile fabric
Over the clay subgrade so the stone base does not migrate into the soil.
Crushed stone base
ABC or #57 topped with screenings, placed and plate-compacted in lifts of 2 to 3 inches, one lift at a time.
Bedding sand
One inch, screeded flat. We never use it to fill a low spot in the base.
Pavers
Laid from a fixed edge, cut with a wet saw, compacted into the bedding with a padded plate.
Edge restraint
On every open edge, spiked into the base every ten inches.
Polymeric sand
Swept, compacted, misted and cured. Use the patio the same evening.
Every step above is on the quote by name, so you can compare it against a lower bid that leaves one out.
What paver installation covers: patios, walkways, pool surrounds and paver driveways
Same compacted base under all of it. The shape, the paver and the edge change.
Design concept
Design conceptWalkways and front paths
Our walkways get a soldier-course border, a hidden edge restraint spiked every ten inches, and a pitch that sends rain off to the side instead of down the walk.
Design conceptPool surrounds
Coping first, then the field, pitched away from the water. Textured or tumbled pavers for grip, and channel drains where the deck meets a wall or the house.
Design conceptPaver driveways
Eighty-millimeter pavers in herringbone on a deep base with a concrete-haunched edge. More than a concrete driveway, and repairable one section at a time for the life of the house.
Design conceptFlagstone and natural stone
Irregular flagstone, travertine or bluestone go on the same compacted stone base as pavers, either dry-laid with tight joints swept with stone dust, or mortar-set over an existing sound slab. Natural stone runs thicker and heavier than a concrete paver, so cuts are slower and the price per square foot is higher. Choose it for the look; choose concrete pavers when repairability, a uniform surface or budget matter more.
Not sure which one?
Ask for two on the same quote and compare the numbers for your square footage.
The base, the day before the pavers go down
Once the pavers are down you cannot see the base, and it is what decides whether the patio is still flat in ten years. This is what it should look like the day before laying starts.
- Crushed stone. Graded to lock together, never fill dirt leveled with a rake.
- Lifts of two to three inches. Each one plate-compacted before the next goes on.
- Flat and to pitch. Screeded to about a quarter inch per foot of fall, checked before the bedding sand.
Illustration
Why pavers do well on Piedmont clay
Piedmont clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry, which moves whatever sits on it. A poured slab cracks; a paver surface flexes with the movement, and if an area does settle the pavers are lifted, the base is corrected and the same pavers go back. That repairability is the main reason we recommend pavers for patios here.
Empire Stone Group is based in Mooresville and installs paver patios, walkways, pool surrounds and paver driveways across the Charlotte metro and Lake Norman, and further across North Carolina when the job warrants the drive. Tell us the address when you request a quote and we confirm scheduling for your area on the first call.
Three to five working days for most patios
Layout
Shape painted on the grass, string lines set for height and pitch, utilities located. You approve the footprint before we dig.
Excavate and base
Dig to depth, lay the fabric, and compact the stone in lifts with a plate compactor. It is the slowest day of the job, and the most important.
Lay and cut
Bedding sand screeded, field laid from the fixed edge, border and cuts done with a wet saw, everything compacted into the bed.
Lock and clean
Edge restraint spiked, polymeric sand swept and set, site cleaned. Use the patio the same evening.
What homeowners ask about pavers
How much does a paver patio cost in North Carolina?
A paver patio in North Carolina typically costs $14 to $30 per square foot installed in 2026 with concrete pavers, and $25 to $50 with natural stone such as travertine or bluestone. A 16 by 20 foot patio of 320 square feet usually lands between $5,000 and $9,500 in concrete pavers. Steps, seat walls, curves and borders add to it.
Do you install pavers in Charlotte?
Yes. Empire Stone Group is based in Mooresville and installs paver patios, walkways, pool surrounds and paver driveways across the Charlotte metro and Lake Norman, and further across North Carolina when the job warrants the drive. Tell us the address when you request a quote and we confirm scheduling for your area on the first call.
Flagstone or pavers for a patio?
Both sit on the same compacted stone base. Concrete pavers give a uniform, slip-rated surface, are the easier repair, and cost less per square foot. Flagstone and other natural stone give an irregular, one-of-a-kind look at a higher material and labor cost, with tighter joints that need more careful cutting. Ask for both on one quote and compare the two numbers for your square footage.
How deep should the base be under pavers?
Six inches of compacted crushed stone under a patio or walkway, eight to twelve inches under a driveway, compacted in lifts of no more than three inches. On top of that goes one inch of screeded bedding sand, then the pavers. Skipping base depth is the most common reason a patio settles or ripples within a few years.
Why do pavers do well on North Carolina clay soil?
Piedmont clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry, which moves whatever sits on it. A poured slab cracks; a paver surface flexes with the movement, and if an area does settle the pavers are lifted, the base is corrected and the same pavers go back. That repairability is the main reason we recommend pavers for patios here.
What is polymeric sand and do I need it?
Polymeric sand is joint sand mixed with a binder. Swept into the joints and misted with water, it hardens enough to keep out weeds and ants and to stop the sand washing out in a storm, while still letting water drain. We use it on every paver job. It needs topping up every three to five years.
Can you build a paver patio on a slope?
Yes. A gentle slope is handled with grading and a pitch of about a quarter inch per foot for drainage. A steeper yard needs a retaining wall or a raised patio with a wall face, which we build as part of the same job so the base, the wall and the pavers are one design.
How long does a paver patio take to install?
A typical patio of 300 to 500 square feet takes three to five working days: one for excavation and base, one or two for laying, and one for cutting, edge restraint and joint sand. You can use it the day the joint sand sets.
Do you install paver driveways?
Yes. A paver driveway uses a thicker paver, usually 80 mm, on a deeper base of eight to twelve inches, and a pattern such as herringbone that locks under tire loads. It costs more than concrete up front and can be repaired section by section instead of replaced.
Get a written quote for your paver installation
The estimate is free and on site, and the quote is itemized down to the base depth. Most quotes go out within two business days.