A paver patio, a block retaining wall and a tuckpointing job have little in common except the trowel. What they share is that most of the cost is under the surface or behind the scaffold: excavation, base, drainage, setup and cleanup. Price those first, then check your square foot number against published ranges.
- Price excavation, base and haul-off as their own lines in your head, even if the customer sees one number.
- Fixr lists paver patios at $10 to $25 a square foot, and brick patios at $12 to $20.
- Fixr puts a typical retaining wall at $3,500 to $10,000, about $5,463 for a 25 foot block wall 4 feet high.
- Tuckpointing runs $5 to $10 a square foot for walls 8 feet or under in Fixr's guide, and $10 to $25 above that.
- Set a minimum for brick repair. Small jobs carry the same setup and drive as big ones.
What goes into a masonry job
- Excavation and base. Digging, compacted gravel base, bedding sand and the haul-off of what comes out.
- Material. Pavers, block, brick or stone, plus edging, mortar, caps and adhesive, with waste for cuts.
- Crew time. Count hours from yard to yard: layout, digging, base, laying, cutting, cleanup.
- Equipment. Plate compactor, saw, skid steer or mini excavator, mixer, scaffold for brick work.
- Drainage. Walls over a few feet need drain pipe and gravel behind them. Patios need slope.
- Overhead and profit. Insurance, trucks, phones, software and the slow weeks, plus what the business keeps.
Setting your labor rate
Start with the wage. The closest group the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes is brickmasons and blockmasons. In its May 2025 wage survey, that group's national mean wage was $32.83 an hour and the median was $29.87 (BLS OEWS 47-2021). Masons who can lay a wall dead level and match old mortar are worth more than the median.
Add your labor burden on top: payroll taxes, workers' comp and any paid time off. If burden in your state comes to 20% of wages, a $33 an hour tech costs you $39.60 an hour. That loaded number is what goes into the job cost.
Fixr's brick repair guide puts a mason's hourly rate at $45 to $85 (Fixr). Your loaded cost plus overhead and profit should land near that for repair work.
Published masonry prices
These are national consumer figures, so they show what homeowners are told to expect. Use them as a check on your own math.
| Job | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Patios | ||
| Paver patio, installed | $10 to $25 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Brick patio, installed | $12 to $20 a sq ft | Fixr |
| 20 x 20 ft paver patio, two levels | About $6,000 | Fixr |
| Retaining walls | ||
| Retaining wall, typical | $3,500 to $10,000 | Fixr |
| 25 ft long, 4 ft high block wall | About $5,463 | Fixr |
| Segmental wall, installed | $15 to $35 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Brick work | ||
| Tuckpointing, walls 8 ft or under | $5 to $10 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Tuckpointing, walls over 8 ft | $10 to $25 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Brick repair | $10 to $20 a sq ft | Fixr |
| Paving | ||
| Asphalt sealcoating | $0.88 to $2.10 a sq ft | Fixr |
A worked example: a 12 by 20 foot paver patio
Every input is an assumption for the example. Swap in your own supplier prices, crew and margins.
- Size: 12 x 20 feet, 240 square feet, on flat ground, with a soldier course border.
- Materials: $5 a square foot for concrete pavers, base gravel, bedding sand and edging.
- Crew: three people, two days of eight hours, at $39.60 an hour loaded.
- Driving at 76 cents a mile, the IRS business rate for the second half of 2026 (IRS standard mileage rates).
- Overhead 20% of the price and profit 15%.
- Pavers, base gravel, sand and edging: 240 sq ft x $5 = $1,200
- Labor: 3 people x 2 days x 8 hours x $39.60 = $1,900.80
- Plate compactor and saw rental: $250
- Spoils haul-off and base delivery: $300
- Drive: 4 trips x 25 miles x $0.76 = $76
- Direct cost: $1,200 + $1,900.80 + $250 + $300 + $76 = $3,726.80
- Overhead plus profit: 20% + 15% = 35% of the price
- Price: $3,726.80 / (1 - 0.35) = $3,726.80 / 0.65 = $5,734
Check it: 35% of $5,734 is about $2,007, and $5,734 minus $2,007 is about $3,727, the direct cost of $3,726.80. The profit and overhead are inside the price, not added on top of a cost you guessed.
That is about $23.89 a square foot, inside Fixr's $10 to $25 range for paver patios. A patio with steps, a seat wall or a curve lands higher, and that is why those belong on their own lines.
Good, better, best for a patio
- Good: standard concrete pavers in one color, straight edges.
- Better: the $5,734 patio above, with a border course.
- Best: natural stone or a larger patio with a seat wall and lighting.
Send them with Koira's estimates. The customer picks one, signs and pays the deposit on the same page. Pay over time on the pay page helps with the bigger option.
One patio sells the next
Neighbors watch a patio go in for two days. Neighbor postcards tell the homes nearby who built it, and the reviews engine asks for a review an hour after the invoice is paid.
Common masonry pricing mistakes
- Base priced by guess. Measure the dig depth and price the gravel by the ton or yard.
- No haul-off. Dirt and old concrete cost money to move and to dump.
- Walls without drainage. Drain pipe and gravel behind a wall are part of the price, not an extra.
- Scaffold left out. Brick work above eight feet takes setup time Fixr's own ranges reflect.
Sources
Every published figure on this page was read on the source page itself on the date shown. Worked example inputs are assumptions, labeled as such.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Brickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021), checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Cost to build a patio, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Retaining wall cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Tuckpointing brick cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Brick siding repair cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Cost to seal an asphalt driveway, checked October 9, 2026
- IRS: Standard mileage rates, checked October 9, 2026
Questions contractors ask
How much should I charge per square foot for a paver patio?
Build it from your crew days and material. Fixr lists paver patios at $10 to $25 a square foot installed.
What does a retaining wall cost?
Fixr puts most retaining walls at $3,500 to $10,000, about $5,463 for a 25 foot concrete block wall 4 feet high.
How much is tuckpointing per square foot?
Fixr lists $5 to $10 a square foot for walls 8 feet or under, and $10 to $25 for taller walls.
Should I have a minimum for brick repair?
Yes. Fixr notes most companies charge a minimum of around $300 for small brick repairs.
