Open assumptions. Clearer decisions.
How our estimates work
Our tools combine your project area with published US installation cost guidance. They provide a planning range, not a contractor quote or a statistical confidence interval. All values are in US dollars.
Our source review
For this version, we compared at least two publishers for each project, checked the stated scope, and retained a broad range instead of averaging incompatible prices. This is an AI-assisted editorial synthesis of public sources, not a contractor, engineering, or on-site professional review. We have not audited the publishers’ underlying samples.
Sources were checked on . Source publication dates can be earlier than the review date; a new year in a page title does not establish when every price was collected. Prices and scope vary by location and may change.
The calculation
Installed budget = finished area × installed price per square foot. The installed rate is a bundle of materials and professional installation. We do not invent percentages for a materials/labor breakdown or add those costs again. An optional removal line uses only the extra removal rate you enter.
A local installed rate replaces the national bundle. It does not add to it. Confirm the scope of your local rate, including delivery, base preparation, disposal, and minimum job charges.
Project models
Natural sod
$1.00–$3.54 per sq ft installed. Broad envelope of two published installation ranges; not a statistical average.
Calculation guardrail: 500–5,000 sq ft. We restrict extrapolation to a conservative range informed by published examples. This is an editorial limit, not a statistically validated accuracy interval. Projects outside it need an individual quote.
Included in the planning scope
- Sod and professional installation
- Basic preparation on accessible, level bare soil
Excluded or needing a separate quote
- Existing lawn removal and disposal
- Irrigation and major soil replacement
- Sales tax and permits
- Major grading, drainage repairs or difficult access
- Ongoing maintenance
- New lawn installation on prepared ground.
- Delivery terms and grass variety require a local quote.
Artificial turf
$10.00–$25.00 per sq ft installed. HomeGuide broad installed range cross-checked against Homewyse; scope varies by supplier.
Calculation guardrail: 400–3,000 sq ft. We restrict extrapolation to a conservative range informed by published examples. This is an editorial limit, not a statistically validated accuracy interval. Projects outside it need an individual quote.
Included in the planning scope
- Artificial turf and professional installation
- Routine base preparation, fitting and seaming allowance
Excluded or needing a separate quote
- Existing surface removal and disposal
- Specialty pet, cooling or putting-green systems
- Sales tax and permits
- Major grading, drainage repairs or difficult access
- Ongoing maintenance
- Accessible residential lawn, standard turf installation.
- Confirm base depth, infill, edging and delivery in your quote.
Paver patio
$8.00–$28.49 per sq ft installed. Envelope of general patio and explicitly scoped paver installation guidance; no premium-stone tier.
Calculation guardrail: 100–900 sq ft. We restrict extrapolation to a conservative range informed by published examples. This is an editorial limit, not a statistically validated accuracy interval. Projects outside it need an individual quote.
Included in the planning scope
- Standard pavers and professional installation
- Routine base preparation and laying allowance
Excluded or needing a separate quote
- Existing patio removal and disposal
- Premium stone, retaining walls, steps and specialty drainage
- Sales tax and permits
- Major grading, drainage repairs or difficult access
- Ongoing maintenance
- Simple residential patio with accessible ground.
- Confirm base, edging, joint sand and delivery in your quote.
Concrete driveway
$5.00–$10.00 per sq ft installed. Envelope of plain-gray installation guidance; decorative rates deliberately excluded.
Calculation guardrail: 200–900 sq ft. We restrict extrapolation to a conservative range informed by published examples. This is an editorial limit, not a statistically validated accuracy interval. Projects outside it need an individual quote.
Included in the planning scope
- Plain gray concrete and professional placement/finishing
Excluded or needing a separate quote
- Existing driveway removal and disposal
- Decorative finishes, extra reinforcement and special base work
- Sales tax and permits
- Major grading, drainage repairs or difficult access
- Ongoing maintenance
- Plain residential driveway on a serviceable site.
- Volume is a separate geometry estimate; changing thickness does not reprice installation.
- Confirm structural thickness, base and reinforcement with your contractor.
Area and concrete volume
For a rectangle, area is length × width. One square meter equals approximately 10.7639104167 square feet. We retain calculation precision and round displayed money to whole dollars; displayed unit prices use two decimals.
Concrete volume in cubic yards = area in square feet × thickness in inches ÷ 12 ÷ 27. An optional order allowance multiplies that quantity by (1 + allowance / 100). This is a separate geometric estimate. Changing thickness or allowance does not automatically change the installed budget because other project costs do not scale in the same way.
Thickness inputs are not recommendations for vehicle loads. A qualified local professional should specify the slab, reinforcement, base, and joints. Our area tools also cannot replace a turf-roll cutting plan or detailed paver layout.
Source register
- HomeGuide — Sod installation cost
Observed installed range: $1.00–$2.00/sq ft. Source date: 2025-10-31. Checked 2026-10-09. New lawn installation, not the separate resodding range.
- Homewyse — Cost to install sod
Observed installed range: $2.12–$3.54/sq ft. Source date: 2026-05. Checked 2026-10-09. Unit-cost estimate for favorable conditions; prepared soil. Its higher range is retained rather than averaged.
- HomeGuide — Artificial grass cost
Observed installed range: $10.00–$25.00/sq ft. Source date: 2025-10-21. Checked 2026-10-09. Installed total; base, infill and preparation scope must be confirmed with the installer.
- Homewyse — Cost to install an artificial lawn
Observed installed range: $16.08–$19.74/sq ft. Source date: 2026-05. Checked 2026-10-09. Favorable site conditions. Supports the middle of the broader installed range; not an independent quote sample.
- Angi — Paver patio installation cost
Observed installed range: $8.00–$25.00/sq ft. Source date: 2026-08-03. Checked 2026-10-09. Typical installed range; premium material pricing up to $50 is excluded from this model.
- Homewyse — Cost to install pavers
Observed installed range: $21.74–$28.49/sq ft. Source date: 2026-05. Checked 2026-10-09. More explicitly scoped base preparation than the broad Angi range; included to preserve uncertainty.
- HomeGuide — Concrete driveway cost
Observed installed range: $6.00–$10.00/sq ft. Source date: 2025-06-03. Checked 2026-10-09. Uses standard plain concrete range, not the $6–15 standard-to-decorative combined range.
- Concrete Network — Concrete driveway cost
Observed installed range: $5.00–$8.00/sq ft. Source date: not reliably established. Checked 2026-10-09. No reliable publication date found. Plain concrete guidance cross-checks the HomeGuide range.
Updates and shared estimates
Each calculation includes a model version. Shared links contain inputs and that version. If the model changes, the calculator tells you it has recalculated using current rates; it does not silently present a new price as the old one. We review sources periodically and when a credible correction is reported.
For an actual project, obtain comparable written quotes with the same scope. If you find a mistake in our model or a broken source, send a correction.