How Much Does It Cost to Pave a Brick Paver Driveway?

In this guide

Brick Pavers Cost per Square Foot

The paver’s price is one of the smallest parts of the project cost. Brick pavers start at around $1 a square foot for reclaimed pavers, meaning bricks taken from old roads, sidewalks, and other uses. They increase to around $2.50 a square foot for new, interlocking pavers. With labor, equipment, a gravel and sand base, and the finishing joint sand, the total cost ranges between $10 and $30 a square foot. Some elaborate or difficult installations can reach $40 a square foot, although most people pay around $20 a square foot for their driveway installed.

Brick Driveway Cost by Size

Your driveway’s size is a large cost factor. Larger driveways require more material and labor and have higher costs than smaller driveways. Driveways with curves, hills, or other difficult features also have higher costs. Below are the average cost ranges for common driveway sizes:

Brick Paver Prices by Type

Brick pavers can be classified in several ways. Size, shape, manufacturing method, and age all impact the cost of the pavers you choose, but the paver prices do not vary tremendously. The labor, area size, and base materials are what impact your project costs more than the paver type:

Non-Dented Pavers

Non-dented pavers have straight, smooth sides. They are mostly square and rectangles and can be laid in several patterns. Square and rectangular pavers can be combined in a pattern that is stronger than one of the shapes used alone. You can also use the shapes in patterns of their own, such as herringbone. Non-dented pavers cost between $1 and $2 a square foot on average.

Rectangular Brick Pavers

When most people think of brick pavers, they picture red or brown 4” x 8” rectangular bricks. This is the most common type of brick, and they come in several colors and surface textures. They cost between $1 and $2.

Square Brick Pavers

Square brick pavers are less common on their own. They are frequenctly combined with rectangular pavers. However, square pavers make nice edges or inlaid designs, especially when they are a contrasting color. They also cost between $1 and $2 a square foot.

Reclaimed Pavers

Reclaimed brick pavers are usually rectangular, and many are 100 years old or older. They are taken from old streets, sidewalks, and walkways, and they still have many years of use left. They are often smoother from wear and have unique coloration. They cost around $1 a square foot.

Extruded Pavers

Extruded pavers are the most common type of brick for driveways and walkways. An extruded paver is made from a long, machine-issued ribbon of clay cut into the shape of a brick before being fired. Extruded pavers have a rougher texture, so they are less likely to be slippery, and they hold up better to cars. They cost between $1 and $2 a square foot.

Interlocked on One Axis

Bricks are stronger if they interlock with one another. This can be done in a few ways. The bricks can be curved or dented to lock together, or you can lock them together in a pattern. If a brick is interlocked on one axis, they are locked by a pattern, such as mixing squares and rectangles or creating a herringbone pattern. They cost between $1 and $2 a square foot, just like other standard pavers and shapes.

Molded Pavers

Molded pavers are bricks formed inside a mold. They are smooth on the top and bottom, so they are rarely used for driveways. They work for borders or accents and cost around $2 - $3 a square foot.

Specialty Shapes

Bricks come in many more shapes other than rectangles and squares. They can be octagons, hexagons, diamonds, or shapes meant to curve that are more narrow on one end than the other. Because there are so many different shapes that can be made from bricks, specialty shapes have a wide cost range from $2 to $10 a square foot for the material.

Interlocked Brick Pavers

Interlocked pavers are not technically brick, meaning that they are made of concrete to resemble brick and are not made of brick clay. They are a unique way of creating an attractive and highly durable driveway. The individual pavers lock together in a way that makes them stable. The more the pavers interact with one another, the stronger the driveway becomes. This is why some patterns are more durable and more frequently recommended than others. If you like the look of brick, want a durable driveway, and do not mind that your pavers are made of colored concrete, interlocking pavers make a good option. They cost between $2.50 and $3.50 a square foot on average.

Cost to Build a Brick Driveway

The cost of a brick driveway is between $10 and $30 a square foot on average, and only a small fraction of that cost is made up of the pavers. The rest is labor, base material, and equipment fees.

For a two-car driveway, the paver costs approach roughly $1,300, including extra waste material. In addition, it is roughly $340 for a gravel base and $170 for bedding sand. Most brick driveways need a fabric layer and a concrete layer, which adds roughly $200 each to the total. Add another $50 for joint sand, and your total materials come in close to $2,260.

Removal costs are $500 to $600 for the dirt necessary to dig down and add the gravel base or remove your existing driveway and haul it away. Excavation costs can be up to $1,000.

You also have delivery costs for all the material, adding another $500 to $600 to the total, plus equipment costs, which adds $1,000. There may also be additional fees, depending on your area and the slope of the driveway.

The remaining costs are labor, involving the removal of either 12 inches of earth for a new driveway or breaking up and removing an old driveway. This is followed by the spreading of the base material, sand, fabric, and concrete. Then, the hand-laying of the pavers, spreading of the joint sand, and clean up.

The labor portion of the $11,520 is around $6,000, or slightly more than half.

Factors Affecting the Cost to Build a Brick Driveway

Many factors impact the cost of your driveway, beyond the size. The pavers and pattern you choose have some impact. Costs increase when you build a new driveway and need the earth compacted. If your driveway has many curves or bends, or a significant slope, your costs are also higher.

Installation costs also increase if you choose a unique shape to your paver because this may take the installers longer.

Brick Driveway Patterns

When most people think of bricks, they think of the most common brick pattern called a running bond or offset pattern. However, this is not the best pattern to use for your driveway from a stability standpoint, and neither is a straight-set pattern with simple rows of bricks.

Because neither of these patterns lock the bricks together, the driveway is not strong or durable enough to handle heavy cars and trucks, and the bricks can crack over time.

Patterns that force the bricks together, such as a herringbone or a mix of rectangular and square pavers, are the strongest. Curved patterns are popular for creating a very dramatic appearance, but these do not often have the best results either because there is little interlocking.

Any pattern beyond straight-set increases the material and labor costs by roughly 10% to 20% on average because you have more waste, and the installer spends longer putting them together.

How Thick Should Driveway Pavers Be?

The thickness of your driveway pavers varies depending on how thick your base material layers are. A thinner base requires your bricks to be closer to 3” thick, but a thicker base could mean you could use bricks 2½” inches in thickness.

Driveway pavers cannot be the same bricks you would use on the exterior of the home, or even on some walkways or sidewalks. They must be thicker to withstand the weight of cars.

Brick Driveway Pros and Cons

Like any driveway material, brick has positive and negative attributes. Brick is attractive, and a brick driveway is going to be very attention-getting and can improve your home’s curb appeal. Brick is versatile and can be laid in many patterns and with some color variation.

Clay bricks are environmentally friendly, especially if you choose to use reclaimed material rather than newer bricks. And brick driveways are very durable and low-maintenance. They are stain and crack-resistant. If a brick were to crack or stain, you could remove and replace a single brick. This is not the case with concrete or asphalt.

However, brick driveways are very expensive. They cost many times what an asphalt or concrete driveway would cost, and while they are very durable, they are also prone to cracking in cold temperatures.

Brick Driveway Maintenance

Brick driveways are very low-maintenance. They resist staining and cracking and do not require sealers. Grass grows between the bricks, but this can be solved by packing the joints with sand. If a brick becomes stained or damaged somehow, remove that brick and replace it with a new one.

Brick vs Concrete Driveway

Brick driveways are frequently installed in the same areas where concrete driveways are installed. Both make attractive, durable, and long-lasting driveways. Concrete can crack more easily than brick and is harder to maintain and repair. Concrete costs between $4 and $10 a square foot, while a brick driveway costs between $10 and $30 a square foot. This makes concrete more affordable than brick, even with the additional maintenance and risk of staining or cracking.

Enhancements and Improvement Costs

Brick Driveway Repair Cost

The cost to repair a brick driveway varies depending on the amount and extent of the damage. A few damaged bricks are easy and inexpensive to repair, costing just $20 to $30 to replace the bricks. A damaged driveway needs replacing because the damage may be due to a faulty base. In this case, expect costs close to $11,000 to $12,000.

Cost to Paint a Brick Driveway

Brick is paintable, and if you want to change the color of your driveway, this is easily done. Brick takes color well and can keep the pattern and get a new look at the same time. Expect costs to paint a brick driveway to come in at between $4 and $5 a square foot.

Tree Removal Cost

It costs extra to remove trees in the way of your driveway. Tree removal costs around $433 per tree. This includes the cost to grind the stump.

Gate Installation

Putting a gate at the end of your driveway helps make your property more secure. Gates come in many shapes and styles and can enhance your curb appeal. The average cost of an electric gate is around $7,000.