It's the first question almost everyone asks, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you build and what's under the ground you build it on. A small poured-concrete pad and a large flagstone patio with steps and drainage are not the same project, and they don't cost the same. What we can do here is give you straight, general market numbers, show you what actually moves them, and tell you where the money really goes — so you walk into a quote knowing what's reasonable.
The ranges below are general market estimates across the trade, not Johnson Ranch Landscape's rates. Every property is different. We don't quote a number until we've walked the site. When you're ready for a real figure, build a proposal and we'll price the actual job.
General market ranges by material
Patio pricing is usually talked about per square foot, installed — material plus labor plus the base under it. Here's how the common Hill Country materials stack up across the trade. Lower end means simpler work on easy ground; higher end means premium material, intricate layout, or a site that fights you.
| Material | General market range (installed, per sq ft) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Poured concrete (plain) | ~$8–$15 | Lowest cost; durable on a good base; control joints required |
| Stamped / stained concrete | ~$12–$22 | Concrete with a stone, brick, or tile pattern and color |
| Brick pavers | ~$14–$24 | Classic look; sand-set or mortared; needs solid edge restraint |
| Limestone pavers | ~$16–$28 | Native Hill Country stone; cut, uniform, sits well on a base |
| Flagstone (irregular) | ~$18–$30 | Natural stone; labor-heavy to fit; premium look |
| Natural stone (full custom) | ~$22–$40+ | Large-format or stacked stone, thick joints, custom cuts |
Two things to read into that table. First, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive material is roughly three to four times — material choice is the single biggest lever you control. Second, those ranges overlap on purpose: a basic flagstone job on flat, easy ground can land cheaper than a stamped-concrete job on a steep lot that needs a retaining wall. The site matters as much as the surface.
What actually drives the number
Material gets the headlines, but the things below are what swing a quote up or down on the same patio. This is where two bids for "the same patio" can come in thousands of dollars apart.
Size
Bigger is cheaper per square foot — mobilization, base equipment, and setup get spread over more area. A 120-square-foot landing costs more per foot than a 500-square-foot patio. But total dollars still climb with size, so the right move is to size the patio to how you'll actually use it, not to chase a per-foot discount on space you won't sit in.
Base prep on caliche
This is the Hill Country tax. Under most lots around Bulverde, Spring Branch, and the Hill Country side of San Antonio you hit caliche or a limestone shelf fast. A patio is only as good as the base beneath it, and over caliche that base usually means more excavation, a deeper layer of compacted crushed stone, and proper compaction so the surface doesn't crack or heave. Skip it and the patio fails in a few seasons. It's invisible when the job's done, and it's where a real chunk of the cost lives.
Grading and drainage
Water has to go somewhere, and on Hill Country slopes it moves fast. A patio that doesn't shed water toward a planned outlet will pond, undermine its own base, and push runoff at your foundation. Building in the right slope, drains, or a French line adds cost up front and saves a far more expensive repair later. On a flat, well-draining lot it's minor; on a graded slope it's a line item that matters.
Steps, walls, and built-ins
Every vertical element is its own small project. Steps, seat walls, retaining walls, a fire feature, an outdoor kitchen pad, or built-in benches each add material and skilled labor. A flat patio is the baseline; the moment it goes up, down, or wraps around something, the number climbs.
Access and demolition
Can a skid steer reach the backyard, or does everything come through a gate by wheelbarrow? Tight or rural access slows the work and raises labor. And if there's an old cracked slab or deck to tear out and haul off first, demolition and disposal are real costs before a single new stone is set.
Where the money really goes
Homeowners tend to picture the cost as the stone they can see. In reality, on a well-built patio, the visible surface is often a minority of the total. The rest is excavation, the engineered crushed-stone base, compaction, grading, drainage, and edge restraint — the work that determines whether the patio is still flat and crack-free in fifteen years. A bid that looks cheap is usually cheap because it's thin on the base, and that's the patio that gets torn out and redone. The whole approach to base, drainage, and material on our patio construction page is built around the part you can't see, because that's the part that lasts.
How to think about your budget
A practical way to frame it: pick your material range from the table, estimate your square footage, multiply for a rough ballpark, then expect the site factors above to move it. A flat, easy-access backyard with good drainage trends toward the low end of a material's range. A sloped lot over caliche with steps and a retaining wall trends toward the high end — sometimes past it. Neither is wrong; they're just different jobs.
If you're building in San Antonio's Hill Country side or anywhere across Comal and Kendall counties, plan for the base and drainage line items rather than being surprised by them. That's the difference between a patio you build once and a patio you build twice.
The honest bottom line
There's no single price for a backyard patio, and anyone who quotes you one over the phone without seeing the site is guessing. The general market ranges here will tell you whether a bid is in the right neighborhood. The real number comes from the actual material, the actual square footage, and what the ground demands. We'll come walk it, read the slope and the soil, and price it straight — no padding, no surprises.