Three decisions set a paver driveway price: which paver, how deep the base goes, and how seriously you treat the edges. Get those three into the quote and the rest is multiplication.
The paver grade sets the rate
Price each paver tier as its own rate, because the material spread is too wide for one number. The example rates run $16 per square foot for standard concrete pavers, $21 for permeable, and $24 for premium natural stone. On a 20 by 24 driveway, 480 square feet, that is $7,680 standard, $10,080 permeable, or $11,520 premium. Same hole in the ground, three different tickets, which is exactly why the paver choice comes first in the sales conversation.
Permeable deserves a note: it is not just a fancier paver. The whole base section changes to open-graded stone that stores and drains water, so it is a different build with its own rate, not standard plus a surcharge.
Vehicles set the base depth
A paver patio carries chairs. A driveway carries a pickup making a slow turn, every day, for years. That means excavating deeper and building a thicker compacted base than any patio gets, and base work is the invisible half of the job: digging, hauling spoils, stone, and compaction in lifts. If you price a driveway off your patio rate, the missing base depth comes straight out of your pocket. Soft or poorly draining soil pushes depth further; the example add-on for extra base runs $2 per square foot.
Tearing out an existing surface first is its own line too, at an example $3 per square foot, which is $1,440 on that 480 square foot driveway.
Edges and joints finish the job
Driveways fail at the perimeter first. Turning tires push pavers outward, and once the edge walks, the field follows. Anchored edge restraint on every unconfined edge is what stops it, and it belongs in your rate or on the quote where the customer can see it. Same with joint sand: sweeping and compacting polymeric sand locks the field together and keeps weeds and washout down. Neither item is big money on its own; both are the difference between your driveway and a callback.
Run the numbers on the paver driveway cost calculator, and when the customer is torn between materials, concrete vs a paver driveway lays out the trade. PriceDesk holds each paver grade as its own rate on your phone, so the quote is itemized and sent before you leave the driveway you are standing on. Free for 14 days.