How Much Does It Cost to Build a Brick Walkway?

Average Cost to Build a Brick Walkway

How Much Does It Cost to Build a Brick Walkway per Square Foot?

The average cost to build a brick walkway is $8 to $19 per square foot.

This breaks down to a materials cost of $4 to $8 per square foot and a professional installation cost of $4 to $11 per square foot. 

Assuming a straightforward sidewalk design measuring 25 feet by 4 feet, you can expect the project to cost $768 to $1,824 with professional installation.

If you choose particularly expensive brick pavers, a unique brick pattern, or an intricate walkway design with curves and cuts, you could pay as much as $30 per square foot for materials and installation. The extra cost accounts for the skill of the local bricklayer who’s doing the work for you.

Assuming the same size walkway as the previous example, your total project cost jumps to $2,880 for a more complicated design.

How Much Does It Cost to Build a Brick Walkway Yourself?

The materials cost to build a brick sidewalk yourself is typically $384 to $786 for a 25-by-4-foot walkway. 

Considering that professional installers charge $50 to $80 per hour and a 96-square-foot project will typically take 10 to 12 hours to complete, you’ll save an average of $720 in labor costs by completing the job yourself.

While installing brick pavers may seem easy—it really isn’t that technically difficult—there is the matter of the physical labor that’s necessary to complete such a task. Your typical brick weighs just 5 pounds, but when you have to move hundreds from a pallet to a truck or from a truck to the work area, those 5 pounds will seem to get heavier with every trip.

There’s also the fact that you’ll need a small arsenal of equipment to make the installation job easier. At the very least, you’ll require a wheelbarrow for transporting bricks, shovels for digging out the walkway, string and stakes to map out the walkway, and a carpenter's level to ensure the bricks are flat and even.

Cost to Install It Yourself vs. Hiring a Contractor

When it comes to a 25-by-4-foot walkway, the price difference between tackling the project yourself and hiring a professional is about $720. This is a considerable sum, but when you consider the hard work—both in terms of skill and manual labor—that goes into completing this type of project, you may find that it’s worth it to let a pro take care of things for you.

When you let a local brick and masonry installer do the work, you don’t have to worry about baking in the hot sun, possibly bruising your fingers or toes when you accidentally drop a brick, or your walkway coming out uneven or crooked.

What Factors Influence the Cost to Build a Brick Walkway?

The cost to build a walkway depends on the materials you use and whether you hire a professional installer or do the work yourself.

Materials

Assuming the area where you plan to build your brick sidewalk is clear and level, you won’t have many additional costs to worry about outside the cost of bricks.

However, there may be cases where you may need to do some prep before you can build your walkway and after you’ve put down your bricks.

Additional materials you may need include:

• Pea gravel base costs: $15 to $75 per cubic yard

• Leveling sand costs: $15 to $20 per cubic yard

• Landscape fabric costs: $0.30 per square foot

• Jointing sand costs: $25 per 50 lbs

The cost of bricks will vary depending on the style of brick you choose and how many you purchase. Basically, red clay bricks routinely cost less than $1 each, and when you buy them on sale or in bulk, you could pay as little as $0.25 each. Decorative brick or brick pavers in unusual sizes or shapes will cost more.

Labor

Professional installers typically charge $50 to $80 per hour, which translates to about $4 to $11 per square foot.

In addition to building your walkway, installers can usually also prep your work area, if needed, including excavation and land leveling in extreme cases.

FAQs About Building a Brick Walkway

Is it cheaper to build a brick walkway or lay concrete?

Considering that the cost of a concrete walkway is typically $6 to $12 per square foot and the cost of a brick path is typically $8 to $19 per square foot, it’s cheaper to lay poured concrete than build with bricks.

How many bricks do I need to build a walkway?

Assuming that you’re using typical 4-by-8-inch bricks, it takes 4 1/2 bricks to cover one square foot. To determine how many paver bricks you need, figure out the measurements of your walkway to get the square footage and then multiply that number by 4 1/2. 

How wide should a brick walkway be?

A standard walkway measures 36 inches wide. If you want to build one where two people can comfortably walk side by side, you should expand yours to 48 inches wide.

Is it hard to install a brick walkway?

If you’re building a brick sidewalk with straight lines, the process isn’t quick, but it’s not particularly difficult. However, things start to get tricky when you opt for a walkway with curves. To accomplish the perfect bends, you’ll often need specialty brick pavers or a wet saw to cut typical bricks to size.