A Scottsdale patio job depends on where you live. In south Scottsdale, it's usually replacing a small original slab and making the backyard usable. In McCormick Ranch and Scottsdale Ranch, it's a patio that ties into the pool and gets HOA sign-off. Up north, it's large format or porcelain on a desert lot where part of the yard is protected open space.
What a paver patio costs in Scottsdale
For a Scottsdale patio of roughly 300 to 600 square feet, these are the usual installed totals:
- Concrete pavers: $2,500 to $6,600
- Large format pavers: $3,300 to $7,800
- Artistic pavers: $4,200 to $9,600
- Natural stone or travertine: $4,500 to $10,800
- Porcelain: $5,700 to $13,200
Two things add to it. Removing an old concrete patio adds about $750 to $1,800, and a backyard that's hard to reach, like one behind a narrow side gate, adds about $150 to $300. The minimum job is $800.
Here's a worked example. A 450 square foot concrete paver patio behind a south Scottsdale ranch house, replacing the original slab, with materials coming in through a narrow side gate. The pavers land around $3,750 to $4,950. Add $750 to $1,800 for the old slab and $150 to $300 for access, and you're at about $4,650 to $7,050. (Side note: concrete paver patios run about $8 to $11 per square foot.) John firms up the number once we've measured the yard. Get a ballpark from the estimator.
Growing a small slab in south Scottsdale
Plenty of the 1950s to 1970s ranch homes in south Scottsdale still have their original concrete patio, and it's often just a small slab off the back door. Most owners want more room than that. New concrete poured against old concrete never matches, so the usual answer is to take the slab out and lay the whole patio in pavers.
The patio sits slightly below the door threshold and falls gently away from the house, so rain and hose water move toward the yard instead of the slab edge or the foundation. Where water goes under your pavers.
Lake and golf neighborhoods in the middle
McCormick Ranch started in the early 1970s as Scottsdale's first upscale master-planned community, and Scottsdale Ranch followed in the 1980s and early 1990s around 42-acre Lake Serena. Backyards here are established, and the patio is usually one piece of a bigger plan that includes the pool deck and the side walkways. Laying out the whole backyard at once gives the HOA one clean submittal and keeps the materials consistent.
For a patio people use after dark, lighting and seating get planned with the pavers, not after. What makes a Scottsdale paver patio feel like a resort.
North Scottsdale and NAOS
North and east of the CAP canal, Scottsdale's Environmentally Sensitive Lands rules cover about 134 square miles, and many lots carry a Natural Area Open Space (NAOS) easement. No grading, filling or excavation of any kind is allowed in NAOS, and structures like walls, pools and barbecues can't go in it. The easement shows up on the title report or the subdivision plat, and it stays with the property when it sells.
So before we design a north Scottsdale patio, we find the NAOS line, and the patio, the fire feature and the outdoor kitchen pad stay on the buildable side of it. Large format pavers and porcelain suit the clean lines of a lot of newer desert homes, and travertine is the warmer option. If your subdivision also runs its own design review, we get that approval lined up before the patio goes on the schedule.
Paver Patios in Scottsdale: Frequently Asked Questions
What does a paver patio typically cost in Scottsdale?
A 300 to 600 square foot patio runs $2,500 to $6,600 in concrete pavers, $3,300 to $7,800 in large format, $4,500 to $10,800 in travertine or natural stone, and $5,700 to $13,200 in porcelain. Removing an old concrete patio adds about $750 to $1,800.
What is NAOS, and does it affect my patio?
NAOS is Natural Area Open Space, a recorded easement on many north Scottsdale lots. No grading or structures are allowed in it, so the patio has to stay outside the easement. You'll find it on your title report or plat.
My backyard is only reachable through a side gate. Is that a problem?
No. It adds about $150 to $300 for the extra handling, and the patio gets built the same way.
Will the McCormick Ranch or Scottsdale Ranch HOA want to see my patio plans?
Plan on it. We put together samples, a layout and the product names for the review, and we confirm what the city and your association need before we book the job.
Which patio material fits a newer north Scottsdale home?
Large format pavers and porcelain match the clean lines of a lot of newer desert homes. Travertine is the softer, warmer option. We'll set samples out next to the house so you can judge them in place.