PAVERART Pricing: The Math, the Trust, and the Real Value
- Mark Olivito
- 13 hours ago
- 5 min read
I spend a fair amount of time on the PRICE of PAVERART products.
There are 2 questions I constantly evaluate:
Are we pricing to ensure we are sustainable? In other words, if we do our job well, can we cover our obligations and earn a reasonable return?
Are we providing a great VALUE?
The first question is math.
The second question is trust.
The short answer to "what is the price?" assumes a couple things: Standard design and minimum size.
STANDARD Designs start at 4' diameter, and can be made as large as you like.
A 4' diameter will deliver between $2,400-$2,700, depending on the design.
As designs increase in size, so does the price, but the "value" improves: Lower $ per square foot of design material.
That's the short answer to a common question.
Now for the important stuff.
Understanding Value requires listening. A ton of listening!
Generally speaking, PAVERART clients find our product to be a great value and we often hear: "Reasonable! I would have expected more, BUT I really had no idea"
If most conversations ended the moment we mentioned price, we would have a value problem.
Thankfully, that’s not our experience.
Most of our work is completely custom. We partner with clients to build something that has never existed before:
Their Logo turned into PAVERART
A one a kind compass or medallion
A design inspired by merging multiple elements from our gallery
Because of that, custom work is priced by the design. We need to see it, review it and do some preliminary work before quoting.
Sometimes contractors want a range on a per square foot basis without even sharing a design. I'll say "it can range from $40 to $800 per square foot." They quickly point out that such a large range is not helpful. And I agree, and it's why we need to see a design. It's a friendly game of cat and mouse, but good pricing starts with good information!
Sometimes, "fuzzy math" often comes up. An example:
"OK, 4' diameter is about $2,500, if I wanted to go twice as large, say 8' then that would be about $5,000?"
8 is double 4 right? Technically yes. But not when it comes to circles, which is a large part of what we sell.
Remember geometry class?
Area of a circle = π × r².
4' diameter = 2' radius.
2x2x3.14 = 12.6 SF
8' diameter = 4' radius.
4x4x3.14 = 50.2 SF
Then there's a similar dynamic shoppers experience in most places: The larger the purchase, the better the value per unit of measure. Here's a comparison table of 4' vs 8'
The table above also shows $198 per square foot vs $157 for a 4' vs an 8' design.
The 8' designs is about a 21% savings vs the smaller design on a SF basis
Those are some pricing basics on STANDARD PAVERART designs.
As I think about "Value", I'm happy to share some client frustrations...
Frustration #1: WHY AM I HEARING ABOUT PAVERART NOW?
The most common frustration we hear is rarely about price.
It's about TIMING.
It happens fairly regularly. Homeowners are doing their research, they are out there searching for something special.
Most patios or driveways look great.....but they tend to blend in and look like everyone else's.
So PAVERART plays in this area where that is NOT the goal.
They are actually FINISHED with their project, yet still take the time to call us. They express some regret, and are curious of what it WOULD HAVE cost. Sometimes they are seeing how FAST they can get something to squeeze the design in while their contractor is still on site. We ALWAYS do your best and often surprise people on our turnaround.
Why didn't my contractor offer PAVERART as an option? This is expressed with some combination of time urgency, bewilderment and sometimes frustration.
You mean to tell me I could have put PAVERART into my patio for a small fraction of what I paid?
There are a fair number of people that are looking for that something unique/special, they want that finishing touch. They have also gone through a hardscaping project and NOW have a clear idea of how PAVERART costs, that they WOULD have included it. So they understand "relative value" of PAVERART vs the entire project.
We have plenty of education work to do in the contractor community!
For these people doing the job and learning about our prices.......they clearly are our market, they know what things cost and have a better idea than anyone IF PAVERART's cost is worth it. So needless to say I pay close attention to this group of homeowners.
Frustration #2: "Be stronger in your size recommendations."
This one surprised me.
Their response: Would you rather have THIS call?
Message Received. Times 100.
We hear this often enough that we now include this in our galleries, with video links:
Sometimes, CONTRACTORS are the first phone call we get.
Contractors are even more sensitive to pricing concerns than we are.
The 6' vs 16' Story
Paraphrasing, but here's the substance:
A contractor once called looking for a Compass Rose for a very large driveway, over 50' wide. They asked for the price of a 6' diameter, which I quoted at about $5,000 delivered. I told them honestly, they will definitely love the design, but in a 6' diameter its going to be what we call an "oil stain" and they need to have a conversation around the best size given the space it will occupy.
What size? 16' in diameter. Granted, that costs around $23,500. The contractor actually laughed, said there is zero chance their client would spend that.
I told them I completely understand, but lets educate them, maybe spray paint out a 6' circle, or at least put a couple of crossing tape measures on the space. Bring them along the process. Feel free to blame us! Show them the $'s per square foot comparisons too. The contractor called back the next day, laughing in disbelief and said the homeowner wants 16'!
The homeowner had a clear view of a POTENTIAL issue, the contractor engaged, simulated and let the homeowner decide.
Final Thoughts on Price vs Value
Price is tricky for manufacturers like PAVERART or contractors.
We do not want to assume money is growing on trees or be flip. There's a difference between pushing (some call "selling") and advising (some call educating).
At the end of the day, pricing is not just a number.
It's context.
It's proportion.
It's impact.
Our role is to inform, educate and collaborate.
When that happens, VALUE outweighs price.
