This topic is a duplicate of the canonical listing and has been closed to consolidate discussion.
Canonical thread: GTA Patio and Interlock Season: What to Know Before Hiring
All questions, quotes to compare, and local contractor recommendations for GTA patio and interlock season 2026 should be posted in the canonical thread above. The discussion there covers booking windows, base construction requirements, 2026 pricing, and what a solid quote should include.
— LF Builders forum team
Adding one more thing on the quote comparison front — because this comes up constantly in spring.
When you get three quotes for the same interlock job and one is $3,000 cheaper than the others, the first thing to check isn’t the labour rate. It’s usually one of these:
Base depth. Ask each contractor: what is your base specification in writing? Some low-ball quotes are cutting to a 4-6 inch base. In the GTA freeze-thaw cycle, that’s a patio that’s heaving or cracking within 3-5 years. The cheap quote becomes expensive fast when you’re paying to have it torn out and done properly.
Disposal. As mentioned above, landfill tipping fees are running $160-170/tonne right now in the GTA. Some quotes quietly exclude this. A mid-size job (300-400 sq ft) can generate real tonnage — confirm whether disposal is in the number or not.
Paver brand/grade. “Interlocking pavers” is a wide category. There’s a significant quality difference between a budget concrete paver and a proper tumbled product with good compressive strength. Ask for the specific product they’re pricing — brand and model. You can then compare apples to apples across quotes.
The three contractors may all seem the same on paper. The differences are almost always in those details. If a contractor can’t or won’t answer those three questions specifically, that’s useful information too.
If you want a second opinion on a quote you’ve received this spring, drop it here — happy to help the community read between the lines.