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Concrete Patio vs Paver Patio: Which Is Better for Your Home?

Building a patio in the Chicago suburbs? Your two main options are a concrete patio (plain or stamped) and a paver patio. Both create beautiful outdoor living spaces, but the differences in cost, durability, and maintenance are significant — especially here in Illinois where freeze-thaw cycles punish outdoor surfaces.

Cost: Concrete Wins on Price

Let's start with cost, because that's what most homeowners ask about first. A plain concrete patio runs $13 to $23 per square foot installed. A stamped concrete patio costs $20 to $33 per square foot. A quality paver patio? Expect $30 to $50 per square foot with proper installation. For a 400 sqft patio, that's roughly $5,200–$9,200 for concrete vs $12,000–$20,000 for pavers.

The cost difference is real, and it gets bigger on larger projects. But price alone doesn't tell the whole story. Let's talk about what happens after installation.

Durability in Illinois Weather

Illinois weather is brutal on outdoor surfaces. We get 20-30 freeze-thaw cycles every winter, plus heavy snow, rain, and summer heat. A concrete patio is one solid slab — it moves as a single unit. Pavers are individual pieces sitting on a sand bed, and each one can shift independently. After a few Illinois winters, you'll notice pavers sinking, lifting, and gaps opening between them.

Here's what I see constantly: homeowners who installed pavers 5-7 years ago calling us to tear them out and replace them with concrete. The pavers looked great on day one, but the sand washes out from between the joints, weeds grow in the gaps, ants build colonies underneath, and individual pavers crack or shift. It becomes a maintenance headache.

Maintenance Over 10 Years

Concrete patio maintenance is simple: sweep it off, hose it down occasionally, and reseal every 2-3 years (a $200-$400 DIY job). Paver maintenance is a different story — regular weeding, re-sanding joints, re-leveling sunken pavers, replacing cracked pieces, and applying polymeric sand. Over 10 years, paver maintenance costs can easily exceed $2,000-$3,000.

Where pavers have an edge: if you need to access underground utilities, individual pavers can be pulled up and replaced. They also come in a wider variety of shapes and colors for complex geometric designs. But for most homeowners who want a beautiful, low-maintenance patio that handles Illinois weather, concrete is the smarter choice.

The Verdict for Chicago Suburb Homeowners

The verdict for Chicago suburb homeowners: concrete gives you a better-looking patio at a lower price with dramatically less maintenance. Whether you choose a clean broom finish, decorative colored concrete, or a full stamped pattern that mimics natural stone, you're getting a surface that's built to last 25-30 years with minimal upkeep.

Want to see concrete and paver options side by side? Call ZBL Concrete at (312) 721-0835. Bryan will help you make the right choice for your home and budget.