Paver Patio vs. Wood Deck: Which Adds More Value in Savannah?

You’d like to have a real place to sit outside, and you are torn between two options: pavers on the ground or boards up on a frame. Somebody at a cookout said that the patio will last longer and add more value to your house. But someone else said a deck is cheaper and just as good. You’d like to know which of those two will give you more for the money you’ve budgeted.

My name is Randy Thompson. I left an aerospace career to start All Out Hardscapes & Lighting Solutions, and over the last 10-plus years my crews and I have built more than 150 patios, walkways, and outdoor living spaces across Savannah and the Lowcountry, from Wilmington Island to Savannah Quarters. The company is veteran-owned, and we are a certified Techo-Pro installer. I’m also going to tell you exactly where the corners get cut in this trade, including the ones that make my own quote seem expensive next to the other bid. When a homeowner asks me which one, patio or deck, my first answer is a question: what’s your budget?

I make my living on pavers, but my answer still depends on five things: what you have to spend for the size you want, how long each option will last, how much upkeep you’re going to have, how each one fits your yard and your back door, and how a buyer will see it if you decide to sell your house. On cost, they both come down to the same thing: square footage, materials, how far off the ground it will be, and what goes underneath it.

Which Adds More Value, a Paver Patio or a Wood Deck?

Neither one is always best, because the value can be different at different times. While you own the home, value is the space you’ll actually use, what it costs to build, and how much upkeep it takes to maintain. Then when you sell, value is how well the space fits the property and what shape it’s in when a buyer goes outside to check it.

The budget is where we begin, because it will decide what you can build right. When someone brings us a small budget for an outdoor space, here’s what we tell them:

If they want this nice outdoor space and they’ve got a budget of three or four grand, we’re going to immediately try and tell them: “Let’s give you a wood deck.”

People expect a paver company to say the patio is always best because it lasts longer. When we get asked that, our answer is no, not always. With that budget, using pavers means making the patio smaller so the number will work.

There’s a second, honest reason. We’ve grown a lot, and we have a job minimum now. On some of the smaller jobs, we have to be business owners and make sure we are meeting that minimum, so we might not take that particular paver job at all. The minimum is just our company policy. And it has nothing to do with whether a smaller patio will work for your yard.

What Will My Budget Actually Build?

Paver Patio

With pavers, a big share of what you pay for is work that you will never see. The area has to be dug out and a stone base put in that lets the water drain, because Savannah’s wet, sandy ground is very hard on a patio that’s built on a shortcut base. Every square foot of patio has that base work under it, so square footage is the biggest determining factor for what you spend.

That’s why, if you have a small budget, the discussion about pavers will be about cutting down the size of the patio and looking at several different choices in pavers. Sometimes that will work, but sometimes it means that your patio will be smaller than the space you wanted. That’s when we suggest you consider a deck.

Wood or Composite Deck

A deck’s cost is in the frame, the boards, and what the height requires. A deck that will be sitting well off the ground has to have stairs and railings, and that takes more material and work than a low, simple platform. The boards are the other big decision: natural wood will cost you less at the start, and composite decking such as Trex costs more to buy.

If you only have three or four grand to spend, then we’ll suggest that you check on getting a basic wood deck first. Get a quote for one that is the size and height you want, and include stairs and railings before you count on it. That’s our advice no matter who builds it, and we offer it even when it means we won’t be building you a patio with pavers.

Does a Paver Patio Really Outlast a Deck?

Paver Patio

A patio will last as long as the base underneath it. Pavers are dense concrete units, and when a patio sinks, shifts, or holds water, the problem will begin with the base and drainage under them. Our standard is simple: if we don’t have to go back to the house, we did our job right.

So the idea that patios last longer is only true when the patio is done right from the ground up. A paver patio that is put on a thin, cheap base can give out before a well-kept deck does.

Wood or Composite Deck

Composite decking has changed this comparison. Trex boards are made from recycled wood and plastic, and here’s how we describe them to homeowners: “It’s completely waterproof. It doesn’t rot.” Many expensive hotels with a deck outside the bistro are using Trex. That durability is because of the boards. The frame underneath is built separately, so be sure to ask what it’s made of when you get a price for a composite deck.

Natural wood is a different story here. The heat and humidity in our area wear on the wood every day, and a wood deck has to be cleaned regularly and also re-stained or sealed for it to hold up. If you skip those maintenance steps, the wood will suffer.

How Much Upkeep Am I Signing Up For?

Paver Patio

A paver patio doesn’t need stain to stay sound. The joints between pavers are filled with polymeric sand, which is a joint sand mixed with a binder that hardens once it’s wet. It locks the pavers together and will hold up in our rain far better than plain sand does.

Because of that, the day-to-day maintenance is just sweeping and rinsing with the hose. Every once in a while you will need to check the joints, top up or replace joint sand where it has worn low, and clean off stains or algae when they show up in the damp, shady spots. And because a patio is built from individual units, a paver can be lifted up and then reset without tearing out the whole patio.

Wood or Composite Deck

A natural wood deck will need regular cleaning and re-staining or sealing. That’s the downside of its lower cost up front, and that work will have to be done for as long as you have the deck.

A composite deck doesn’t need to be stained and requires far less upkeep. And that’s what you are paying for in the higher cost. Wood and composite are two different purchases, and the cost of the upkeep goes with whichever one you choose.

Which One Fits My Yard and My Back Door?

Paver Patio

A paver patio sits on the ground, and if you have a flat yard with a back door that is close to the ground, that’s a positive: you can step straight out onto it, and the patio follows the yard.

On a yard that isn’t level and drops down, or a back door that sits well above the ground, a patio needs steps down to get to it. In that situation the patio is below the door, out in the yard.

Wood or Composite Deck

A deck can be built up off the ground, and that makes a difference on a yard that slopes or a raised back door. It means the deck will connect with the house at floor height, so you walk straight out instead of down.

On the same flat lot where a patio is level with the door, a deck still works. It’s an advantage that becomes clear when the ground doesn’t cooperate.

How Will a Buyer See It When I Sell?

Paver Patio

We still work with first-time homebuyers, and those are fun, because we want people to build equity in their houses. That’s a big part of why we build every patio to stay put.

A buyer walking out back will see the patio’s condition. If it’s a level surface that hasn’t sunk, shifted, or held water, and it’s the right size for the way the yard gets used, it will look like a finished outdoor living space.

Wood or Composite Deck

A buyer looking at your house thinks of the deck as usable outdoor living space, the same way they would a patio. Either one tells them the backyard is ready to use.

The condition of it is what they will notice. Composite boards in good shape look finished. Wood that’s overdue for stain gives the impression that they are inheriting a future project.

When a Deck Is the Smarter Buy for Your Backyard

Here’s where we’re going to suggest you skip the paver company. If your budget for the whole space is small, a basic wood deck is worth getting a price for along with a smaller patio. If your back door is high off the ground or your backyard slopes down, a deck connects to wherever your house is. And if you want a raised space that requires very little maintenance, composite is the option to check out.

Pavers work best when your budget will support the square footage you actually want, built on a base that drains. That’s the job we’re capable of doing well, and it’s also the job we’d rather build for you instead of trying to squeeze a patio into a budget that just doesn’t fit.