I find the linked site to be invaluable in calculating costs.

We had decent concrete, and an entire dirt area that needed to match it. Well, you cant match 25 year old seasoned concrete to that brand new pour, so we went another step, poured new concrete over the dirt, and had it all stained one color, taped into rock shapes, stained again, and we got one huge cohesive patio for a decent price.

Yours is much smaller. Concrete is cheap. If you get stamped concrete, the cost is more, but so many styles they have.

I know your question was about labor. You might find it below, or other ideas that you could use. Call a few concrete contractors for bids. You will be surprised, and make sure they separate the cost of labor from materials. They should frame it, and ask how they will prevent it from crumbling. As always, "you get what you pay for."

Once ours was done, hubby sighed, "It looks too good! Now I suppose you want all new furniture?" Hehehehehe

This photo is how plain old concrete can look done right.

Here is a link that might be useful: Concrete Cost Calculator

Great, thanks so much!
Your pics look LIKE PARADISE!!
Much warmer than the Midwest!
Thx again

I'm in Southern California and had bluestone installed in my front yard about a year ago. The installation was billed separately from materials; however, the work involved more than laying the stones; I'm not sure if I have a separate price for that. There was a lot of preparation work and then cleaning and sealing after the stones were laid.

I suggest looking at other projects that the same contractor has done previously, so that you can evaluate the quality of their work. One thing to look for is spacing between stones - are they evenly spaced or is there a lot of variation in the gaps.

Here's a pic of landscaping as plants were being installed - plastic grass and vinyl fence.

Wow some of these turned out great.. Our concrete project was a nightmare! Good to see that others did have a good experience.

Check at our blog on what it looks like when a stamped concrete project goes wrong!

Here is a link that might be useful: ConcreteNightmare