Question 1

How long does a new driveway take?

Accepted Answer

Three to seven days for most domestic drives, from first dig to finished surface, depending on size, surface and access. Resin bound and imprinted concrete both need a dry window and a cure period on top of that. A dropped kerb runs on its own timetable and should be started weeks earlier, not at the same time. The rough shape of a typical job is a day to set out and dig, a day for muck away and the sub-base, a day for edgings and the base to be finished and compacted, and one to three days for the surface depending on what it is and how big the area is. A small drive can be done inside three days; a large one with a complicated layout, retaining or drainage will take a week or more. Certain things reliably add time and are worth knowing in advance. Poor access — no room for a grab lorry, a long barrow run, a shared entry — can add days of labour to a job that would otherwise be quick. Unexpected ground: old foundations, a filled pond, a soft area, or services that turn up shallower than they should. And drainage works, particularly a soakaway, which is a substantial dig in its own right. Weather governs some surfaces much more than others. Tarmac wants to be laid and rolled warm and does not do well in cold rain. Resin bound needs a dry base, a dry laying window and a minimum temperature, and a marginal forecast is a proper reason to postpone rather than press on — resin laid in the wet never fully cures. Concrete gains strength slowly in the cold and can be permanently damaged by frost before it has any. Block paving and gravel are the most weather-tolerant. Cure and use times are the last piece. Block paving and gravel can be driven on as soon as they are finished. Tarmac wants to cool and is best left for a day or so before parking, and longer before turning wheels on the spot. Resin bound typically wants a day for foot traffic and a few days before vehicles. Concrete needs several days before it takes a car and considerably longer to reach full strength. The thing that most often adds not days but weeks is a dropped kerb. A crossover application to Cheshire East under section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 takes time to be assessed, and where a utility chamber or apparatus has to be moved, that utility company sets its own programme and price. It is the first thing to start and the one thing that cannot be hurried on the day.

Question 2

How many days to lay a driveway?

Accepted Answer

Three to seven days for most domestic drives, from first dig to finished surface, depending on size, surface and access. Resin bound and imprinted concrete both need a dry window and a cure period on top of that. A dropped kerb runs on its own timetable and should be started weeks earlier, not at the same time. The rough shape of a typical job is a day to set out and dig, a day for muck away and the sub-base, a day for edgings and the base to be finished and compacted, and one to three days for the surface depending on what it is and how big the area is. A small drive can be done inside three days; a large one with a complicated layout, retaining or drainage will take a week or more. Certain things reliably add time and are worth knowing in advance. Poor access — no room for a grab lorry, a long barrow run, a shared entry — can add days of labour to a job that would otherwise be quick. Unexpected ground: old foundations, a filled pond, a soft area, or services that turn up shallower than they should. And drainage works, particularly a soakaway, which is a substantial dig in its own right. Weather governs some surfaces much more than others. Tarmac wants to be laid and rolled warm and does not do well in cold rain. Resin bound needs a dry base, a dry laying window and a minimum temperature, and a marginal forecast is a proper reason to postpone rather than press on — resin laid in the wet never fully cures. Concrete gains strength slowly in the cold and can be permanently damaged by frost before it has any. Block paving and gravel are the most weather-tolerant. Cure and use times are the last piece. Block paving and gravel can be driven on as soon as they are finished. Tarmac wants to cool and is best left for a day or so before parking, and longer before turning wheels on the spot. Resin bound typically wants a day for foot traffic and a few days before vehicles. Concrete needs several days before it takes a car and considerably longer to reach full strength. The thing that most often adds not days but weeks is a dropped kerb. A crossover application to Cheshire East under section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 takes time to be assessed, and where a utility chamber or apparatus has to be moved, that utility company sets its own programme and price. It is the first thing to start and the one thing that cannot be hurried on the day.

Question 3

How long will my drive be out of action?

Accepted Answer

Three to seven days for most domestic drives, from first dig to finished surface, depending on size, surface and access. Resin bound and imprinted concrete both need a dry window and a cure period on top of that. A dropped kerb runs on its own timetable and should be started weeks earlier, not at the same time. The rough shape of a typical job is a day to set out and dig, a day for muck away and the sub-base, a day for edgings and the base to be finished and compacted, and one to three days for the surface depending on what it is and how big the area is. A small drive can be done inside three days; a large one with a complicated layout, retaining or drainage will take a week or more. Certain things reliably add time and are worth knowing in advance. Poor access — no room for a grab lorry, a long barrow run, a shared entry — can add days of labour to a job that would otherwise be quick. Unexpected ground: old foundations, a filled pond, a soft area, or services that turn up shallower than they should. And drainage works, particularly a soakaway, which is a substantial dig in its own right. Weather governs some surfaces much more than others. Tarmac wants to be laid and rolled warm and does not do well in cold rain. Resin bound needs a dry base, a dry laying window and a minimum temperature, and a marginal forecast is a proper reason to postpone rather than press on — resin laid in the wet never fully cures. Concrete gains strength slowly in the cold and can be permanently damaged by frost before it has any. Block paving and gravel are the most weather-tolerant. Cure and use times are the last piece. Block paving and gravel can be driven on as soon as they are finished. Tarmac wants to cool and is best left for a day or so before parking, and longer before turning wheels on the spot. Resin bound typically wants a day for foot traffic and a few days before vehicles. Concrete needs several days before it takes a car and considerably longer to reach full strength. The thing that most often adds not days but weeks is a dropped kerb. A crossover application to Cheshire East under section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 takes time to be assessed, and where a utility chamber or apparatus has to be moved, that utility company sets its own programme and price. It is the first thing to start and the one thing that cannot be hurried on the day.

How long does a new driveway take?

Got a driveway job in Macclesfield?

Got a driveway job? Let's get it sorted.