Question 1

How much does a new driveway cost?

Accepted Answer

We do not publish a figure, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number — the callback has to honour it. What genuinely drives the cost is the groundworks: the depth of the dig, how much comes out, the drainage and the edges. The surface is a smaller share of it than most people expect. It would be easy to put a range on this page and most sites do. The reason this one does not is that a driveway price is dominated by things nobody can see from a photograph — how deep the dig has to go, what turns up in it, how much spoil leaves, whether a soakaway is needed, whether the edges need retaining, whether a crossover is involved. Two identical-looking drives can differ enormously on all of those. What is useful is knowing where the money actually goes. Excavation and muck away is a large share and scales with depth and access. The sub-base is a serious material cost and is the thing a cheap quote is usually shaving. Edgings, drainage and any level changes are all groundworks. Then the surface, which people assume is most of the price and typically is not. That is exactly why comparing quotes on a rate per square metre is close to meaningless. Two prices for the same drive can differ by thousands and both be honest, if one is digging 250mm and building a soakaway and the other is digging 100mm and running the water to the kerb. The way to compare them is to ask both for the excavation depth, the sub-base thickness, the edging detail and the drainage arrangement in writing. There are a few things that reliably add cost and are worth anticipating. Poor access, where everything has to be barrowed. Unknown ground — old foundations, made ground, a filled pond. A dropped kerb, particularly where a utility chamber has to be moved, which is a separate cost on a separate timetable. Retaining structures where the ground changes level. And drainage where infiltration turns out not to be viable. The quote itself is free and there is no obligation either way. What you get from the visit is a price for your actual drive with the build-up written down, rather than a range from a website that will be revised once somebody sees the site. If a number is what you need before booking anything, say so on the form and it can be discussed on the call.

Question 2

Driveway prices

Accepted Answer

We do not publish a figure, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number — the callback has to honour it. What genuinely drives the cost is the groundworks: the depth of the dig, how much comes out, the drainage and the edges. The surface is a smaller share of it than most people expect. It would be easy to put a range on this page and most sites do. The reason this one does not is that a driveway price is dominated by things nobody can see from a photograph — how deep the dig has to go, what turns up in it, how much spoil leaves, whether a soakaway is needed, whether the edges need retaining, whether a crossover is involved. Two identical-looking drives can differ enormously on all of those. What is useful is knowing where the money actually goes. Excavation and muck away is a large share and scales with depth and access. The sub-base is a serious material cost and is the thing a cheap quote is usually shaving. Edgings, drainage and any level changes are all groundworks. Then the surface, which people assume is most of the price and typically is not. That is exactly why comparing quotes on a rate per square metre is close to meaningless. Two prices for the same drive can differ by thousands and both be honest, if one is digging 250mm and building a soakaway and the other is digging 100mm and running the water to the kerb. The way to compare them is to ask both for the excavation depth, the sub-base thickness, the edging detail and the drainage arrangement in writing. There are a few things that reliably add cost and are worth anticipating. Poor access, where everything has to be barrowed. Unknown ground — old foundations, made ground, a filled pond. A dropped kerb, particularly where a utility chamber has to be moved, which is a separate cost on a separate timetable. Retaining structures where the ground changes level. And drainage where infiltration turns out not to be viable. The quote itself is free and there is no obligation either way. What you get from the visit is a price for your actual drive with the build-up written down, rather than a range from a website that will be revised once somebody sees the site. If a number is what you need before booking anything, say so on the form and it can be discussed on the call.

Question 3

What does a driveway cost per square metre?

Accepted Answer

We do not publish a figure, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number — the callback has to honour it. What genuinely drives the cost is the groundworks: the depth of the dig, how much comes out, the drainage and the edges. The surface is a smaller share of it than most people expect. It would be easy to put a range on this page and most sites do. The reason this one does not is that a driveway price is dominated by things nobody can see from a photograph — how deep the dig has to go, what turns up in it, how much spoil leaves, whether a soakaway is needed, whether the edges need retaining, whether a crossover is involved. Two identical-looking drives can differ enormously on all of those. What is useful is knowing where the money actually goes. Excavation and muck away is a large share and scales with depth and access. The sub-base is a serious material cost and is the thing a cheap quote is usually shaving. Edgings, drainage and any level changes are all groundworks. Then the surface, which people assume is most of the price and typically is not. That is exactly why comparing quotes on a rate per square metre is close to meaningless. Two prices for the same drive can differ by thousands and both be honest, if one is digging 250mm and building a soakaway and the other is digging 100mm and running the water to the kerb. The way to compare them is to ask both for the excavation depth, the sub-base thickness, the edging detail and the drainage arrangement in writing. There are a few things that reliably add cost and are worth anticipating. Poor access, where everything has to be barrowed. Unknown ground — old foundations, made ground, a filled pond. A dropped kerb, particularly where a utility chamber has to be moved, which is a separate cost on a separate timetable. Retaining structures where the ground changes level. And drainage where infiltration turns out not to be viable. The quote itself is free and there is no obligation either way. What you get from the visit is a price for your actual drive with the build-up written down, rather than a range from a website that will be revised once somebody sees the site. If a number is what you need before booking anything, say so on the form and it can be discussed on the call.

How much does a new driveway cost?

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