Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher does the maths on driveway costs in Ireland.
- In this article we cover:
- How much does a driveway cost
- What are the component parts
- What to remember to budget for
Q: How much will a driveway cost me? Which options are most cost effective? Is tarmac the best option?
A: All in, you can budget for around €/£50 per sqm, but the devil really is in the detail.
The first thing to define is what does the driveway consist of. On the top we have a surface, but to the side you have kerbing and underneath you may have drainage and services. All of these costs need to be accounted for.
For the majority of our grandparents, a driveway was nothing more than the road up to the house. Traditionally formed from local crushed stone, it was a 2m wide surface of two tracks and grass down the middle.
The tracks were formed from the horse and cart from which the stone was unloaded. Practical and cost efficient, it remained the driveway of choice to many houses in Ireland. As time went by, new methods and materials became available, and crushed stone was quickly replaced with tarmac.
In certain circumstances a concrete driveway was chosen due to the ease of installation however due to cost, it was unusual to see large concrete driveways (cost will run from €65+/£60+ per sqm including edging and expansion joints).
In more recent times and with an ongoing push for more sustainable drainage systems, designed to avoid diverting rainwater quickly onto the land and causing flooding, there has been a move away from materials that do not allow for natural drainage of water like tarmac and concrete to materials like stone and permeable paving.
It is very common nowadays for a driveway to be finished in a coloured pebble which may be compacted into a fill substrate or even installed in a plastic stabilising product, also known as a geo grid. The cost of these systems very much depends on the size and type of stone, but is by far the most economical choice at less than €45 or £38 per sqm.
Paving will generally start at around €50 or £45 per sqm and work up from there depending again on the type of material as well as its size and thickness. Imprinted concrete is another popular option but it can only be used in areas where permeability is not mandated.
Apart from the selection of material, the length of the driveway is an important cost factor to take into account. One person’s house may be along the main roadway but another person’s house may be 50m away, so the material and cost will be greatly impacted by the length.
And let’s not forget that with most driveways, there will be a need for topsoil, planting and the likes, further adding to the cost.
