How Much Does It Cost To Concrete A Driveway?

Here are some concrete driveway costs in more detail for a standard concrete driveway.

Here are the costs for a colour, imprinted concrete driveway.

What factors influence concrete driveway costs?

Size

This is one of the most obvious influencers, clearly the bigger the area, the more it is affect how much it does cost to concrete a driveway. Sometimes, there can be some savings on the bulk order of materials, but this is usually outweighed by the additional labour charges to surface a larger area. A small concrete driveway for one car might cost in the region of £800 but an area big enough to accommodate three to four cars will be in the region of £3,500.

Do you have an existing driveway?

An existing driveway can be used as the foundations for the new concrete installation. If you just have a garden, then there will be a cost attached to excavating the soil and laying down a suitable foundation.

Waste removal

Soil and rubble are an inevitable part of building a new concrete driveway and the best way to organise this is with a hired skip.

Slope

Concrete is a liquid application before it sets so if you have a sloping driveway, concrete will not be a suitable choice. A skilled installer can manage to lay concrete on a gentle incline by reducing the water content of the mix, so it is stiffer and less mobile. The other option is to pour the concrete in smaller slabs, so the gradient is reduced for each individual slab. This requires shuttering and is time-consuming and labour intensive.

Drainage

If the driveway is made from a permeable material, then a planning permission exemption applies. Concrete is permeable but by how much will depend upon the type of concrete you choose. It may be necessary to provide additional drainage which takes excess water away to a lawn, soakaway or border to drain naturally. Drainage will increase the overall cost of the project.

Patterning or Imprinting

There are some exciting options with imprinted concrete with lots of different patterns and effects. There is also concrete colouring which means you simulate the effect of paving slabs, slates, bricks and cobblestones.

Location

Many homeowners in London wonder “how much does it cost to concrete a driveway?”. Research suggests that concrete driveway costs are always higher in London and the Southeast compared to the rest of the country.

Step by step process to laying a concrete driveway

• Mark out the perimeter – wooden stakes are driven into the ground to identify the size and perimeter of the new driveway
• Add shuttering – sturdy wooden boards are attached to the stakes, so the area is completely enclosed, this contains the wet concrete until has cured
• Excavation – the area is excavated down to the subsoil. The finished concrete should be at least 100mm thick and the hardcore requires a further 100mm.
• Lay hardcore – the hardcore is laid and then compacted so it is firm and level to form the foundation
• Install drainage channels – these are installed along the edge to take the rainwater away to a lawn or flowerbed
• Reinforcement – the compacted hardcore is covered with a weed prevention mat or membrane to prevent weed and grass incursion. A concrete reinforcing mesh is placed on top of this about 50mm above the membrane so that the concrete can completely enclose it. The mesh is supported using blocks of expanded polystyrene. The mesh is tied together using special wire. The reinforcing mesh spreads the load of anything resting on the concrete and reduces the chance of cracking
• Pour the concrete – the concrete is poured inside the shuttering with care, ensuring that is finds its way under the steel mesh and fully covers it. The concrete should be laid to a level slightly higher than the shuttering
• Levelling off – a length of timber supported by the shuttering is moved back and forth from one end of the driveway to the other. This scrapes off excess concrete and creates a flat, even surface which is then finished with a concrete float trowel, smoothed in wide arcs a small area at a time, slightly compressing the surface at the same time
• Expansion grooves – before the concrete has fully dried and cured, expansion grooves are cut into the surface about 1m apart and to a depth of around 25mm. They should be evenly spaced and filled with a clear, silicone sealant to prevent the accumulation of water and dirt
• Non-slip finish – the concrete is slightly roughened with a stiff-bristled broom to provide grip in frost, snow and excessive rain
• Curing – the concrete will take about 7-10 days to cure and must be free of vehicles during this time. Hot and sunny weather can present a problem as the surface may dry too quickly. This can be remedied by sprinkling the concrete with water or laying wet blankets on top of the slab. The curing process requires the concrete to set by chemical reaction not by the removal of moisture so it should be allowed to cure at its own pace
• Remove shuttering – once dry, the shuttering is removed with care

How much does it cost to concrete a driveway in different colours

There are different types of stains and effects to change the colour of the concrete to suit the design and the property.

• Acid stain – this provides earthy tones and a soft blue/green effect
• Concrete dye – the colour choices with concrete dye are almost unlimited. The dye can be mixed directly with the concrete before it is laid or added afterwards
• Water-based stain – water-based stain offers a spectrum of colours and can be mixed to produce something bespoke and unique
• Integral colours – these are limited to pastel shades and earth tones
• Dry shake colour hardener – the tones are more muted than concrete dyes or water-based stains and there is large range of colours

What are the advantages of a concrete driveway?

Durability is one of the key advantages to concrete. Now that concrete has smartened up its appearance, aesthetic is also high on the list of advantages and anything that looks good will naturally have great kerb appeal when you decide it’s time to sell.

Many homeowners are attracted by price; concrete is much cheaper than other types of driveway surface such as block paving or cobbles. Imprinted concrete can mimic the appearance of a more expensive surface and offers the best of both worlds.

Installation is reasonably quick and straightforward, so labour costs are lower than the time-consuming alternatives of hand laying cobbles or bricks.

Concrete has redefined itself in the 21st century and there are a variety of different colours and pattern stamps. This allows the creation of a bespoke and unique design.

Concrete driveways are low maintenance if they are correctly and professionally installed. There should be little weed or grass growth. A surface sealant applied once the surface has dried will protect against stains from engine oil.

Finding the right installer for a concrete driveway

If you ask “How much does it cost to concrete a driveway?” to installers, the prices they will offer often depend on several factors including size, colour and finish. This is why its important to find the right installer.

Laying concrete requires a level of skill and experience to ensure a good finish and a surface that is level and won’t crack.

Ask around for a personal recommendation from friends, family or work colleagues. Social media forums can be a good source of information in your local community or neighbourhood but make sure the recommendation is authentic and from someone who has actually used that company to install a concrete driveway at their home.

Trader platforms provide a quick and easy way to get several quotes direct to your inbox. All you will need is the square meterage of the area, an indication of what level of incline there is, if any, and whether there is a pre-existing driveway that needs to be removed. Make sure you use an authentic site where the customer reviews are genuine.

Always obtain at least three quotes and prepare a list of questions to ask each contractor to help you compare. A good driveway company should give you a figure based on the size of the drive and then issue a more detailed quote once they have been out to your home to measure up and assess the site.

Checkout this comprehensive video showing a concrete driveway installation from digging up to sealing:

So when questioning how much does it cost to concrete a driveway, factors such as location, gradient, patterns and size all affect the quoted costs. It is best to think about the end result and then research factors required to achieve the end result. Always do research into the type of driveway finish you’d like, whether it be a patterned imprinted concrete driveway or a pressed concrete driveway. Then research the costs involved in creating the driveway such as the costs involved in the pouring of concrete.

Frequently Asked Questions