Is upgrading your driveway right for you?

Some properties have an existing driveway and may be looking to either change the driveway material or upgrade the current one to bring it into the 21st century. Both have their merits and we consider them below.

Changing Driveway Material
How much this will cost and how long it will take is highly dependant on the surface you currently have and what you want to change it to. If you are considering changing your current surface to a tarmac driveway, this can be relatively inexpensive and wouldn't require you to dig ut the current driveway as the tarmac will be laid on top the existing driveway. For any other surface change i.e. going to block paving, gravel, stone or resin, the current driveway will need to be dug up all the way down to the base as a fresh area will need to be prepared for these materials. This could be quite an expensive job - depending on how much waste removal would be required.

Upgrading Current Driveway
If you are looking to upgrade your current driveway using the same material that is currently there, the cost of the job will depend on how much you want to upgrade for most surfaces.

Tarmac is the easiest to upgrade as you can just lay another layer on top of the current tarmac driveway.

Upgrading block paving cost will depend on the extent of the work you require. If you are merely replacing a small patch / section, this could be really be a very cheap job. If you are looking to overhaul the whole driveway - expect to pay considerably more.

Gravel driveways generally do not need to be upgraded, however they do need to be regularly shaped and compacted to ensure large holes and divots do not appear.

If you have a under maintained concrete driveway, you will most likely need to replace the while driveway and start afresh. Given the advancements in technology, this could mean installing a new type of concrete that is permeable - definitely something to consider if this is a job you are planning to start.


As you can see, depending on the surface there are a few things to consider if you are looking to upgrade your existing driveway.

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