Front garden conversion to drive, how much was yours?

[Fizbo]

We have just received permission from the council to drop the kerb outside our house to make a drive.

We have had one quote and have two more booked. The first guy who has a fantastic reputation on check a trade quoted around £2000. However when we received his official quote on paper it was £4800.

We have asked for a new quote using gravel rather then block paving. His quote included vat and the area is big enough for 2 medium sized cars.

Can I ask what others have paid for similar sized driveways.

[TitusFlavius]

I doubt that anything I say here will get you to change your mind, but IMO front garden conversions to drives are really antisocial. They make pavements really hazardous for children: I've witnessed several times people pulling out of their drives without looking or signalling in any way, and narrowly missing children who were on the pavement, too small for them to see, It's no good our teaching our kids to stay on the pavement to be safe if cars are crossing the pavement all the time.

The dropped-curb thing also makes it really hazardous for anyone who is not all that steady on their feet in frosty weather. The side road by my flat is virtually unwalkable in the frost, because of all the slopes of the driveways. (The same slopes also have the effect of funnelling out small children on scooters and trikes into the road when they cross them.)

I imagine you won't do this, but around where I live we have the further problem of people with tiny front gardens parking huge cars on them, totally blocking the pavements with the back end of their cars.

[FunkyBarnYardBroom]

I also am interested in this. We already have a drive but it's in poor condition.

I'd rather see more homes with drives than endless cars parked half on the pavement lining the streets making it impossible to cross with a clear view.

[Vinomum]

I was quoted £4.5k to block pave a driveway to fit 2/3 cars. Haven't done it yet as other things in the house have taken priority but we definitely need to do something about our front as it's a mess of grass, gravel and badly laid Tarmac at the moment .

My gardener mentioned the other day that he'd had a concrete driveway laid but with a block paving design so it looks like block paving but much cheaper. Haven't looked into this any further but will be exploring this option as and when we get round to doing ours.

[Augustwedding]

We had our Edwardian age house front garden converted to driveway as was sick of having to park a million miles away. We had block paving, cost £3600 plus £400 to dig down pipes. Drop kerb was £2143.

Now we always have somewhere to park and park other car across so we a) don't get blocked in by inconsiderate Parkers and b) don't take up another space on the road. It works cause I leave after and get home before DP.

Worth every penny IMO!

[Augustwedding]

Driveway from front.

Car on driveway from living room.

[fairyfuckwings]

Ours was 8k but there were tons and tons of earth to remove. We also had to lay new mains pipes for everything and put in new railings. This was to create space for three cars and was block paved.

Some of the neighbours got it done at tge same time. The more level ones were 2k for 2 spaces including the road markings, single width dropped kerb and council permission.

Our council always seem to approve this. My dad used to work in this department and their view is that cars parked off the road actually makes the road safer.

[Fizbo]

Titus I would have agreed with you before I moved here, however the road I live on has very wide pavements, this means that people without drives park half on the kerb half on the road.

A few houses up everyone has drives so there are no cars parked on the road. My neighbours on one side have had theirs done and the side attached will do theirs when able.

The council are keen for this hence they have allowed so many as it is safer for cars to be off the pavements. I find it hard to cross the road outside my house with a pushchair as there are always cars blocking my view. So I can understand the problems from both sides.

[Twiceover]

Ours was 4k for dropped kerb and block paved drive. Not a massive area though, width of a victorian terrace. It's absolutely brilliant, no more driving round the block in the rain to find a space, love it!!

[Fizbo]

Thanks all. August that looks lovely! I think it will be a worthwhile investment.

[marko1976]

I find looking out of a window at an ageing hunks of metal depressing. Sometimes people park their cars a few feet from the door. Ridiculous really. A window that has a view like tescos car park! ..no thanks! Lack privacy and nosey passers by is a big factor for me. I'm getting rid of my drive and planting a 10ft griselinia hedge. Will be backlit at night for atmosphere. The fact nearly everybody is paving gardens means more road parking spaces. My road is busy in the day but empty at night. If it means I have to park my Volvo further away so be it ! I'll walk for 60secs ...big deal ! If raining I'll grab the umbrella!

[Nattynoonah]

I have just obtained planning permission for a additional bedroom to my 3 bedroom semi (1930s)the local council are saying i HAVE to turn my beautiful garden into a parking space and turning point for 3 cars as I am building over my side drive. Am disgusted as I feel these areas are vital for birds and wildlife and the general well being of the road in general. I dont even live on a busy road. My Architect agreed the terms without advising me but this is so wrong and Im keen to go back to them. We need to cherish our green spaces and Im shocked the council are doing this.

[namechangedtoday15]

Natty you won't get anywhere with that (I don't think). The Council don't want people parking on the road for obvious reasons - whether you agree or not, it is dangerous as it prohibits flow of traffic (sometimes means roads are reduced to a single width rather than 2 lanes) so it makes complete sense that if you're extending over your drive way (which the council expects you to use whether in fact you actually do) that you need somewhere else, other than the road, to park your cars. Of course your architect should have discussed it with you first, but there is no doubt that your application would have been refused if you refused to convert your front garden to a drive.

We've been quoted £4,800 for a tarmac drive edged in brick for a 1930s semi (kerb already dropped).

[flyingkangaroos]

namechanged - it may be annoying to restrict the flow of traffic, but why is it dangerous? generally, slowing traffic makes it safer.

Nattynoonah - if they make you do this, then how about using that plant-through paving stuff, do you know what I mean? It's a sort of reinforced grid, so that cars can drive onto it , but stuff can grow through it. And surely they can't make you use your drive? If you wanted to have plants all over your drive, could they stop you?

[Kiroro]

Sister had hers done - over £6k. Had some quite serious landscaping to get to comply with the rules on % of green and also steps and path up to the house.

[namechangedtoday15]

flying because if cars are parked down the side of the road instead of in driveways, its more difficult for children to cross roads safely (the view is obscured), the same goes for drivers coming out of their drives or side roads - they can't see clearly up and down the road, and lastly if everyone slowed down because there was less space on the road, that would of course be a good thing. But sadly, most people dont.

[mambono5]

In my area, any off-street parking space will increase the value of your house. It's really worth doing. In an ideal world, we would all have lovely huge front gardens, but in real life, people need to park somewhere.

[ArseyTussle]

Aren't we supposed to go for water permeable surfaces such as gravel though, rather than pave everywhere? I'm sure I read that the increase in paving front gardens is contributing to the flood risk.