Almost always the sub-base. Two quotes for the same driveway on the same street can differ by hundreds of pounds because one contractor has priced a deeper excavation and a proper hardcore base and the other has not. Much of the Norwich area sits on boulder clay, which holds water and needs more base than people expect. The blocks on top are one of the smaller line items.
Call 01603 858680 for a free, fixed, itemized Quote.
What you are actually paying for
Most homeowners assume they are paying for blocks. On a properly built driveway, the blocks are one of the smaller line items.
Industry cost guides put excavation and disposal at around £28 per square meter and the sub-base at around £23 per square meter, before a single block is laid. Roughly a third of the cost of a properly built driveway is groundwork that disappears from view the day it is finished.
That is the part a cheap quote leaves out, and it is the only part that determines whether the driveway is still flat in ten years.
What makes one Norwich quote higher than another
- Sub-base depth. Much of Norfolk sits on clay, which holds water and moves with the seasons. A clay site typically needs a deeper hardcore base than a sandy or chalky one. Two quotes for the same driveway can differ by hundreds of pounds purely on excavation depth, and the cheaper one is not a bargain, it is a shallower base.
- What is there now. Lifting and disposing of an old concrete slab costs more than lifting gravel. Skip hire and tipping fees are a real line item.
- Drainage. Since 2008, laying more than 5m² of impermeable surface in a front garden requires either planning permission or a drainage solution. Permeable blocks, a soakaway or a channel drain all add cost, and all of them are cheaper than a planning application.
- The block. Standard concrete blocks sit at the bottom of the range; clay pavers, natural-stone-effect and premium ranges sit at the top. We use Marshalls across the range.
- Access and shape. A straight rectangular drive with off-street parking for the tipper is quick. A narrow, curved or terraced-street drive where everything is barrowed takes longer and costs more.
Why the cheapest quote usually costs the most?
The most common failure we are called out to fix is a driveway that has sunk in patches after four or five years. Almost every time, the cause is the same: not enough sub-base, or no geotextile membrane between the subgrade and the hardcore, so the stone worked its way down into the clay and the surface followed it.
Relaying a sunken driveway costs more than building it properly the first time, because you pay twice for excavation and twice for disposal.
When you compare quotes, ask each contractor one question in writing: how deep is the sub-base, and is a geotextile membrane included? The answers will explain the price difference faster than any other question.
Does a block paved driveway add value to a Norwich home?
A tidy, well-drained driveway is one of the few external improvements that shows in every photograph of the property and solves a real problem, off-street parking in a city where much of the older housing stock has none. We are not going to put a percentage on it, because any number you read online is invented. What we can say is that in areas like Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston and the Golden Triangle, off-street parking is a genuine differentiator at viewing.
Frequently asked questions
What should an itemised driveway quote actually include? Excavation depth, disposal of the old surface, the sub-base specification and depth, whether a geotextile membrane is included, the edging and drainage detail, the block or surface specified, and the labour. A quote that is one line and one number tells you nothing you can compare.
Why is the cheapest quote usually the most expensive? Because the saving almost always comes from the sub-base, and a shallow sub-base is what causes a driveway to sink within five years. Relaying a sunken driveway costs more than building it properly first time, since you pay twice for excavation and twice for disposal.
How many quotes should I get? Three is enough. More than that and you are comparing on price rather than on specification. Ask all three the same written question about sub-base depth and membrane, and the differences explain themselves.
Do you charge for a quote? No. We visit, assess the ground conditions and drainage, and give you a written itemised price with no obligation.