Driveway Labour Cost: UK Rates per m², per Day and per Hour

Driveway labour cost per m² by surface

Labour alone for a new driveway usually costs £30 to £50 per m², on Checkatrade’s figures, with installation at £30 per m² for gravel, £40 for tarmac, £45 for concrete and £50 each for brick, block paving and resin bound.

Block paving is labour-intensive and more expensive to install, Checkatrade’s driveway cost guide says, and it prices the material separately from the installation, so a new driveway’s price per m² is the two figures added together.

Resin driveway labour cost

Resin bound labour costs £70 per m² on a small 20m² drive, £50 per m² on a medium 50m² drive and £30 per m² on a large 100m² drive, on the figures in Checkatrade’s resin bound driveway cost guide, while the material stays at £70 per m² at every size.

Checkatrade’s resin guide gives labour at around £30 an hour, depending on location and the installer’s experience, and puts installation at around £50 per m² on average.

Block paving labour cost

Checkatrade’s block paving cost guide prices block paving labour at £640 to £1,400, an average of £1,020, and removing block paving at £40 to £110 per m², an average of £75, both excluding VAT. Its table gives the labour figure no unit.

Block paving can sink when the ground was not excavated deeply enough or the compaction failed, and lifting and relaying it costs roughly £75 per m², the same guide says.

Checkatrade’s driveway paving cost guide prices excavating the area of the driveway at £30 to £50 per m², an average of £40, excluding VAT. It says more intricate patterns take more labour time, and lists regional labour rates and experience among the cost factors.

The excavation and sub-base usually make the biggest difference to how long a driveway lasts, Checkatrade’s driveway cost guide says.

Driveway installer day rates

Labour for a team of 2 on a tarmac driveway is £400 as a day rate, on Checkatrade’s figures, which also price excavations and disposal at £28 per m², a sub-base at £23 per m², a mini digger at £250 for a day’s hire and a skip at £165 for a weekend. Equipment hire affects the price, Checkatrade says.

For resurfacing a solid tarmac drive, Checkatrade puts labour at around £150 to £200 per person per day, and says most companies send two people, so budget around £400 a day.

Checkatrade’s block paving cost guide gives block paving labour at £250 per day, and says a herringbone pattern takes longer to lay than a simple one.

Tradesperson labour on a dropped kerb averages £300 per day, on Checkatrade’s figures.

Imprinted concrete labour cost

Checkatrade’s imprinted concrete cost guide puts imprinted concrete labour at £2,625 to £5,500, an average of £4,062.50, excluding VAT, for drives of 40m² to 100m². Labour is a large share of the price because of the preparation, pattern stamping and finishing, the guide says.

Driveway labour rates side by side

Compare two rows only where the unit and the VAT basis match. The figures in this first table carry no VAT label.

Labour or groundwork	Unit	Figure	Checkatrade guide
Gravel, installation	Per m²	£30	How much does a driveway cost
Tarmac, installation	Per m²	£40	How much does a driveway cost
Concrete, installation	Per m²	£45	How much does a driveway cost
Brick, installation	Per m²	£50	How much does a driveway cost
Block paving, installation	Per m²	£50	How much does a driveway cost
Resin bound, installation	Per m²	£50	How much does a driveway cost
Resin bound labour, 20m² drive	Per m²	£70	Resin bound driveway cost
Resin bound labour, 50m² drive	Per m²	£50	Resin bound driveway cost
Resin bound labour, 100m² drive	Per m²	£30	Resin bound driveway cost
Resin bound labour	Per hour	Around £30	Resin bound driveway cost
Labour, team of 2	Day rate	£400	Tarmac driveway cost
Tarmac resurfacing labour	Per person per day	Around £150 to £200	Tarmac driveway cost
Excavations and disposal	Per m²	£28	Tarmac driveway cost
Sub-base	Per m²	£23	Tarmac driveway cost
Tradesperson labour, dropped kerb	Per day	£300 average	Dropped kerb cost

The figures in this second table come from tables that exclude VAT.

Labour or groundwork	Unit	Figure, excluding VAT	Checkatrade guide
Block paving labour	No unit given	£640 to £1,400, average £1,020	Block paving cost
Removing block paving	Per m²	£40 to £110, average £75	Block paving cost
Excavating the driveway area	Per m²	£30 to £50, average £40	Driveway paving cost
Imprinted concrete labour	A drive of 40m² to 100m²	£2,625 to £5,500, average £4,062.50	Imprinted concrete cost

Labour and materials on a driveway quote

Ask for a detailed breakdown of costs and possible extras rather than a price per m² alone, Checkatrade’s driveway paving cost guide advises, and it says a quote usually includes materials, labour, excavating and preparing the driveway, and clean-up and disposal.

Some firms say who does the labour. Among the Nottingham driveway companies we rank, Duffield Construction in West Bridgford says it does not use sub-contractors, CP Driveways in Clifton does all its work with its own team, and Advanced Patios & Paving in Sneinton does its groundwork preparation with its own diggers and a grab lorry for waste removal.

Checkatrade’s new driveway checklist says to make sure the quote includes the sub-base preparation and to ask what bedding layer the installer intends to use, since a large proportion of the quote will probably be the sub-base.

Checkatrade’s driveway cost guide says a quote should set out the labour as well as the material, the excavation, the sub-base preparation and how long the work will take. When choosing a driveway contractor, ask whether the total cost includes VAT, one of the questions Checkatrade suggests.