How to Choose a Driveway Contractor in Nottingham: 8 Checks

What to look for in a driveway contractor

Checkatrade suggests a driveway paver who is experienced, will show you examples of past work, customer reviews and testimonials, knows whether planning permission is needed, has insurance, is happy to answer questions, will give a written quote and does not ask for all the payment upfront.

Many general builders can lay gravel or basic driveways, but Checkatrade recommends a specialist driveway paver for the finish. Its new driveway checklist also advises choosing an installer with plenty of experience of the material you want, such as resin.

The government’s guidance on permeable front gardens says “It is best to use an experienced landscape or driveway contractor” and advises getting references from previous clients. Make the checks in this order.

Trade body checks and dropped kerb contractors

A firm that names a trade body or scheme on its website should appear on that scheme’s own register. The Federation of Master Builders register can be searched by name or by town or postcode, and the FMB says its members “have to pass a professional vetting and inspection process before joining”. Duffield Construction in West Bridgford has been an FMB member since 2009.

If your own contractor builds a dropped kerb, Nottingham City Council says the contractor must have NRSWA accreditation, at least £5,000,000 of public liability insurance and a Section 184 licence, among seven requirements. Where Nottinghamshire County Council covers your address, it asks for a valid Streetworks qualification and £5m minimum public liability insurance.

Questions to ask a driveway contractor

Put Checkatrade’s nine questions to every contractor and compare the answers. Its new driveway checklist also names up-to-date insurance, a guarantee or warranty and examples of previous work as things to ask about.

Question	A good answer includes
Can I have the quote in writing?	A written quote, not an estimate, including the sub-base preparation
Does the total cost of my driveway include VAT?	A clear yes or no on the quote
Do you have insurance?	Insurance that is up to date
Can I see examples of your past work?	Drives in the material you want, and references from previous clients
What is the rough timescale?	How long each stage takes, from removing the old surface onwards
Do you offer a guarantee?	A guarantee or warranty in writing, with what it covers and for how long
When will you begin working on my driveway?	A start date, and an agreed finish date if the timing matters
How much experience do you have?	Plenty of experience of the material you want, such as resin
Can I see past customer reviews or testimonials?	Reviews and testimonials, without lots of negative ones

How to compare driveway quotes

Get at least three quotes, Checkatrade’s new driveway checklist advises, and give every firm the same size, access and materials so the quotes are like for like.

Checkatrade calls ground preparation the most important part of any installation, since without it the surface will likely sink, so make sure each quote includes the sub-base preparation and ask what bedding layer the installer intends to use.

On Checkatrade’s figures, labour alone for a new driveway usually costs £30 to £50 per m², so ask each firm to show labour and materials on separate lines.

Driveway guarantees and who does the work

Guarantee terms differ between the Nottingham driveway companies we compare, so check how long each one lasts and what it covers. LJD Paving in Gotham says all its work is backed by a 10-year written guarantee, ED Paving in Long Eaton gives 10 years on its labour and 5 years on materials, Trowell Paving in Stapleford gives a 10-year guarantee on its driveways, and BP Paving in Carlton guarantees all of its work for 5 years.

Ask who will lay the drive, too. Duffield Construction 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.

Driveway scams and red flags

Checkatrade names seven red flags: asking for full payment before the work begins, any tradesperson who comes knocking on your door asking for work, lots of negative customer reviews, not answering your questions, refusing to show examples of past work, poor recommendations from family or friends, and no insurance.

Turn down a driveway offered on your doorstep. The government’s guidance on permeable front gardens says “Casual jobbing contractors who knock on your door and offer to lay a driveway should not be used to construct permeable driveways”.

Quotes, estimates and your rights if the work goes wrong

Citizens Advice says a quote is a promise to do the work at an agreed price and an estimate is only the trader’s best guess, so ask for a quote. A trader cannot charge more than a quote without a good reason, such as extra work you agreed to pay for or an obvious mistake, and its own costs going up is not one; under an estimate, the final price should be reasonable.

Giving the go-ahead makes a contract even if nothing is written down, and under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill, Citizens Advice says. A firm that supplied materials as well as the work can be asked to fix a problem; if it supplied only the work, you can get a refund and stop it doing more.

If the firm cannot or will not fix the problem, ask for a partial or full refund, which should arrive within 14 days of agreeing the amount, Citizens Advice says. If the work runs late, you should give the trader a second chance to finish, unless you made clear it had to be done by a set date.

Cancelling a driveway job and the 14-day cooling-off period

If you arranged the work at your home, over the phone, online, by mail order or elsewhere outside the trader’s business, you have a 14-day cooling-off period to cancel and get a refund, starting the day after you give the go-ahead, Citizens Advice says. If the firm starts in that time without your approval, you can cancel and get a full refund of all costs, but if you asked it to start and it gave you the cancellation information, you will have to pay part of the agreed price.

A business must give you details of how to cancel, and if it does not, your cooling-off period is extended by 14 days from the date you receive them, up to a maximum of 1 year, Citizens Advice says. For work arranged at the trader’s own premises, such as its office or a contractor’s home, your right to cancel depends on whether the work has started.