How much does a resin driveway cost?
A resin bound driveway in the UK usually costs between £50 and £70 per square metre laid, so a typical 40 to 50 square metre drive comes in around £2,500 to £4,000. Where you land inside that range depends mostly on what is already under the old surface, and the only number that counts is the one you get after a survey.
Indicative only. Your real figure comes after a free site survey, once we have seen what is under the old surface.
What does the price per square metre include?
A square-metre price for resin bound is a supply-and-lay figure. It covers the materials, the labour and the base work underneath as well as the stone on top. A fair quote spells out what is in it so you can compare like with like, and if one looks far cheaper, it is usually leaving the groundwork out.
- the free site survey and a firm written quote
- preparing the base, or laying a new permeable sub-base where the old one has failed
- edge restraints and any border detail that holds the surface in
- the UV-stable resin and the washed, kiln-dried aggregate itself
- hand-trowelling the surface and clearing the site on the way out
- the workmanship guarantee once it has cured
The stones themselves are only part of it. For how the finish changes with the blend you pick, see the resin driveway colours and aggregate blends.
What makes a resin driveway cost more or less?
Two drives of the same size can quote differently, and almost all of the gap comes down to a handful of things. The base is the big one; the rest nudge the figure either way. Knowing them tells you where a quote is coming from.
The size of the area
A bigger drive costs more overall but less per square metre, because the day-rate for the crew and the mobilisation are spread over more ground. A small front garden is the dearest per metre.
What is under the old surface
Sound concrete or tarmac can often be overlaid, which is quick and keeps the price down. A cracked, soft or non-permeable base has to come up and be rebuilt, and that is the single biggest swing in any quote.
Access to the site
A crew that can barrow straight onto the drive works faster than one carrying materials through a side gate or round a terrace. Tight or shared access adds time, and time is most of the cost.
The aggregate you choose
Standard golden gravels sit at the bottom of the range. Premium and specialist blends, and the marble and spar aggregates, cost a little more per bag and carry through to the metre rate.
Borders, patterns and setts
A plain finish is the baseline. Granite-sett edging, a contrasting border or an inlaid pattern all add labour and material, so a feature drive costs more than a single-colour one of the same size.
Depth and drainage
A drive is laid to a greater depth than a path because it carries the weight of cars. On a sloping or heavy-clay plot, extra drainage may be tied in as well, and both nudge the figure up.
Resin bound vs resin bonded cost
Resin bound and resin bonded sit at similar money per square metre, so price is rarely what decides between them. Bound mixes the aggregate through the resin for a smooth, porous finish; bonded scatters stone over a sealed base and does not drain. Because bound is permeable and bonded is not, the right choice usually turns on drainage and planning rather than a few pounds a metre.
The full picture is on the resin bound vs resin bonded guide, including which one suits a slope.
Overlay vs full excavation, how each affects price
The base under your old drive decides which of two routes a quote takes, and that choice is the biggest single reason one price beats another. One keeps the existing foundation; the other replaces it.
Overlay onto a sound base
If the existing concrete or tarmac is solid, level and already drains, resin bound can go straight over it. There is no dig-out, no muck away and no new sub-base, so it is the quicker and cheaper route and sits at the lower end of the range.
Full excavation and a new sub-base
Where the old base is broken, sinking or not permeable, it is dug out and a new open-graded sub-base goes down so the finished drive drains in place and stays SuDS-compliant. That is more labour, more material and skip hire, so it sits at the top of the range, and it is what a genuinely permeable driveway needs.
A dug-out drive is rebuilt on an open-graded base so it drains in place. That is what keeps it permeable and SuDS-compliant, and often clear of planning permission out front.
Is resin cheaper than block paving, tarmac or gravel?
Resin bound sits in the middle of the four common driveway surfaces: dearer than loose gravel, about level with tarmac, and cheaper than quality block paving. The headline price is only half the story, because gravel scatters and block paving grows weeds, so the cheap option often costs more over the years. The ranges below are indicative market figures to place resin bound, laid.
| Surface | Indicative £/m² | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Loose gravel | £40 to £60 | Cheapest to lay, but it scatters onto the path, needs topping up, and rucks up where cars turn. |
| Tarmac | £45 to £80 | Similar money to resin bound, but it is black only, impermeable, and softens and cracks with age. |
| Resin bound | £50 to £70 | Smooth, permeable and colour-fast, with no loose stone and no weeds through the joints. |
| Block paving | £75 to £125 | The dearest of the four once laid, with more labour, and weeds and sinking blocks to deal with later. |
Indicative ranges only, and surfaces vary by region, size and base. Your real comparison comes from a survey.
How do you get an accurate price?
You get an accurate price from a free site survey, not from a square-metre sum. A guide figure gets you in the right ballpark; the firm number needs someone to see the state of the old base, the access and the drainage. We measure up, tell you whether it can be overlaid or needs digging out, and put a fixed price in writing with no obligation.
- Book a survey. Tell us the rough size and send a photo of the area if you have one.
- We visit and measure. We check the base, the falls and the access, and talk through blends and borders.
- You get a fixed quote. A written price for the finished drive, guaranteed, with no pressure to go ahead.
Ready for a figure you can rely on?
Book a free site survey and we will price your resin bound driveway exactly, base and all, with a written quote and no obligation.