Resin bound driveways have become one of the most requested surfaces we install across Cornwall, and the first question is always the price. The honest answer is that it varies more than most surfaces because so much depends on what is underneath. This guide sets out realistic figures and explains where the money actually goes.
As a broad guide, most UK homeowners pay somewhere between £60 and £110 per square metre for a resin bound driveway laid onto a suitable existing base, with the full price rising to £100 to £160 per square metre where a new sub-base needs to be dug out and built up first. For an average two car driveway of around 40 to 50 square metres, that usually means a total somewhere between £4,000 and £8,000 depending on the state of the ground.
Small areas cost more per square metre than large ones. Setting up, delivering aggregate and mixing resin involves fixed costs whether the job is 20 square metres or 80, so a small front garden path can look expensive per metre while a large driveway works out better value. Treat any price you see online as a starting point rather than a promise, because no two driveways start from the same place.
The resin and stone themselves are only part of the bill. UV stable resin, which does not yellow in sunlight, costs more than non UV grades but is worth insisting on, especially in a coastal county like Cornwall where surfaces take a lot of weather. The bigger variables are below the surface, which is why a groundworks contractor will always want to see the site before quoting.
Most resin bound failures we get asked to look at were not caused by bad resin. They were caused by a poor base, usually resin laid straight over a surface that was already cracking or over an open textured tarmac that was too thin. The resin layer is only as good as what it sits on, so a proper job on a new build up means excavation, a compacted stone sub-base, a permeable tarmac or concrete binder course, and only then the resin bound finish.
This is where a groundworks firm has an advantage over a resin only installer. We handle the digging out, drainage and base construction ourselves rather than subcontracting it, which matters in Cornwall where you can hit anything from soft ground to solid granite within a few streets of each other. If a quote seems dramatically cheaper than the others, the saving is almost always in the base you cannot see.
Resin bound sits at the upper middle of the driveway market. Loose gravel is far cheaper at roughly £30 to £60 per square metre installed, tarmac usually falls around £50 to £80, and block paving overlaps with resin at about £70 to £120 depending on the blocks chosen. Pattern imprinted concrete is similar money to resin.
What you get for the extra outlay is a smooth, permeable, weed resistant surface with no loose stones to migrate onto the lawn, and a wide choice of colours. Because resin bound is porous, it also normally complies with the permeable surfacing rules for front gardens, which can save the cost of extra drainage that an impermeable surface would trigger.
Measure your driveway roughly in square metres before you ring around, as it helps any contractor give you a sensible ballpark on the phone. Then get two or three written quotes that state the resin depth, whether the resin is UV stable, what base work is included and how spoil disposal is handled. A firm quote should follow a site visit, not a photograph.
If you are in St Austell or the surrounding area, we are happy to look at the job and tell you honestly whether your existing surface can take resin or whether it needs building up from scratch. Sometimes the right answer is the cheaper one, and a straightforward overlay on sound tarmac is a very different price to a full excavation.
Usually not, because resin bound is permeable and rainwater soaks through it into the ground. Under permitted development rules you can surface any size of front garden with a permeable material without applying for planning permission, though listed buildings and some conservation areas have extra restrictions.
A properly installed resin bound surface on a sound base should last 15 to 25 years, and most reputable installers offer a guarantee of around 10 years. The base underneath is what determines whether it reaches that lifespan, which is why the preparation stage should never be skimped.
Sometimes, and it makes a big difference to the price. Sound, well drained concrete or tarmac can often be overlaid after cleaning and priming, but block paving, loose gravel and cracked or crumbling surfaces need to come up and be replaced with a proper base first.
Got a job in mind across Cornwall or Devon? A quick call or message with Robert is usually all it takes to get a quote moving.