Resin bound driveways are a great option if you want a permeable, durable and smooth driveway surface that won’t give you a lot of hassle in the future. It’s the ultimate in easy to maintain driveway, so it’s no surprise that their popularity is starting to grow in the UK.
We’ve talked before about the pros and cons of resin bound driveways (if you missed that one. you can read it here), and one of the cons we talked about was the cost. But because that was just one point we were trying to make in the blog, we didn’t really go into that in much detail. So today, we wanted to explain how much resin driveways cost, and where that cost comes from.
What goes into the cost of a Resin Driveway?
To really understand why a resin driveway costs more than a standard block paved driveway, you’ve got to look at what goes into laying one. This is relatively easy since it tends to break down into 3 main categories:
Materials: This is the bit most people understand – the landscaper needs to pay for the materials used to lay your driveway. The cost will vary depending on the type of material you go for, how much of it you need and how readily available it is. Resin aggregates and the resin itself isn’t the cheapest thing to buy, which is one of the reasons resin bound driveways are on the pricier side. But unlike tarmac (which will crack) or block paving (which will become uneven), resin bound driveways will last much, much longer, so you’re only paying that cost once, instead of every 5 or so years.
Equipment: Again, this is one most people understand – laying driveways does require some hefty equipment, and part of the charge is to cover the use of that equipment for that project. For resin driveways, there is some specialist mixing, laying and cleaning equipment required to give a professional finish, which is included in the cost of your driveway.
Labour: Then we get to time. Installing resin bound driveways requires time, and depending on the size of your driveway it might require more than one landscaper to do it. Labour is usually priced by the hour and added into a total quote, and there will be a breakdown for you to see. The longer your project takes, or the more people it takes, the higher the cost of labour will be.
Training: Pretty much any landscaper, handyman or driveway company could lay you gravel, block paved or even a tarmac driveway. They don’t take any formal training or qualifications, and most people will learn on the job. Resin driveways are different. Resin bound driveways are made using high-quality, regulated materials, and in order to lay it, you need to be able to mix chemicals to create the right compound, and know how to use it all. That means if you want a genuine resin bound driveway, you need to find someone who is trained and certified in laying them. DPM is certified by The Resin Mill, who spent a long time training us and then assessing our work to make sure we were safe, and the end result was high quality. For a specialist technique and product, you’re paying for the specialist knowledge of the landscaper as well.
If you work with a legitimate company to lay your resin driveway (which you should), then you also need to add in one more thing – the cost of running a company. Businesses don’t operate just to cover their costs – they need to be able to make a profit as well. That’s how we invest in training, new techniques, better materials and new employees so that we can deliver even better service. So a part of the cost of working with a legitimate resin bound driveway company is in the ‘overheads’.
So How Much Does A Resin Driveway Cost?
That’s the tricky bit! As with most landscaping and driveway projects, the answer is pretty much ‘it depends’. Because it does. It depends on the size of your driveway, how many different types of aggregate you want to use, colours, materials, and even what area of the country you’re in. When you’re getting quotes for a resin bound driveway, the installer will ask you some questions to work out how much the total cost would be, including:
- What is the size of the area to be covered?
- What size of aggregate is needed?
- What depth does the aggregate need to be?
- What driveway surface do you currently have?
- Would you prefer a UV stable or a non-UV stable resin?
- Do you need to install edging on the site?
- What’s the layout of the installation area?
So you see, we can’t just say – ‘a resin bound driveway will cost £X per square meter’, because even that has too many variables in it. What we can say is that if you’re looking to have a resin bound driveway installed, get in touch with us and we’ll happily pop over and draw you up a quote, free of charge. We’ll also provide you with some options, so we can find a solution that suits your vision and your budget. To find out more, just get in touch with us today.
