Complete Cobblestone Driveway Costs (Prices Per m2)

Cobblestone driveways are one of the most appealing driveway options you can choose. Yet, they’re also one of the most expensive. Cobbles give you the opportunity to match the original construction material of the house, to create unique patterns, and to add to the value of your home. Cobblestones are durable, easy to repair, and require less maintenance than concrete, asphalt, or tarmac. 

Installing a cobblestone driveway normally costs £85 and £165 per square metre depending on the material. Of this, about two-thirds  is the cost of materials and the rest is labour. However, the actual cost of materials depends on what kind of paving stones you choose. For example, high-end stones can cost over £200 per square metre in materials alone. 

What Are Cobblestone Driveways?

Cobblestone driveways include any driveway paved with blocks or stones. These can be bricks, paving stones, natural stone, clay bricks, or even concrete blocks. Traditionally, cobblestones are small, natural stones used for paving. However, almost any kind of paving stone now qualifies today. 

However, if you have an older home, much of the home may be done in granite, basalt, or limestone blocks. Matching your driveway to those stones can create a beautiful effect. If you’re replacing the original driveway, or restoring it, using granite paving stones is also a great idea. 

• Traditional – Natural stone (granite, basalt, limestone) 
• Clay – Brick, artificial rock 
• Paving stones – concrete, machine bricks 

So, a cobblestone driveway is traditionally natural stone, but the term now means any small paving stones. Therefore, you’ll have to choose what kind of material you want to use for your block paved driveway. 

Cobblestone Driveway Costs*

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The cost of a cobblestone driveway mostly depends on the cost of the paving stones. Labour will normally be a predictable factor, which is almost always the same, no matter what material you choose. For example, the following details cost pricing for a 50 sqm driveway. 

*Please note, these cost estimates are based on quotes in April of 2023. Actual costs are subject to change and may be different at the time of reading. 

Of course, some of those costs may not be necessary. For example, if you’re replacing a driveway on top of an old one, you might be able to skip the costs of excavation and of dropping the curb. That will save you almost half the cost of the project on the lower end of the scale. 

70 m2 Second Driveway in Basalt 

• £5,950 in basalt 
• Renting excavator and tipper £235
• Mortar, Sand, Block paving, kiln-dried sand – £135
• Waste removal – £145
• Excavation – £1,250 
• Labour – £975 
• Permits/Council permission – £385
• StreetWorks Labour to Drop Kerb – £1,850

Total: £10,925

50 m2 Replacement Driveway in Concrete Artificial Stones 

• £1,600 in paving stones 
• Mortar, Sand, Block paving, kiln-dried sand – £135
• Skip rental – £60+ 
• Labour to remove old driveway – £1,470
• Labour – £950

Total: £4,215

100m2 Clay Brick Driveway 

• £3,500 in brick
• Renting excavator and tipper £235
• Mortar, Sand, Block paving, kiln-dried sand – £135
• Waste removal – £145
• Excavation – £1,650 
• Labour – £600
• Permits/Council permission – £385
• StreetWorks Labour to Drop Kerb – £1,850

Total: £8,500

7 Cobblestone Driveway Price Factors

The cost of laying a cobblestone driveway can change quite a bit between projects. That’s important, because driveways normally start at around £3,000 at the bare minimum and you can basically pay however much you want.

Here, the cost of labour and the cost of materials are the two most important parts of your quote. 

1. Labour 

Most pavers charge £20-£50 per hour. However, you can expect to pay a day rate of about £150. In other cases, you might actually get a flat rate per day including materials and labour. For example, if you want brick paving, it’s fairly common to get “1,000 bricks for £1,000-£1,500 including materials and labour”. That works out to about 1,000 bricks per day per person on the job. 

Cobblestone paving is often much more finicky than that. This is because natural stones can vary quite a bit in size. Therefore, you’ll likely pay £150 per day per person on the job and materials separately. Here, a small driveway will typically take about 4 days. You can expect a paver to manage about 12m2 in a day – although that will change depending on the paver, the paving stones, and the weather. 

2. Cost of Materials

Materials are another very large part of total costs. The cheapest paving stones start out at around £12 per square metre. However, most people prefer nicer paving stones – which means you’re more likely to pay between £80 and £125.

However, with designer bricks and stones with custom facings and even stones dyed to match your existing home – costs can go over £300 per square metre. 

On average, if you want natural stone, you’re looking at £100 plus per square metre. The cheapest options are machine-made brick and artificial stones or concrete tiles made to look like stone. These typically average about £25-£35 per square metre. That makes them the most economical choice for most homeowners and a great balance between aesthetics and costs. 

Alternatively, you could aim for reclaimed cobblestones and save yourself a large part of the cost. However, unless they’re reclaimed from your own driveway, using reclaimed stones won’t drop materials costs by more than a third. 

3. Equipment Rental 

Excavation equipment, tippers, skips, and grading all cost money. Here, you can expect rates to vary depending on what you need. In addition, some construction crews will bring the skips and equipment with them as part of the job and others will charge you a fee. 

• Excavator/JCB – £75+ per day/£250+ per week 
• Tipper – £42+ per day 
• Skip – £100-£300 

Of course, if you have a skip, you don’t need a tipper. However, if you have a nearby dump and someone to drive it, the tipper is usually the more economical choice. 

4. Material Size 

The size of your paving bricks will actually make a difference. Here, most of the difference is in labour and cost per square metre. For example, if you’re using metric bricks, you need roughly 60 to fill out a square metre space. 

Here, you can expect your labourers to average 1,000 bricks/stones per day, or 16-17 m2 per day. 

On the other hand, many cobblestones are roughly 10 cm square. That means you’ll need 104 per square metre, and it will take longer to lay them. This means more time to lay the same amount of square metres of pavement. Here, most pavers will manage 12-15 square metres per day. 

5. Excavation

Unless you’re replacing an existing road, you’ll always have to excavate a driveway. That should include grading and compacting the space so that it’s flat and so that the cobbles don’t sink. You’ll then want to lay sand and perimeter paving before laying the cobbles. 

Excavation normally costs between £21 and £85 per square metre, depending on the amount of work. With some luck, you simply have to grade the area and then compact it.

On the other hand, you might end up having to dig out the existing ground and replace it with something with better drainage to prevent your road from eroding away. 

6. City Permits

If you’re doing work facing a street, you might have to request permits; for example, if you’re dropping the kerb.

However, in general, driveways are part of planned developments. You won’t need to apply for planning permission unless you’re using an impermeable material. Cobblestones are porous, which means you can install them without planning permission. 

However, dropping the kerb means getting a permit and paying administrative fees. 

7. Kerbs and Sidewalk Repair 

If you drop the kerb, damage the sidewalk, or rip up tarmac, you’ll have to repair that to finish the project. In most cases, total costs will be around £125-£180 per square metre of sidewalk. Dropping the kerb can also cost over £2,000 in labour. In addition, you’ll have to hire a city-approved, usually Registered Competent Person, contractor for the job. 

Benefits Of Cobblestone Driveways

Cobblestone driveways are expensive, but they are a great choice for beauty, durability, and ease of maintenance. 

Aesthetics 

Cobblestone driveways are beautiful. If you live in a listed house, they might even be the only thing you’re allowed to install. Either way, most people love the look – which means you’ll skip the eyesore of a tarmac or concrete driveway. 

Porous Material

Cobblestones are porous, which means rainwater will go through the stones instead of flooding to the side. This also means you won’t need planning permission to install them. However, more importantly, it means you’ll have fewer issues with erosion than with a tarmac surface. 

Durability 

Cobblestone driveways can last for decades, with most cobble and brick paving stones rated for 100+ years. If you take care of them, your cobblestone driveway will be good until the foundation has to be redone. 

Easy to Maintain

Concrete and tarmac can crack and damage. When that happens, you’ll have to invest in ripping the whole thing up to repair it. When cobblestones are damaged, you can simply spot-fix the damaged part and be fine. That can save you considerably in maintenance costs over 20+ years.  

Value 

Cobblestone driveways can add value to your home in ways that concrete and tarmac cannot. This means you can add to the value of your home – although it’s important to check with a real estate agent before investing. 

Cobblestone vs Other Driveway Types

Cobblestone is just one of a larger number of paving options you can choose for your driveway. It’s also one of the most expensive, meaning it’s likely a good idea to compare your options and decide what it is you want. 

Of these, paving stones and gravel are the easiest to repair, which makes them the most durable. On the other hand, concrete, asphalt, and tarmac are faster to put down and much cheaper per square metre. That can make them the more attractive choice upfront. For example, a tarmac driveway may cost as little as a third of the cost of a paved driveway. On the other hand, it won’t be as appealing. 

Installation Steps (Timeline)

Installing a new driveway typically involves the same steps. 

• Prepare the site. This means removing the old driveway or excavating the site. In either case, you can expect the work to take 1-2 days 
• Preparing the foundation (laying a drainage layer, adding piles in trenches if necessary, and replacing the underlying ground with something with better drainage if you have a lot of groundwater). This should also take 1-2 days. 
• The excavator can be returned at this point 
• Materials delivery 
• Laying sand (an hour or less) 
• Laying cobbles. Usually about 12 m2 per day, for an average of 4 days
• Perimeter stones 
• Finishing 
• Clean-up and waste disposal 

In most cases, the full project should take 4-12 days. However, if you have a large driveway, it may take longer. In addition, if you have to apply to the city council for permission to drop the kerb, you could be waiting for several weeks for that approval. Therefore, you should always apply at least 6 weeks in advance. 

Driveway Contractor Hiring Checklist

If you’re hiring a contractor to pave your driveway, it’s important that you know they are competent, experienced, and able to cobble your driveway in the pattern you want.

The following checklist should help: 

• They are a Registered Competent Person 
• If you’re working with public streets, they have an 0-Series StreetWorks Certificate (For working with public streets) 
• They have liability insurance
• Workers’ compensation is included 
• They offer a quote that compares favourably to the competition 
• Good reviews online 
• Quotes are transparent and include information like delivery, equipment, etc. 
• Their timelines work for you 
• You get along with the contractor after a consultation 

In most cases, there is little legislation around building a driveway. However, you want to ensure that your builder understands underlayment and drainage, so you get a driveway built to drain well.

You can also ask for photos or examples of work and call references if you’re not sure. In addition, if you want a specific paving pattern, you should ask upfront if they can do it. 

Next Steps

On average, the cost to install a cobblestone driveway starts at £85- £125 per square metre. However, costs can be significantly higher, with some stones costing over £300 per square metre. You’ll also have to consider excavation, waste disposal, permits, kerbs, etc. 

If you’re ready to get started with a new driveway, use the form at the top of the page to request and compare quotes from top pavers in your area.