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How much does a concrete driveway cost in Cheshire?
In Cheshire, a concrete driveway price depends on the area, the thickness, whether the concrete is permeable, and where the rain goes. Ask the quote to name the build and where the water will go.
Last reviewed:Concrete is a family of surfaces
For a house in Cheshire, "concrete driveway" can mean a traditional slab that sheds water, a permeable block that looks like concrete, or a porous concrete the guidance groups with porous asphalt [S1]. Those are different builds, and a quote that does not say which one it is cannot be lined up against another. No figure is printed, because we could not find two dated public sources that agree on one. Patterned and imprinted finishes are a separate guide. Here the material and the path of the rain are the specification.
What the guidance does with the word concrete
GOV.UK lists concrete and asphalt among the hard surfaces that collect pollution and stop water soaking in, when they are used as impermeable cover [S1]. The same document lists permeable concrete block paving as a surface you can use at any size without planning permission, and it describes hard permeable surfacing built with porous asphalt, porous concrete blocks, or concrete or clay block permeable paving [S1]. Read those as different builds. A grey slab is not automatically the permeable one.
The impermeable rule: more than 5 square metres, traditional surface, no route for water to a permeable area, planning permission required [S1]. The alternative that keeps an impermeable slab inside the guidance is to direct the rain to a lawn or border to drain naturally [S1]. Rain gardens and soakaways are written up as a way to do that, including for conventional concrete [S1]. They need space, suitable ground, and a contractor who knows the method [S1]. The guidance says rain gardens and soakaways need space and should sit a suitable distance from buildings [S1]. Ask building control if you are unsure. Do not send water to a neighbour [S1].
The Planning Portal repeats the front-garden test and limits it to houses [S2]. Back gardens and patios are flagged as different rules [S2]. A flat is outside the allowance [S2].
Joints, thickness and the lorry
Ask the quote to state the slab thickness and the joint spacing. Reinforcement, if any, should be named. The day the concrete arrives matters: access for a mixer, a pump if the drive is behind a house, and what is protected (bricks, drains, the neighbour's car). None of that is included merely because the surface is called concrete.
If the drive is permeable, do not treat it as a mixing bay later. The guidance says not to mix concrete on a permeable driveway, because that blocks the surface [S1]. That is a maintenance point, not a method to copy at home.
Sub-base: open-graded if water must pass; Type 1 is the conventional material the guidance says resists water [S1]. A typical permeable build-up in the guidance is on the order of 200mm to 250mm, with geotextile and compacted sub-base [S1]. Your ground may need something else. Ask.
Slopes steeper than 1 in 20 may not suit a permeable surface [S1]. A channel is the guidance's answer when the fall is toward the house [S1].
The kerb
Illegal, in the Planning Portal's words, to drive over the pavement without a dropped kerb [S2]. Apply to the local authority [S2]. Ask if the concrete price includes that, or stops at the boundary. A new crossover also needs the council's permission in the GOV.UK note, because of services under the footway [S1].
Comparing concrete quotes
| Line | Concrete-specific check |
|---|---|
| Traditional slab, porous concrete, or permeable blocks | The guidance separates them [S1] |
| Where water goes | Lawn, border, rain garden, or nowhere [S1] |
| Distance of any soakaway from the house | Space, and a suitable distance from the buildings [S1] |
| Thickness, joints, reinforcement | Ask each quote to state them |
| Sub-base named | Type 1 or an open grade [S1] |
| Area in square metres | 5 square metre test for undrained impermeable cover [S1] |
| Access for the pour | Changes the method |
| Dropped kerb | Required to cross a pavement [S2] |
| VAT | £90,000 taxable turnover [S4] |
What to send
- Photos of the frontage, the fall, and any manhole.
- Whether water may cross a planted border you are happy to use.
- The postcode.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Front drive in Crewe. We want a traditional concrete slab draining to the side border, not through the concrete. Please say if that meets the guidance, give the area, and include joints and the base. Kerb is already dropped."
- "We want water to pass through the surface. Please price permeable concrete blocks or porous concrete, name which, and use an open-graded base. Do not price a sealed slab under that description."
- "Long drive in Nantwich with a slope toward the bay window. Please include a channel and say where it connects. Do not outlet toward next door."
Quotes and deposits
Citizens Advice: at least three written quotes, a fixed price rather than an estimate, and a careful look at a price that is a lot lower [S3]. Insurance should be asked for and read [S3]. Deposit, if unavoidable, no more than 25% [S3]. Doorstep offers of leftover concrete are a moment to check the firm exists by ringing it [S3].
The slab, the blocks and the water at the house wall
Traditional concrete, permeable concrete block paving and porous concrete are not one product [S1]. A household that says "we want concrete" may be answered with a poured slab, with blocks that let water through, or with a porous mix. Those answers sit on different sides of the planning test. More than five square metres of traditional impermeable surface, with nowhere permeable for the water to go, needs permission. A permeable system, or water led to a lawn or border, is the other side of that test [S1]. Ask the firm to pick a side in writing.
Joints in a slab, and the bays the concrete is poured in, decide where it cracks. Ask how the slab is broken into bays, and what is done at the joint with the house. A slab cast against the wall can hold water where you do not want it. The guidance says not to direct water at the house or a neighbour, and rain gardens or soakaways need a suitable distance from buildings [S1]. If a soakaway is in the quote, ask where it sits relative to the walls. If it is not in the quote, ask where the water goes instead.
Do not let anyone mix a new slab on top of a drive that is supposed to stay permeable. The guidance says not to mix concrete on a permeable driveway [S1]. If the quote proposes a concrete apron in front of a permeable area, ask whether that apron is small enough, and drained, to keep the rest of the drive inside the rules. Ask the firm to show that measurement in the quote.
The lorry and the barrow are access. A narrow entry between the house and the boundary, a gate that will not pass a mixer, and a pavement that must not be driven on without a dropped kerb [S2] all change the method. Say which of those you have. A firm that has to pump or barrow has a different job from a firm that can reverse onto the drive, and only the second of those is even possible once a dropped kerb exists [S2].
Curing time is a question: when can a car stand on it? Ask for the firm's own instruction in the quote so two offers can be compared. Ask who saw-cuts or fills joints later, and whether that visit is included.
Colour, if you want the slab darkened, is a pigment line. It is not an imprint pattern. If the conversation turns to a stamped finish, that is an imprint driveway, not a plain concrete slab. Keep the specification as the material and the drainage, not as a photograph of a finished street.
Official pages
QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.
- Concrete in the front-garden guidance: GOV.UK [S1].
- Planning Portal: paving a front garden [S2].
- Quotes: Citizens Advice [S3].
- VAT: GOV.UK [S4].
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Where this applies. The 5 square metre test is the England front-garden guidance. It is not a price per cubic metre. Outside England, ask the council before you order ready-mix.
Post a concrete driveway
A written quote should say whether the concrete arrives ready-mixed or is mixed on site, and who protects the house wall while it is poured. Say where the water will go. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Driveways and paving covers the trade. Builders sometimes do the groundwork. All services.
Questions about concrete driveways
How much is a concrete driveway?
A plain slab, a permeable concrete system and a slab that drains to a border are different builds. Ask for thickness, joints, the base and the drainage in each quote.
Does concrete need planning permission?
Traditional concrete is one of the impermeable surfaces GOV.UK talks about. If you cover more than 5 square metres and the water cannot run to a permeable area, planning permission is needed. Permeable concrete block paving is named as a surface that can be used at any size without that permission, and the guidance also lists porous concrete among hard permeable options. The Planning Portal repeats the front-garden test for houses.
Can a solid slab still be acceptable?
Yes, if the rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to drain naturally, the guidance says permission is not needed for a driveway of any size. A rain garden or a soakaway is one of the three approaches it describes, including for conventional concrete. Those need space and a suitable distance from the buildings.
What should the base be?
If water must pass through, GOV.UK says you need an open-graded sub-base, with Type 3 and 4/20 given as examples, not a fine-rich Type 1 that blocks water. A geotextile over the soil is part of the description it gives. Ask your firm to name the layers rather than say 'concrete on hardcore'.
Dropped kerb?
The Planning Portal says it is illegal to drive over a pavement onto your property without a dropped kerb, and that you apply to the local authority. Concrete does not change that.
Deposit?
Citizens Advice says to cap an unavoidable deposit at 25% and to get a receipt. Ready-mix is ordered for a day. The quote should say what happens if the lorry cannot reach the drive.
Does QuoteZila check concrete contractors?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Can I post a concrete drive?
Yes. Say the area, whether you want water to pass through the surface or run to a border, and add a Cheshire postcode. Up to five matched local businesses can quote. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses.
Related reading
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Driveway and Paving Cost UK: What Affects the Price. A new driveway can cost from £2,000, and from £33 per square metre, in the Federation of Master Builders guide of 21 May 2026. QuoteZila does not set prices.
- Driveway Cleaning in Cheshire: What to Ask. Driveway cleaning in Cheshire is a wash of the surface already down. Name the material, the stains and the edges, and keep a new drive as its own quote.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ.
- S1: Guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens-guidance/guidance-on-the-permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens
- S2: Planning permission: paving your front garden, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/paving-your-front-garden/planning-permission/
- S3: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S4: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat