How to quote for a driveway or patio

A driveway or patio is one of the easiest jobs to underquote, because the bit the customer is paying attention to, the lovely surface on top, is the cheap, quick part. The real cost is underneath: the digging out, the sub-base, the drainage and the edging that stop the whole thing sinking or cracking in a year. Price the surface and skimp on the groundwork and you'll either lose money or end up back fixing it for free. Here is how to survey the site, what really drives the price, and how to structure the quote.

Survey the ground and the levels first

You can't price a driveway or patio off a square-metre figure over the phone. Go and walk the site, because what's under and around the area decides the labour. A flat plot with soft, well-draining soil and easy access is a quick job. A slope, clay or rubble-filled ground, an existing concrete base to break out, or a garden you can only reach through the house are all far slower, and the customer rarely sees that coming.

• Measure the area and check the levels and falls: the surface has to slope to drain, not towards the house.
• Probe the ground. Soft soil digs easily; clay, rubble, tree roots or buried concrete do not.
• Check what's coming up first: breaking out and removing an old drive, slabs or concrete is real work.
• Note access for diggers, deliveries and muck-away: a rear garden through a house is a different job entirely.
• Look for where the water goes, drains, manholes and any services you need to work around or build over.

The sub-base is the job, not the surface

With driveways and patios, the part the customer sees is the finish; the part that decides whether it lasts is everything beneath it. Make the groundwork visible on the quote, because that's what separates a drive that holds up under a car for years from one that ruts and sinks.

• Excavation: digging out to the right depth for the surface and the load it has to carry.
• Muck-away: carting off the spoil, which is often skips or grab lorries and a real cost on a big dig.
• Sub-base: laying and compacting the right depth of stone, the layer that carries the weight.
• Laying course and the surface itself, set to the falls so water runs off properly.

Don't forget drainage and edging

Two things turn a tidy-looking quote into a problem if you leave them out. Drainage matters because a hard surface stops water soaking away, so you have to plan where it goes, whether that's a permeable build-up, a channel drain or a soakaway, and there can be rules about surface water that you should check for the property. Edging matters because without a restraint around the perimeter, blocks creep and the whole surface spreads and fails. Price both in, and explain to the customer why they're there rather than leaving them as a surprise.

Block paving, resin or tarmac: price the scope, not just the look

The surface the customer chooses changes the job, not just the price per metre. Treat the choice as a scope decision and price the one in front of you.

• Block paving: more labour-intensive to lay and cut, needs solid edging and jointing, but easy to lift and repair later.
• Resin: laid over a sound, properly prepared base, so the base prep and its condition matter enormously to the finish.
• Tarmac: faster to lay over a good sub-base, but needs the right base and edges and is a different skill set.

Price your own labour and materials

Work your labour from the realistic days the dig, the muck-away, the sub-base and the laying actually take, not just the surface going down. Price your materials from your suppliers: the sub-base stone, sand, blocks, resin or tarmac, edgings, drainage and the muck-away. Price your own materials and labour for the site in front of you, because a flat, free-draining plot and a sloping clay garden full of old concrete are completely different amounts of work for the same area.

Be clear about scope, drainage and exclusions

State plainly what's included: the area, the surface and spec, the excavation depth and sub-base, the drainage and edging, and the muck-away. Spell out exclusions just as clearly: if you're not breaking out unexpected concrete, diverting a drain, or landscaping around the edges, say so. The ground is where these jobs hide surprises, so if you hit buried concrete, soft spots or services you couldn't see, that's exactly where a fixed price can hurt you. Either allow for difficult ground or flag it as a possible extra agreed in writing before you carry on.

For the standard sections every quote should carry, see what every professional quote should include. And because the ground can hide surprises until you start digging, our guide on quote vs estimate explains when to give a fixed price and when to estimate.