Paving & Driveways in South Dublin

A typical residential driveway takes 2-5 days: excavation and sub-base first, then the surface. Asphalt is drivable within days; new concrete should cure about a week before taking a car's weight; pavers can be used almost immediately once compacted and sanded.

Yes — water must drain to a lawful outfall or soak into the ground. Many jurisdictions now require permeable paving or on-site soakaways when front gardens are paved, precisely to stop rain sheeting onto the street. A good contractor designs falls and drainage before laying anything.

Gravel, by a wide margin — but it migrates, ruts and needs topping up. Asphalt is usually the cheapest solid surface, concrete lasts longer for slightly more, and pavers cost most upfront but can be lifted and relaid if services underneath need work.

Make each contractor state the excavation depth, sub-base material and compacted depth, surface thickness, edge restraints and drainage plan. In South Dublin, also ask what happens to excavated spoil — cartage and disposal is a real cost that cheap quotes quietly exclude.

Driveway cost depends on area, material (asphalt, concrete, block/brick pavers, gravel, resin) and how much excavation and sub-base work is needed. Gravel is cheapest, asphalt and plain concrete mid-range, and block paving or resin-bound surfaces the most expensive per square metre. Quotes should always include excavation, sub-base depth and edging.

Often yes — asphalt can be overlaid if the base is sound, concrete can sometimes be resurfaced or used as a base for pavers, and sunken block paving can be lifted and relaid on fresh bedding. If the base has failed (widespread cracking, deep ruts), resurfacing only buys a year or two.

Yes. 'We have leftover asphalt from a job down the road' is a classic scam — the material is often laid thin over no base and fails within months, and the crew is untraceable. Reputable paving firms price from a site visit and written spec, not from surplus material on a truck.

Tarmac is cheaper and quick to lay; block paving costs more but handles the wet climate well, can be lifted for repairs, and dominates newer estates. Whichever you pick, the compacted hardcore base is what determines lifespan.