Planning a front garden driveway in Holywood
Holywood is a smaller town, and many of its homes have more frontage to work with than city houses, which leaves room for borders and planting.
Wet winters in Northern Ireland make falls, edge restraints and full joints especially important.
How much does a front garden driveway cost in Holywood?
Guide price in Holywood: £80–£135 per m² including VAT, which puts a 50 m² double drive at about £4,050–£6,650. These are Northern Ireland guide figures; the survey confirms the real price before you commit.
| Item | Guide price inc VAT |
|---|---|
| Concrete block driveway, new sub-base | £80–£135 per m² |
| Breaking out an old surface | £9.50–£40 per m² |
| Edging or kerb, bedded and haunched | £19–£50 per metre |
| Typical channel drain run | £330–£950 |
| Dropped kerb (vehicle crossover) construction | £950–£2,850 |
Guide figures for Northern Ireland, checked 9 November 2026. See all prices or use the guide price tool.
What is included?
A front garden conversion turns a lawn or small front garden into off-street parking. For terraces and semis without a drive, it is often the single most useful change to the house, but it only works if a car fits, the water has somewhere to go and the council will drop the kerb.
- Dig-out, sub-base and edging
- Optional bin store area, planting strip and low edging
- Wall, hedge or fence opening and making good the ends
- Advice on the dropped kerb application before work starts
- Permeable blocks or falls to a planted border
Before we price your front garden driveway
- Levels against the damp-proof course (the finished paving must sit at least 150 mm below it)
- Existing manhole and inspection covers, and whether to recess them
- Ground conditions under the old surface and how deep the sub-base must be
- Block range, thickness, colour and pattern to suit the house
- Whether front-garden planning rules apply
Rules for front drives in Holywood
Holywood is in Northern Ireland, so these rules apply:
In Northern Ireland, a hard surface between the front of the house and the road that covers or replaces more than 5 m² must be porous or permeable, or drain to a permeable area within the property, to be permitted development.
Hard surfaces within the grounds of a listed building need listed building consent. Planning is handled by your district council, so check with its planning office if you are unsure.
Dropped kerbs in Northern Ireland are approved by DfI Roads (the Department for Infrastructure), not the council; check planning separately with the council.
General guidance, not legal advice. Your survey confirms what applies to your home. See the planning guide.
From enquiry to finished paving
Quick details
Your postcode and the job. It takes a minute.
On-site check
Measurements, levels against the damp-proof course, ground and drainage.
Itemised quote
Fixed once the specification is agreed, with no vague extras.
Laid and finished
Compacted, jointed and handed back clean.
How we work
The dig and sub-base in writing
Your quote states the depth of dig, the sub-base thickness and how it is compacted.
Honest timescales
We tell you how long the job takes and what can delay it, such as approvals and weather.
Water planned first
Falls, channels and soakaways are designed before the pattern is chosen.
Clean finish
The site is swept, the joints are filled and you are shown how to look after the paving.
Front garden drives in Holywood: questions
Is the survey in Holywood free?
Yes, for new paving here: the survey and written quote are free with no obligation. Repairs and cleaning are usually priced from photos, or from a short visit where needed.
Do you cover Dundonald, Newtownards and Bangor, County Down?
Yes. We cover Holywood and the places around it, including Dundonald, Newtownards and Bangor, County Down, and the rest of County Down.
What happens to my old drive?
It is broken out and taken away by skip or grab lorry, listed as its own line on your quote.
Can you match the blocks to my house in Holywood?
We bring samples to the survey and suggest blocks and borders that suit the age and brick of the house. Final colour is your choice.
Front garden drives near Holywood
Nearby towns we cover for front garden drives, and front garden drives across County Down:
- Front garden drives in Dundonald
- Front garden drives in Newtownards
- Front garden drives in Bangor, County Down
- Front garden drives in Comber
- Front garden drives in Carryduff
- Front garden drives in Donaghadee
