Edinburgh and the Lothians · Front garden drives

Front garden to driveway conversions in Tranent

Thinking about front garden driveways in Tranent? We survey, specify and build them for homeowners across Tranent and the surrounding EH postcodes, with the dig depth, sub-base, edging and drainage written into your quote.

  • Postcodes EH33, EH35, EH34
  • £85–£140 per m² inc VAT
  • Free survey for new paving
Small front garden of a Victorian terrace converted into a block paved parking space with a planted border

Planning a front garden driveway in Tranent

Around Tranent, plots are often larger and drives longer, so edging, falls and the route the water takes need planning.

In Scotland, front paving must be porous or drain within the property whatever its size, so drainage is part of every design.

In Scotland block paving is often called monoblock; it is the same thing, and the same rules for the base, edging and drainage apply.

How much does a front garden driveway cost in Tranent?

Guide price in Tranent£85–£140 per m²Including VAT at 20%

For Tranent, our guide is £85–£140 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² double drive is likely to be £4,250–£7,000. Smaller jobs cost more per square metre because set-up and waste costs do not shrink with the area.

ItemGuide price inc VAT
Concrete block driveway, new sub-base£85–£140 per m²
Breaking out an old surface£10–£40 per m²
Edging or kerb, bedded and haunched£20–£50 per metre
Typical channel drain run£350–£1,000
Dropped kerb (vehicle crossover) construction£1,000–£3,000

Guide figures for Scotland, checked 9 November 2026. See all prices or use the guide price tool.

What you get with our front garden drives service

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.

  • Optional bin store area, planting strip and low edging
  • Wall, hedge or fence opening and making good the ends
  • Space check: car length, door swing and the gap to the pavement
  • Permeable blocks or falls to a planted border
  • Advice on the dropped kerb application before work starts

Before we price your front garden driveway

  • Edges against lawns, beds, walls and neighbours
  • Levels against the damp-proof course (the finished paving must sit at least 150 mm below it)
  • Where an electric vehicle charger cable might run
  • Where rain will go: falls, lawn, border, channel or soakaway
  • Whether front-garden planning rules apply

Rules for front drives in Tranent

Tranent is in Scotland, so these rules apply:

In Scotland, a hard surface between the house and the road is permitted development only if it is porous or drains to a permeable area within the property. There is no 5 m² threshold: the rule applies whatever the size.

Hard surfaces are not permitted development in a conservation area or within the grounds of a listed building, so planning permission is needed there.

A dropped kerb needs consent from your council as roads authority under section 56 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, and planning permission may also be needed depending on the road.

General guidance, not legal advice. Your survey confirms what applies to your home. See the planning guide.

From enquiry to finished paving

  1. Quick details

    Your postcode and the job. It takes a minute.

  2. On-site check

    Measurements, levels against the damp-proof course, ground and drainage.

  3. Itemised quote

    Fixed once the specification is agreed, with no vague extras.

  4. Laid and finished

    Compacted, jointed and handed back clean.

How we work

Clean finish

The site is swept, the joints are filled and you are shown how to look after the paving.

Repair before replace

If your drive can be fixed or re-laid, we will say so.

Edges set in concrete

Every edge restraint is bedded and haunched, so the paving cannot creep.

Itemised quotes

Break-out, waste, edging, drainage and covers are separate lines you can see.

Front garden drives in Tranent: questions

Do I need planning permission for a front garden driveway in Tranent?

In Scotland, front paving must be porous or drain within your boundary at any size, and permitted development does not apply in conservation areas. Ask us on the survey if you are unsure.

How much does a front garden driveway cost in Tranent?

Our guide for Tranent is £85–£140 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² double drive is usually about £4,250–£7,000. Your fixed price follows the survey.

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.

Do you cover Prestonpans, Musselburgh and Dalkeith?

Yes. We cover Tranent and the places around it, including Prestonpans, Musselburgh and Dalkeith, and the rest of Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Front garden drives near Tranent

Nearby towns we cover for front garden drives, and front garden drives across Edinburgh and the Lothians:

Other block paving services in Tranent

Or see all block paving services in Tranent.

Next step

Get a guide price in two minutes

Want a number before a visit? Try the guide price tool, then book a survey to fix it.

Hands laying charcoal paving blocks in herringbone on a sand bed
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