What to know before a front garden driveway in Washwood Heath
Homes in Washwood Heath include plenty of semis and detached houses with room for a drive, plus older terraces where parking is tighter.
Inter-war semis with narrow front gardens are common in the West Midlands, so front garden conversions and drive widenings are often the practical choice.
How much does a front garden driveway cost in Washwood Heath?
For Washwood Heath, 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.
| Item | Guide 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 the West Midlands, 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.
- Dig-out, sub-base and edging
- Wall, hedge or fence opening and making good the ends
- Optional bin store area, planting strip and low edging
- Space check: car length, door swing and the gap to the pavement
- Permeable blocks or falls to a planted border
Before we price your front garden driveway
- Where an electric vehicle charger cable might run
- Where rain will go: falls, lawn, border, channel or soakaway
- Ground conditions under the old surface and how deep the sub-base must be
- Levels against the damp-proof course (the finished paving must sit at least 150 mm below it)
- The kerb: is it already dropped, and is it wide enough?
Do you need permission in Washwood Heath?
Washwood Heath is in England, so these rules apply:
In England, paving in front of the house that covers more than 5 m² needs planning permission unless it is permeable or drains to a lawn, border or soakaway inside your boundary. Permeable block paving, or standard blocks laid to fall onto a planted strip, avoid the need for permission in most cases.
Flats and maisonettes, listed buildings, and homes covered by an Article 4 direction can have tighter rules, and conservation areas, National Parks and National Landscapes restrict some permitted development.
A dropped kerb needs your local highway authority's approval (usually the county, unitary, metropolitan or London borough council), and a new access onto an A, B or C classified road also needs planning permission.
General guidance, not legal advice. Your survey confirms what applies to your home. See the planning guide.
How it works
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
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.
Itemised quotes
Break-out, waste, edging, drainage and covers are separate lines you can see.
Honest timescales
We tell you how long the job takes and what can delay it, such as approvals and weather.
Front garden drives in Washwood Heath: questions
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 Washwood Heath?
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.
Do you cover Aston, Birmingham and Acocks Green?
Yes. We cover Washwood Heath and the places around it, including Aston, Birmingham and Acocks Green, and the rest of the West Midlands.
How much does a front garden driveway cost in Washwood Heath?
Our guide for Washwood Heath 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.
Front garden drives near Washwood Heath
Nearby towns we cover for front garden drives, and front garden drives across West Midlands:
- Front garden drives in Aston
- Front garden drives in Birmingham
- Front garden drives in Acocks Green
- Front garden drives in Sutton Coldfield
- Front garden drives in Smethwick
- Front garden drives in Shirley
