Cost to Remove Concrete Driveway

Removing a concrete driveway involves hiring a professional who uses tools or machinery to get rid of the driveway, perhaps to make way for a new driveway or a fresh garden.

The process of removing a concrete driveway often involves breaking up the existing surface, lifting and loading the waste, clearing the area, and disposing of the rubble properly.

You’ll need to set aside a sufficient budget to hire a tradesperson or specialist contractor to perform the work.

You should note that the overall cost can vary depending on a range of factors, including the size and thickness of the driveway, how easy it is to access the site, whether machinery can be used and how much waste needs removing.

Without further ado, let’s look at the estimated cost of a concrete driveway removal.

How Much is Concrete Driveway Removal?

With a removal cost of around £30 per square metre, the price range will vary depending on the size of your driveway.

The average cost of removing a concrete driveway based on size and type:

• Small Concrete Driveway Removal: £660 to £1,600
• Medium Concrete Driveway Removal: £1,560 to £2,500
• Large Concrete Driveway Removal: £2,460 to £3,400

It’s also worth noting that the average cost will depend on the amount of concrete being removed and how labour-intensive the job is.

Other factors that could increase costs include where the concrete is especially thick, reinforced, damaged in a way that affects the removal process or located in an area with minimal access. Should extra excavation be needed below the slab, this can add to the total cost, as can a scenario where disposal costs are higher in your local area than in general.

Concrete Driveway Removal Prices

Here are some of the key costs of concrete driveway removal:

To ensure you are prepared for a concrete driveway removal, it is essential to budget properly with a clear sense of the likely overall cost. Engaging with a professional in advance before hiring them can give you a clear picture of the estimated total cost.

Having a cushion in your budget for potential extra costs is wise, and you should discuss this with the professional, too, before hiring them. Be sure to check what is included in their quote, also. With good awareness and planning in advance, you can limit the risk of unexpected additional costs catching you off guard.

Supply Costs for Concrete Driveway Removal

The total cost of a concrete driveway removal will include both labour and supply costs. While supply costs for driveway removal are generally lower than in the case of installation work, there may still be materials and equipment-related charges to cover.

Here, we’ll take a look at specific supply costs that may apply, such as protective sheeting and grab lorry hire.

Here are some of the main supply costs for a concrete driveway removal:

Some contractors may also charge for temporary boarding, barriers or materials needed to protect nearby walls, paving, or drainage during the removal process. These costs can vary depending on the site and the method being used.

Additional Costs of Concrete Driveway Removal

It’s important to be aware that the headline price is not always the full amount the homeowner needs to budget for.

Added costs that may apply include skip hire (£60 to £400 per week), grab hire (£150 to £300), permit costs for skips placed on the road (£20 to £100), excavation of sub-base material, levelling the ground after removal and cleaning the site once the work is complete.

Beyond that, you may want to consider adding jobs like removing edging, removing gates, removing drainage channels or removing nearby sections of paving if they are tied into the driveway. If you intend to have your driveway replaced after removal, it’s important to note that preparation for the new surface may add to the total cost of the removal work.

Labour Costs and Timescales for Concrete Driveway Removal

Labour fees are a major part of the total cost, especially if the driveway has to be broken up by hand or there is poor access to the work site.

Here are some of the estimated labour costs for this type of driveway removal:

• Driveway Specialists: £150 to £250 per day
• Groundworkers: £150 to £300 per day
• Builders: £100 to £400 per day
• Demolition Contractors: £100 to £200 per day

A small concrete driveway removal may take a day or less, whereas a mid-size concrete driveway removal could take one to two days. Larger driveway or reinforced driveway removal can take longer, somewhere in the range of two to four days.

The timeline will depend on the size of the area, the thickness of the slab, whether machinery can be brought in, and how quickly waste can be loaded and removed.

Cost Factors for Concrete Driveway Removal

As discussed, there are many cost factors involved in a concrete driveway removal and in this section, we’ll lay out some examples concisely.

The following cost factors may apply to the price of a concrete driveway removal:

• Whether the driveways sit over a substantial sub-base
• If there are drainage features to work around
• Should nearby structures need protecting during removal

Manual removal of a concrete driveway is often more expensive in labour terms. Machine removal may be quicker, but it still depends on access and equipment hire.

Building Regulations for Concrete Driveway Removal

Work for removing a concrete driveway must adhere to the UK building regulations that apply. In most cases, the removal itself may not require formal approval; however, related works may be affected by drainage rules. This is particularly the case if you are having your concrete driveway replaced with a new impermeable surface.

For example, driveway drainage regulations require that impermeable driveway material on a surface which exceeds five square metres must come with a drainage system installed. This is to limit dangers such as pooling or flooding. Building regulations are likely to cost somewhere in the region of £200 to £500.

When having a concrete driveway replaced with a new driveway, surface water run-off rules may need to be considered, too. What’s more, having a skip on a public road may come with the requirement of a permit from your local authority. The latter is likely to cost between £30 and £60.

Types of Concrete Driveway Removal

There exists a range of ways for professionals to remove a concrete driveway. In this section, we’ll look at different examples, including manual breakup and removal, mechanical breakup removal, mini digger removal, and grab lorry collection.

Manual Breakup and Removal

This type of concrete driveway removal is likely to cost more due to it being more labour-intensive than mechanical breakup removal with machinery. It is also likely to take longer, potentially an extra day or two, than if the professionals use machinery.

Where ease of access is difficult for using machinery, a manual breakup and removal may be necessary, and it may make more sense where the concrete driveway is relatively small. Manual demolition also offers more precision and allows greater material recovery, which may be relevant where it is safe and appropriate to repurpose the concrete. For the latter scenario, consult with a suitable professional first.

Mechanical Breakup Removal

You may instead prefer or require a mechanical breakup removal of your concrete driveway. Along with being generally more affordable, it is also usually faster than manual breakup and removal.

While less precise, mechanical breakup removal is efficient, less labour-intensive and well-suited to medium or large concrete driveways. It will, however, be more disruptive than a manual removal process. Mechanical breakup removal is suitable for homes with good accessibility.

Mini Digger Removal

This is a specific type of machine-based concrete driveway removal and is well-suited to medium or large driveways with ease of access. Mini digger removal will, as with mechanical breakup removal, save money and time due to its efficiency and less labour-intensive nature. It is, however, unsurprisingly louder than the manual breakup and removal of a concrete driveway.

Grab Lorry Collection

If you have sufficient access for a grab lorry collection (such as in the case of a mechanical breakup removal or mini digger removal), you are looking at spending an additional £150 to £300 on top of the primary price of the work. While it will add to your bill, grab lorry collection can save time and act as an efficient way of removing the debris left over at the end of the concrete driveway removal.

Alternative Types of Driveway Removal

Of course, in some cases, households will have other types of driveways in need of removal. In this section, we’ll compare concrete driveway removal with alternative types, such as tarmac driveway removal and block paving removal.

Tarmac Driveway Removal

The average price of removing a tarmac driveway is around £300 to £800 and would take around one to two days. The additional cost of a skip would range from around £60 to £400 per week. This is likely to be one of the easier driveway removal jobs.

Block Paving Removal

The cost of removing a block paving driveway for a standard 60 square metre driveway would range from £1,200 to £2,500 and would take around one to two days. Blocking paving removal is generally more extensive than tarmac driveway removal or gravel driveway clearance.

Resin Driveway Removal

Removing a resin driveway is likely to cost between £800 and £1,800 and will likely take around one day in total. Resin driveway removal is one of the more extensive jobs.

Gravel Driveway Clearance

The price of removing a gravel driveway will range from £150 to £450 and take approximately one day of work in total. Gravel driveway clearance is usually one of the easier driveway removal jobs.

Hiring Contractors Checklist for Concrete Driveway Removal

When choosing a contractor for concrete driveway removal or demolition work, you’ll want to check whether waste disposal is included in the quote, confirm insurance cover and ask how the site will be protected during the driveway removal work.

Another key consideration is that you should compare quotes from several contractors before deciding who to hire. It’s best to avoid simply going with a contractor based only on a low price, as important parts of the job may be left out.

When considering a contractor to hire, you should check whether machinery hire and skip costs are included, confirm how long the work is expected to take and make sure the quote explains whether the ground will be left level and ready for the next stage.

Removing a Concrete Driveway

When it comes to removing a concrete driveway, the slab is normally broken up by hand, through mechanical breakup removal or with a mini digger. It is then loaded onto a skip or grab lorry for disposal.

The work should take longer if the existing concrete is cracked, reinforced, unusually deep or laid over a thick sub-base.

If only part of the driveway is being removed so that another section can be repaired or replaced, matching levels and dealing with waste can still affect the final price.

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