Dropped kerb cost?
Discussion
I have a modest 3-bed semi-detached house and the whole of the front is block-paved for car parking.
SWMBO parks her XC60 in front of the house, which means she has to bump it up and down the kerb. Not a huge issue with 70-profile tyres and SUV suspension, but it’s still a bit of a PITA.
I know there are application and assessment costs, but after approval, it’s down to a local approved contractor and I can’t find any contractors with even a ballpark figure.
So - it will be about 4.5 meters and will join up with the existing drop kerb for the original driveway. Location is mid-Staffordshire.
Has anyone had it done recently that can give me a rough idea of the contractor cost?
TIA
SWMBO parks her XC60 in front of the house, which means she has to bump it up and down the kerb. Not a huge issue with 70-profile tyres and SUV suspension, but it’s still a bit of a PITA.
I know there are application and assessment costs, but after approval, it’s down to a local approved contractor and I can’t find any contractors with even a ballpark figure.
So - it will be about 4.5 meters and will join up with the existing drop kerb for the original driveway. Location is mid-Staffordshire.
Has anyone had it done recently that can give me a rough idea of the contractor cost?
TIA
In Harrogate, check a trade is saying £1,500 ish.
https://www.checkatrade.com/Search?page=1&cate...
Which seems about right.
Probably a days work but the great bureaucracy needs feeding.
https://www.checkatrade.com/Search?page=1&cate...
Which seems about right.
Probably a days work but the great bureaucracy needs feeding.
B'stard Child said:
Cost is highly dependent on local authority
My neck of the woods 3.5 m of dropped kerb and slopped footpath is £3500
3.5m is a big wide drop though, is that extending an existing or creating a new one?My neck of the woods 3.5 m of dropped kerb and slopped footpath is £3500
I'd assume for widening an existing you might only need half that?
Also yeah, stuff like depth of footpath and all sorts of stuff will impact the quote. And presence of a drain or something in the zone.
Mr Whippy said:
B'stard Child said:
Cost is highly dependent on local authority
My neck of the woods 3.5 m of dropped kerb and slopped footpath is £3500
3.5m is a big wide drop though, is that extending an existing or creating a new one?My neck of the woods 3.5 m of dropped kerb and slopped footpath is £3500
Mr Whippy said:
I'd assume for widening an existing you might only need half that?
Also yeah, stuff like depth of footpath and all sorts of stuff will impact the quote. And presence of a drain or something in the zone.
OP was asking for 4.5m of dropped kerb hence why I thought the 3.5 m cost was relevant.............Also yeah, stuff like depth of footpath and all sorts of stuff will impact the quote. And presence of a drain or something in the zone.
We had this done about 14 years ago
I rang the council to start with because, as I recall, we had to use a council approved contractor and also had to apply for permission before we could have the drop kerb fitted,
iirc they sent someone out to measure up and sent us a quote which was around £1200 ( this was for adding about an extra 4 meters of drop kerb to what was already there)
I then noticed that a section of road nearby was being resurfaced by a company who obviously did work for the council so I spoke to what looked like the foreman and asked whether they also fitted drop kerbs,
he told me that if I was to go through the council it would most likely be them who would be contracted to do the job and gave me their office phone number to get a quote,
I also found out that they did block paving so we got them to do that at the same time,
I don't recall the exact cost but it was significantly cheaper than going through the council and they took care of all the paperwork and getting it signed off once done.
other councils may have a different set up though so I'd start by contacting the council to find out what their process is.
It's something we do, albeit a lot further North. To do it properly, including traffic management (if you need temp traffic lights, reckon on £700-£1,000 extra) involves digging up the existing footpath, removing the existing kerbs, plus at least 300mm width of roadway. Then concrete in new kerbs, 100mm of Type 1 sub-base, then up to 60mm of binder (AC20) plus 40mm of wearing course (AC6), then reinstate the road way with AC10.
Rough costs £2,500 to £3,500 + VAT
Rough costs £2,500 to £3,500 + VAT
B'stard Child said:
OP was asking for 4.5m of dropped kerb hence why I thought the 3.5 m cost was relevant.............
Ah yes, 4.5m additional. Yeah it's not gonna be cheap then.I'm curious, do councils see this as a reduction of road-side parking capacity, even though technically the household in front would likely just use their "drive" rather than the road-side?
Next door got it done cheaply by very dodgy groundworkers using left over tarmac from other jobs.
Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
Condi said:
Next door got it done cheaply by very dodgy groundworkers using left over tarmac from other jobs.
Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
There is that....Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
I also had to do one with a Virgin duct in the footpath - definitely worth checking :|
jules_s said:
Condi said:
Next door got it done cheaply by very dodgy groundworkers using left over tarmac from other jobs.
Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
There is that....Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
I also had to do one with a Virgin duct in the footpath - definitely worth checking :
Mammasaid said:
It's something we do, albeit a lot further North. To do it properly, including traffic management (if you need temp traffic lights, reckon on £700-£1,000 extra) involves digging up the existing footpath, removing the existing kerbs, plus at least 300mm width of roadway. Then concrete in new kerbs, 100mm of Type 1 sub-base, then up to 60mm of binder (AC20) plus 40mm of wearing course (AC6), then reinstate the road way with AC10.
Rough costs £2,500 to £3,500 + VAT
Long long time since I worked for an LA Highways but your costs look quite reasonable.Rough costs £2,500 to £3,500 + VAT
As Condi said, you must have LA approval before starting, some, including the one I worked for had to use their own workforce but I imagine that now there's a list of approved contractors.
Our Direct Labour used to work out the actual construction cost then double it plus some for "on costs"......
Agree with those saying £2500-3500.
Worth every penny if you are having to bump over a kerb, not to mention solves the problem of you breaking the law (Highway Code Rule 145 and Highways Act 1980).
As others have said, don't forget to get council permission first AND use a Council/Highways approved contractor, otherwise it may end costing a lot more!!
Worth every penny if you are having to bump over a kerb, not to mention solves the problem of you breaking the law (Highway Code Rule 145 and Highways Act 1980).
As others have said, don't forget to get council permission first AND use a Council/Highways approved contractor, otherwise it may end costing a lot more!!
Condi said:
Next door got it done cheaply by very dodgy groundworkers using left over tarmac from other jobs.
Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
The council don’t just come past and notice someone has had a kerb dropped. Someone dobbed them in.Cost him twice as much again when the council came past, told him he needed permission and they wouldn't approve what had been done. He had to pay an approved contractor to rip out what was there and do it properly.
maccboy said:
Round the corner from us, someone has just added a fillet of cement to make the kerb less obtrusive! Instead of bumping up a 90° angle, they bump up a 45° one. I bet the council don't know about that and it's been there ages. Easy to remove if dobbed in, too.
Two problems with that:A) It looks 'proper council'. I mean, just pay the money and get an actual dropped kerb. Even if you begrudge the £2500, it will certainly make your house more attractive at sale time.
B) To actually allow for a smooth transition over a standard 150mm high kerb, you need a ramp length of 350mm to 450mm, otherwise the 'bump' of crossing the kerb in a car with average size wheels and tyres, using a 45 degree fillet, is barely any less than just hitting the kerb itself without a ramp. A short fillet of cement will be doing almost nothing to smooth the transition.
I think there is a problem here with using the phrase dropped kerb for what is actually a vehicle crossover . It gives the impression it is simply a matter altering the kerbstones and a bit of reprofiling of the pavement, and jobs a good un.
There s much more to it than that.
When I had our crossover done some years ago, the first stage was a survey of all the pipes and ducts running along the pavement underground, how deep and well protected they were from the weight of a vehicle, and even what plans the service providers (water, gas, communications, etc.) had for future installations.
We also had to demonstrate there was sufficient space at the front of our house (I think it was five metres) to get a vehicle completely off the road. We even had to get part of our front garden block paved, as the council did not want the existing gravel so close to the carriageway.
Road safety will also be taken into consideration. In our case, a new pedestrian crossing was installed close to the house about two years after we did the crossover, so close that the zig-zag lines actually have to be driven over to use the crossover. I suspect that we were lucky, and if the pedestrian crossing was already there we might not have gained permission.
The whole thing, surveys to paving on our own property, cost us about £4.5k. But if you want it done properly, and legally, this might be what you are looking at.
Edited to add a picture from Streetview.
There s much more to it than that.
When I had our crossover done some years ago, the first stage was a survey of all the pipes and ducts running along the pavement underground, how deep and well protected they were from the weight of a vehicle, and even what plans the service providers (water, gas, communications, etc.) had for future installations.
We also had to demonstrate there was sufficient space at the front of our house (I think it was five metres) to get a vehicle completely off the road. We even had to get part of our front garden block paved, as the council did not want the existing gravel so close to the carriageway.
Road safety will also be taken into consideration. In our case, a new pedestrian crossing was installed close to the house about two years after we did the crossover, so close that the zig-zag lines actually have to be driven over to use the crossover. I suspect that we were lucky, and if the pedestrian crossing was already there we might not have gained permission.
The whole thing, surveys to paving on our own property, cost us about £4.5k. But if you want it done properly, and legally, this might be what you are looking at.
Edited to add a picture from Streetview.
Edited by Roofless Toothless on Thursday 30th April 18:53
Costs for this have clearly gone through the roof in the last 15 years or so.
I paid £750 for Wiltshire Council's approved contractor to increase the width of the dropped kerb at my old property by about 2m, this included sloping and redoing the tarmac on the full depth of the pavement, new kerbstones etc.
I also seem to recall getting an approval notice from the council once the works had been completed too.
I paid £750 for Wiltshire Council's approved contractor to increase the width of the dropped kerb at my old property by about 2m, this included sloping and redoing the tarmac on the full depth of the pavement, new kerbstones etc.
I also seem to recall getting an approval notice from the council once the works had been completed too.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff