Width of driveway

Dugsy

Looking at a number of options for the groundswork around the house. What is the normal width required for a driveway?

Poor Uncle Tom

2.4m to 2.7m usually.

RKQ

Same as your driveway gates IMO - 3050mm, or better still 3600 or 4m.
IMO I don't understand narrow drives with litterally acres of grass around them.

Wide enough for two cars to pass would be my recommended minimum.
A nice wide entrance, wide drive is easy to navigate. Why squeese everything to its bare minimum?

paddy147

RKQ wrote: »

Same as your driveway gates IMO - 3050mm, or better still 3600 or 4m.
IMO I don't understand narrow drives with litterally acres of grass around them.

Because some people actually prefer to have lawn and flowers/plants and not just a big concrete jungle for a front garden,thats why.;)

LoTwan

paddy147 wrote: »

Because some people actually prefer to have lawn and flowers/plants and not just a big concrete jungle for a front garden,thats why.;)

I'd like people to be able to pass on my driveway without having to drive on the aforementioned lawn

muffler

Dugsy wrote: »

Looking at a number of options for the groundswork around the house. What is the normal width required for a driveway?

It depends on your layout and your own personal choices or requirements.

If its a straight driveway then you should go for at least 2.5m for a single car to drive on. If there is a reasonable curve to the driveway then you should opt for 3 metres.

If you wish to be able to have 2 cars capable of passing then you will be looking at a minimum of 4.5. or if you are intending to have a driveway around the entire house then you should have it a minimum of 5 metres to allow for a car to park and a car to pass. That is - 5m around the house but the driveway from house to road can be narrower as stated above.

Depending on the length of the driveway you need to take into account the fact that you may have delivery lorries using it which obviously need more width than the car. But bear in mind the extra cost involved with the wider driveways when you come to put down tarmac or concrete.

muffler

muffler wrote: »

It depends on your layout and your own personal choices or requirements.

If its a straight driveway then you should go for at least 2.5m for a single car to drive on. If there is a reasonable curve to the driveway then you should opt for 3 metres.

.

I have a slight curve in my driveway, the driveway is just under 3m wide.
One of the things I have found is that during building is that many lorry drivers when reversing out straighten up too early and put one wheel over the edge, since then I have filled in the holes they caused with 3" down and now the driveway has a "fat" curve.

RKQ

paddy147 wrote: »

Because some people actually prefer to have lawn and flowers/plants and not just a big concrete jungle for a front garden,thats why.;)

85% - 90% is plenty site width for lawn or flowers!:)
(Average site is 30m wide approx, 10ft or 3050mm drive = 10% of total width, 3600mm slightly more, 4200mm more etc.)

I agree with LoTwan. Its down to personal taste & needs. But just consider the width of a lorry for deliveries - furniture, oil, etc. or tanker to empty septic tank.

Poor Uncle Tom

There is no right or wrong answer here, just common sense and personal preference, the surface of a driveway can determine what traffic it will take as much as the width, for example if your driveway is 4m wide but finished in paving brick or decorative macadam or interlocking cobbles then you are not going to want any trucks or heavy machinery travelling on it as it will be very costly to repair damaged areas.

imitation

I think as wide as you are willing to pay is a good answer. The only other thing I can add that's not been said is, if its a particularly long driveway and your only going for 2.5m or so then it might be worth putting in a small lay-by in the middle of it in case two cars meet on it.

Dugsy

Thanks for all the replys.

Driveway is probably going to be curved so will have to bear in mind as pointed out use by lorries and by tanker to empty septic tank.

What are people paying /m2 to have driveways tarred?