If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably spent hours obsessing over kitchens, bathrooms, and dreamy bedrooms… but have you given your driveway the same love? This unassuming strip of land out front is the first thing you see when you arrive home each day, and it plays a huge role in your home’s street appeal. A beautifully finished driveway can set the tone for your entire façade, boost your property’s value and (most importantly) put a smile on your dial every time you return home.

But how much does it really cost to renovate your driveway? Well, like all things renovating, the answer is… it depends - on a bunch of factors! Let’s break it down.

WHY A DRIVEWAY GLOW-UP COULD BE A GOOD IDEA

Your driveway isn’t just a practical zone for parking the car and rolling out the wheelie bin. Think of the façade of your home as a life-size vision board. It should set the tone for your home and give people a strong vibe of what’s to come. A well-designed driveway can:

Elevate your street appeal (and the potential sale price if you’re thinking of selling)
Tie your exterior design together for a cohesive look
Add everyday ease for your family and guests
Boost functionality when you include things like better drainage, durability and less maintenance

MATERIALS MATTER!

In a nutshell, your driveway (and carport or garage) should nail the vibe of your vision board. It’s the first stop on your home’s style journey, setting the tone before you even step inside.

In the world of driveway materials, there are endless options. We always say go for something that fits your budget and complements the façade of your home beautifully.

Let’s take a look at the most popular options for driveway renovations in Australia:

Gravel or Crushed Stone

Vibes: Farmhouse, rustic, relaxed coastal

Cost: Low

Pros: Affordable, easy to install, heaps of colours to choose from, suits smaller driveways

Cons: High maintenance (raking, compacting, weeding), can be dusty

If the romance of a ‘crunch under your tyres’ moment floats your boat, this is your pick. You can even glue stones down with a gravel binder to keep the look without the maintenance.

TRUE STORY TIME: Driveways can chew up a big chunk of your budget, and the high cost of creating them can rub salt in your reno-budget wounds. Bonnie felt this pain when she received the quote for her dream driveway at House 8. She was forced to (temporarily) shelve her plans for a sealed driveway and embrace a true farm-style rotor mill driveway that was much kinder to her budget. But her driveway dreams weren’t buried, just postponed. Fast-forward 4 years and she finally got the job done.

Asphalt

Vibes: Practical, modern, low-fuss

Cost: Lower than concrete

Pros: Fast to install (drive on it within 48 hours), cheaper than concrete, flexible so it won’t crack as easily

Cons: It’s black (so make sure that works with the colour of your façade), and it can be hot on little feet

It’s also a great option for steep driveways because of its grip. If we’d used asphalt for the driveway of Lana’s Santorini-style home, it would have clashed badly with her Mediterranean vision board… a reminder to always match your materials to the overall vibe and vision board for your home.

Concrete

Vibes: Clean, classic, versatile

Cost: Mid-to-high

Pros: Durable, long-lasting, relatively low maintenance

Cons: Can crack over time if not properly installed, curing time delays access

Concrete is one of the most popular choices in Australian driveways for a reason. But remember, you’ll usually need to wait a week before driving on it. So if you’re on a tight reno timeline, plan accordingly.

Exposed Aggregate (Pebblecrete)

Vibes: Classic, decorative, non-slip

Cost: High

Pros: Durable, textured, stylish

Cons: Can date over time, more expensive than plain concrete

Think of it as concrete with a glow-up. Just keep in mind, while it looks fabulous, this one will hit your budget a little harder.

Brick OR Pavers

Vibes: Classic, cottage or Hamptons charm through to luxe, statement-making entrances

Cost: High to top end

Pros: Gorgeous patterns (herringbone anyone?), super durable, low maintenance and endless design possibilities

Cons: A bigger price tag and fancy patterns or premium feature pavers can bump that budget up fast

A paver driveway can completely elevate your front façade. Go all out with a full luxe look or mix premium feature pavers with more affordable gravel or pebbles on the sides to get that wow moment without blowing the budget. To save on budget, you can combine premium feature pavers with cheaper gravel or pebbles on the sides.

THE BIG COST QUESTION

Renovating or replacing a driveway in Australia typically ranges between $2,000 and $20,000+. That’s a huge range, right?! But like any renovation, the cost will vary depending on your material choice, size, access and how fancy you want to get. A short gravel driveway for a single car space? That’ll be on the lower end. A long concrete or paver driveway with feature edging and drainage? That’s big budget territory.

Here’s a guide to the average costs you might encounter:

Flip Tip: Don’t over-invest here if you’re flipping. Meet the minimum expectation in your area (your real estate agent will know what that is).

EXTRA COSTS TO FACTOR IN

When setting your budget, don’t just think about the materials. There are a few sneaky extras that can push the cost up:

Demolition & removal of existing driveway: $500–$2,000+

Excavation & site prep: $1,000–$5,000 depending on size and slope

Drainage solutions: $1,000–$3,000

Edging or feature borders: $50–$150 per metre

Labour: $50–$100+ per m² for installation

And if you’ve got a sloping site or one that’s hard to access, costs can climb quickly. It’s worth getting a few quotes from reputable concreters or landscapers so there are no nasty surprises halfway through.

MAKING YOUR DRIVEWAY PART OF YOUR VISION BOARD

When you’re designing the front of your home, your driveway should work with your façade, not against it. Lana’s vision for #santoriniinsydney was built around white-on-white and cobblestone-inspired paving. The driveway wasn’t an afterthought - it was a design hero from day one:

A FEW STYLING IDEAS TO BRING YOUR DRIVEWAY TOGETHER:

Match the colour of your driveway with your exterior palette (chances are black asphalt won’t work with all styles of homes).
Use feature edging to create visual definition.
Add stepping stones or a pathway leading to your front door for that warm, welcoming feel.
Don’t forget lighting - a beautifully lit driveway at night is pure magic!

HOW TO SAVE ON YOUR DRIVEWAY RENO

We love a budget-smart reno, and the good news is there are plenty of clever ways to keep costs in check:

Go for gravel first and upgrade later (Bonnie did this exact thing and saved big before finishing the job years later)
Mix materials - a small section of feature pavers surrounded by more affordable gravel can look amazing.
Stick to a simple pattern if you’re going with brick or decorative pavers.
Get multiple quotes to make sure you’re not overpaying.
Tap into discounts - save every time you shop for your home or renovation with the Three Birds Dream Discount card.
And last, but definitely not least:
If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! The concrete driveway at House 12 was in good nick, so we kept it, saving time and money for other hero moments. Instead of ripping it up, we gave it a really good clean and focused on elevating everything around it. A fresh façade, new cladding, and statement steps turned a plain old driveway into part of a polished, welcoming entry.
👉 Moral of the story? If what you’ve got works, build on it, don’t bulldoze it.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

The best time to tackle your driveway is at the end of your exterior works, once the heavy trades and deliveries are out of the way. No one wants their fresh new driveway wrecked by a skip bin.

If you’re going with concrete or pavers, don’t forget to factor in curing time - you may need alternate parking and access for a few days.

A beautiful driveway isn’t just the cherry on top… it sets the tone for your whole home. Ready to roll into your own reno? Start with your vision board, set your budget, and bring that dream driveway to life.

Need a little help along the way? We’ll show you exactly how to plan, design and pull off your driveway (and every other part of your home!) inside Three Birds Reno School.

✨ Click below to learn more and get started. ✨

Material	Average Cost	Typical Total (Single Driveway)
Gravel / Crushed Stone	$40–$80 / m²	$2,000–$5,000
Asphalt	$50–$120 / m²	$3,000–$8,000
Concrete (standard)	$100–$180 / m²	$4,000–$12,000
Exposed Aggregate	$120–$220 / m²	$5,000–$15,000
Brick Pavers	$120–$250 / m²	$6,000–$18,000
Decorative Pavers	$150–$300+ / m²	$8,000–$20,000+

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