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How long does it take to dig out a driveway? an average driveway that can accomodate 2 cars. driveway mainy grass , but a small area with concrete about 10% of the driveway is concrete
hiring somebody to do my driveway and i was told digging can be done in half a day
52 Answers from MyBuilder Driveway Pavers
Best Answer
Long Eaton • Member since 1 Jun 2008 • 4 jobs, 100% positive feedback
If you're hiring someone to do it and they've told you half a day,(and i'm assuming they've seen the job and we haven't),why are you asking again on here?
I don't know much about driveways but half a day sounds pretty good going to me...............(depending on manpower of course of which again we don't know) :/
Just going to trot off to Ebay now and get myself a nice shiny new crystal ball........;)
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Bristol • Member since 23 Jan 2012 • 32 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Hiya,
Firstly are you having brick pavers or tarmac ???? your guy needs to go down a fair depth to allow for hardcore , compacting and finnished layer. A good operator with decent machine should achive this in half a day !
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Clophill • Member since 1 Dec 2011 • 10 jobs, 100% positive feedback
If they are using a machine to dig then yes, half a day for a drive that size sounds about right. If they are on about hand digging it then i would estimate a day and a half for the dig. I would advise to check they are digging pout the right depths as well. A minimum of 400mm from finnished level should be excavated, allowing for 100 mm hardcore (could re use the concrete drive for this) then 200mm of m.o.t (crushed concrete with finnings) all this compacted down with a wacker plate and then a 100mm is left for sand and blocks. some times people only like to use 30mm of sand and most blocks are 50mm so the level could vary slightly. The most important part of a driveway is the depth of the sub base. If it is not thick enough the weight of cars driving on and off over time may move the blocks.
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Harlow • Member since 25 Aug 2011 • 16 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Possibly depending on skill of digger driver,how much labour and location of skip/grabber pile.Definetly in a day though.
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Cheltenham • Member since 29 Oct 2008 • 34 jobs, 100% positive feedback
If the guys using a digger, you was told right.
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
yes it could. pretty quick these diggers you know
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Crawley • Member since 24 Jan 2012 • 2 jobs, 100% positive feedback
I would need one day to dig out 8inches, then lay terram and stone up, so digging out in half a day is possible
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Lichfield • Member since 20 Jan 2012 • 6 jobs, 100% positive feedback
That's true. Especially with a digger. Two men could get the drive dug out and hardcore laid in a day if materials and skip arrived that morning
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Slough • Member since 7 Jun 2008 • 36 jobs, 97% positive feedback
if they have a mini digger then yes ,dug out and grabbed in a day ,but all depends on thickness of concrete to be broken up access ect
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Luton • Member since 2 Feb 2012 • 14 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Hi
Half a day to dig out with digger is possible for a organized crew..
Answered 11th Feb 2012
Coventry • Member since 3 Nov 2014 • 3 jobs, 67% positive feedback
I usually aim to be excavated and stoned in 1 day you need a good reliable grab wagon driver go bring the type 1and take away the waste all in one hit, also it depends on the digger driver for a two car driveway after breaking the concrete I would dig in 1 hour
Answered 6th Nov 2014
St.helens • Member since 3 Feb 2017 • 6 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Depending on thickness of the concrete and if the work is started early by a skilled machine driver it should be dug up and leveled between 1 and 2 and hardcore layer the same day
Answered 5th Feb 2017
Gravesend • Member since 24 May 2017 • 78 jobs, 97% positive feedback
For the size of the driveway you have it would be very easily dug out and hardcored in a half day with an organised crew of course with a digger and a grab lorry ordered.
Answered 2nd Nov 2017
Hemel Hempstead • Member since 28 Nov 2011 • 20 jobs, 90% positive feedback
any good compainy should be able to do it in 1 day and put foundation in as well
Answered 2nd Feb 2012
Beckenham • Member since 2 May 2011 • 9 jobs, 100% positive feedback
we could hand dig that size in a day with 3 men and lay compacted sub base. with a digger you would start laying same day total job to finish without any brickwork would take no longer than 3 days depending on levels
Answered 15th Mar 2012
On average we dig around 150 m2 a day including grab removal
Answered 17th Apr 2016
Cullompton • Member since 3 Sep 2015 • 24 jobs, 100% positive feedback
With a mini yes. half a day would fair time. It can save a lot time and labour
Answered 13th Sep 2016
Stockport • Member since 18 Oct 2018 • 44 jobs, 100% positive feedback
With the right machinery and weather conditions we could do it 1 day taken the grass driveway down to 16 inches deep breaking out the concrete drive and using as hardcore addding 4 inches of hardcore compact with a heavy duty machine 8 Inches of m.o.t (crushed concrete with finnings) all this compacted down with heavy duty wacker plate thenc membrain sheeting and adding sharp sand compact with wacker at around 2 inches your paving should be at lest 50 mm thick for car traffic most important is the digging deep enough to allow base for hard standing allow use a membrane sheeting to stop any weed growth in future all driveway most have a Concrete Ending curbs to support paving at last all paving most be compact and filled with kill and dry sand to fill in any spaces or gaps
Answered 18th Oct 2018
Hemel Hempstead • Member since 25 Feb 2013 • 12 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Less than a full day, that's starting work at 8 in the morning
Answered 8th Oct 2013
Maidstone • Member since 9 Feb 2015 • No feedback yet
Yeah i agree with most of these people if everything runs smoothly i'd get it doug out and stones up one day starting about 8 and be done by 4
Answered 10th Feb 2015
Sevenoaks • Member since 22 Dec 2015 • 5 jobs, 80% positive feedback
Wakefield • Member since 26 Apr 2016 • 19 jobs, 95% positive feedback
If you start a about 8 in the morning you be finished bye 5 in the afternoon depending on how thick the concrete is .
Answered 27th Apr 2016
Herne Bay • Member since 20 Feb 2017 • 8 jobs, 100% positive feedback
This all depends on thickness of concrete and if it is reinforced but if it is the average size concrete 2-3 men starting at 8 o'clock and a machine it would be a mornings work and as we use grab lorry for our muckaway if they get to you on time should be all dug out and ready to type 1 by 12-1
Answered 20th Feb 2017
Saltash • Member since 7 Jan 2015 • 1 job, 100% positive feedback
All depends on thickness of concrete I have a tonne and a half digger with a pecker and that'll do most concrete fairly easy. 2 car car port I would of said a day depending on where your location is etc
Answered 8th Jan 2015
Stockton On Tees • Member since 18 Mar 2017 • No feedback yet
With the correct knowledge and the right machinery a day and half seems to be about right.
Answered 11th Apr 2017
Birmingham • Member since 31 Jul 2017 • No feedback yet
With the correct machinery this job could be done in half a day Although you would have to dig a fare dept for a hardcore foundation
Answered 7th Aug 2017
Coalville • Member since 8 Aug 2017 • 12 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Hi my team can have a 4 car drive dugout membrane and MOT type one In a day but at the most shouldn't take more than two days
Answered 9th Aug 2017
S Moss Driveways and Garden Landscapes
Darlington • Member since 30 Jul 2017 • 10 jobs, 80% positive feedback
If it's roughly 60 sq metres to 80 then yes depending on if they're using a machine or how Manny guys there is harf a day is about right
Answered 17th Aug 2017
Bedfordshire Paving and Landscaping
Sandy • Member since 23 Aug 2017 • 1 job, 100% positive feedback
With the right machinery digger yes can be done in a day no problem if digging by hand then I would say about a day and a half hope this helps
Answered 23rd Aug 2017
Welling • Member since 11 Jan 2018 • 5 jobs, 60% positive feedback
About couple of hours digging and scraping if he's a good driver dug out and hardcored in a half day for an area that size.
Answered 16th Jan 2018
Designer Paving and Landscaping
Gravesend • Member since 31 Mar 2017 • 79 jobs, 100% positive feedback
That driveway you have suggested would be dug off and the hardore in within one day .
Answered 3rd Feb 2018
Launton Bicester • Member since 19 Mar 2018 • 18 jobs, 100% positive feedback
1 day to dig it out seems about right if you have the correct equipment
Answered 3rd May 2018
Windsor • Member since 4 May 2018 • 1 job, 100% positive feedback
Hi considering the size of your driveway a professional company could easily get it fully dug out within one day
Answered 4th May 2018
perennial home improvements ltd
Swindon • Member since 6 Oct 2017 • 35 jobs, 100% positive feedback
With the right machinery and team You could dig it out and get the hardcore down easily
Answered 28th May 2018
Coventry • Member since 30 Jan 2018 • 16 jobs, 88% positive feedback
Hi,
There is nothing to be concerned about as it is a pretty straight forward job to do with a mini digger. If you hire the right person they should make sure to ask you what depth you need and give you advice on how to remove the excess. Depending how many tons of waste you have a skip or a local grab hire service are the best options. In this instance i would suggest a grab hire service. Total time to dig out and get hardcore down is usually one day.
Answered 20th Jun 2018
Chapman & son quality driveways and gardens
Canterbury • Member since 27 Jul 2018 • 56 jobs, 100% positive feedback
If the driveway is only for 2 cars I would guess at 25-30m2. If the concrete is 10% of driveway this must just be a path. 1 man on a small 1.5 tonne digger could dig up this area to a depth of 250mm-300mm in a few hours. Piling it up within 5metres of the roadside for collection with grab lorry and would all go on in one load. So yes the driveway could be dug out correctly in this amount of time.
Answered 31st Jul 2018
Preston • Member since 25 Jun 2018 • No feedback yet
If you Get a big company in then half a day seems about right to dig out a driveway some driveway company’s have got grab lorrys and mini diggers.
Answered 24th Oct 2018
Braintree • Member since 8 Nov 2018 • No feedback yet
It could be done depending on man power or if they are useing a digger
Answered 8th Nov 2018
Your choice driveways and patios
Leigh On Sea • Member since 8 Nov 2018 • 20 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Firstly are you having brick pavers or tarmac your guy needs to go down a fair depth approximately 300 to 350mm to allow for hardcore , compacting and finnished layer. A good operator with decent machine should achive this in half a day
Answered 21st Nov 2018
Kidderminster • Member since 13 Mar 2019 • No feedback yet
All depends on thickness ov concrete and how easy it cums up but shouldn’t be no more than a day and depends on how many pair ov hands there is
Answered 14th Mar 2019
Dartford • Member since 17 Apr 2018 • 10 jobs, 100% positive feedback
A area at that size with a digger driver who knows what he is doing should have the area dug up and at the right depth and based with a rough level in a day .
Answered 12th Apr 2019
Northwich • Member since 19 Sep 2019 • No feedback yet
I have a mini digger and it digs out in a day just make sure to dig down to the right depth otherwise don’t do the job it should be done right and should only be done once
Answered 6th Oct 2019
Coventry • Member since 8 Dec 2014 • 43 jobs, 95% positive feedback
I use hand dig, wheelbarrow,2 men and Grab wagon= Half day to dig and stone-up!
CHEAPER for customer that way! No underground pipes damaged!
More work for me!
Answered 19th Oct 2019
London • Member since 2 Nov 2020 • 7 jobs, 100% positive feedback
If you are using a digger then a half a day sounds right, by hand 2 days make sure they are digging the right depth.
Answered 3rd Nov 2020
Gorseinon • Member since 11 Nov 2019 • 5 jobs, 60% positive feedback
Half a day to a day depending on conditions
Answered 2nd Oct 2021
St. Leonards-On-Sea • Member since 26 Nov 2020 • 2 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Half a day is a good amount of time to complete the works.
We aim to have a driveway of that size excavated and base aggregate installed within the same day.
Answered 20th Jan 2022
First choice home improvements
Carlisle • Member since 5 Oct 2022 • No feedback yet
KNR plastering and K rendering services
Manchester • Member since 4 Jan 2023 • 1 job, 100% positive feedback
A day to half a day depending on conditions.
Answered 5th Jan 2023
Thomas Driveways & Landscaping
Tenby • Member since 29 Aug 2022 • 5 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Hello there
In my opinion depending on the conditions and the equipment used eg. Digger and dumper, or if it’s hand dug and wheelbarrowed to the skip, it should be fair to say that it can be dug out anywhere in between half a day and a day and a half.
Answered 4th Feb 2023
Canewdon • Member since 18 Jan 2022 • 1 job, 100% positive feedback
Depends what's underneath the ground and the access of the digging
Answered 21st Jul 2023
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