Installing a cobblestone driveway costs $16,700 on average, or between $8,600 and $24,800, depending on the size and condition of your driveway.
The average cobblestone driveway costs $16,700, but prices can range between $8,600 and $24,800 for most homes.
When it comes to driveway materials, it doesn’t get more historical than cobblestone. These slip-resistant materials are typically made from granite and offer a beautiful, classic appearance that embodies the charm of century-old towns and horsedrawn carriages. If you’re looking to recreate a timeless aesthetic for your driveway, we’ve done the math to help you turn your budget into a reality.
The cost to install a cobblestone driveway depends on the size of your driveway, material size, labor, any prep work, and your location. Here are the biggest cost factors worth considering.
Cobblestone costs anywhere from $18 to $50 per square foot, depending on the thickness of the cobblestone. Your typical two-car driveway is 480 square feet driveways, which puts costs between $8,600 and $24,800. However, driveways can range between 200 and 864 square feet, so you could pay from $3,600 to $43,200 based on your driveway size.
| Driveway Dimensions (Feet) | Size (Square Feet) | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| 10’x20’ | 200 | $3,600–$10,000 |
| 10'x22' | 222 | $4,000–$11,100 |
| 12’x22' | 264 | $4,600–$13,200 |
| 20'x20' | 400 | $7,200–$20,000 |
| 20’x24’ | 480 | $8,600–$24,800 |
| 24'x24' | 576 | $10,400–$28,800 |
| 24'x36' | 864 | $15,600–$43,200 |
Larger cobblestone pieces will run slightly higher than smaller pieces, but it’s important to remember that larger pieces take up more space, meaning you may need fewer pieces to complete your cobblestone driveway. Cobblestone is oval-, rectangular-, or cube-shaped, with most pieces falling between 3.5-by-3.5 inches and 4-by-4 inches. Material costs for smaller pieces fall around $18 per square foot, while material costs for larger pieces fall around $35 per square foot.
Most local driveway contractors will charge between $50 and $80 per hour per pro. This can quickly add up, as cobblestone driveways must be manually installed. In fact, labor typically makes up half the cost of a cobblestone driveway installation, or around $8,400. It can take anywhere between one to two weeks to install cobblestone, with larger driveways taking longer.
If you need to clear land or remove old driveway materials before installing your cobblestone driveway, this can increase the cost substantially. Here are a few preparations you may need to invest in:
Land clearing cost: $1,400 to $6,100
Grading and leveling cost: $1,000 to $3,300
Concrete driveway removal cost: $1,000 to $2,500
If you’re installing a cobblestone driveway for the first time and live in a region with very rocky soil, anticipate your pro taking longer to get the job done, thus increasing your total expenses. Any excavation work to prepare the land will mean additional hours spent on the job.
In addition to your typical cobblestone driveway installation costs, there are also some ongoing expenses to consider as you budget for your new driveway.
Staying on top of your cobblestone driveway’s maintenance is a surefire way to make the most out of your driveway's life span. Cobblestone driveways are appealing not just because they look classic and stunning but because they can last for decades—or even centuries—if you take good care of them. The best ways to maintain cobblestone pavers include sweeping regularly, rinsing with a garden hose, and sealing your driveway every one to two years.
Sealing your driveway costs between $1 and $3 per square foot, which means you’ll spend between $480 and $1,450 once or twice per two years. Though you might feel tempted to invest in a pressure washer to clean your cobblestone driveway, doing so can wear down your cobblestones and decrease their life span.
Anticipate spending between $650 and $2,000 to repair your cobblestone driveway, or anywhere from $10 to $70 per square foot, depending on the extent of the damage. For example, if you need to repair a sunken area, then there may be an issue with the underlayment, which requires additional expenses like sand, which costs between $20 and $40 per bag.
You can save a large portion of your expenses by installing a cobblestone driveway yourself. However, you’ll need a few things before you can DIY your cobblestone driveway, including the following:
Gravel underlayer cost: $20 to $100 per cubic yard
Sand layer cost: $15 to $40 per cubic yard
Landscaping fabric cost: $0.20 to $0.25 per square foot
Plate compactor rental cost: $100 to $200 per day
Excavator rental cost: $150 to $1,200 per day
Flooring trowel cost: $10 to $60
Rubber mallet cost: $3 to $10
While building a cobblestone driveway without a professional installer’s help can cut costs by around 50% if you already have the tools on hand, we don’t recommend paving your own driveway. Unless you know how to correctly level your driveway and install the cobblestones, you could end up spending countless hours on your project only to experience shifting and dipping cobblestones.
It’s best to work with a driveway paving company near you to achieve the perfect finesse for your cobblestone driveway. Your pro knows the ins and outs of designing driveways and can help work with you to get your project completed quickly and professionally.
As your pro installs your cobblestone driveway, they might offer additional services. Since your driveway installer will already be onsite and have cobblestones on hand, it's a good idea to consider other uses for cobblestones around your landscaping, like cobblestone patios and pathways. On top of this, you can also ask your pro if they can seal your driveway to protect it from the elements.
Below are some of the services you might expect your installer to offer as add-ons and their respective costs.
Patio cost: $2,000 to $5,900
Paver patio cost: $2,400 to $7,000
Driveway extension cost: $800 to $3,000
Driveway apron cost: $1,300 to $7,800
Hardscaping cost: $5 to $25 per square foot
Installing a cobblestone driveway is a major financial investment, and finding ways to save can help solidify your dream of having a classic cobblestone driveway. Here are five tips on saving money while building a cobblestone driveway:
Use concrete pavers designed to mimic cobblestone as a cheaper alternative.
DIY some of the prep work, like demolishing your existing driveway and hauling the debris yourself.
If you have experience installing pavers, consider DIYing the installation.
Buy your pavers in bulk.
Clean the construction site to make it easier for your installers to access your driveway.
If you care for and maintain your cobblestone driveway, it may last for several centuries. So, while cobblestone driveways have a high upfront price tag, you’re unlikely to need to replace it throughout your lifetime. This gives cobblestone driveways a major advantage over other driveways, which tend to have much shorter life spans.
For example, asphalt driveways last between 15 and 30 years, while concrete driveways last around 50 years.
Cobblestone driveways can take a major hit on anyone's bank account, begging the question of whether it's worth it to build a cobblestone driveway. Some homeowners might prefer more affordable driveway materials like concrete or pavers, which can give a similar appearance to cobblestone without the high price tag.
Paving your driveway costs between $2,500 and $6,600, to put that in perspective. But for others, there’s nothing quite like the timeless look of cobblestone driveways.
Cobblestone is just one of many driveway materials. Other, more economical, albeit less elaborate options include concrete, asphalt, and gravel.
If you want a material that most closely resembles cobblestone, your best option is bricks or pavers. Both cost anywhere from $10 to $50 per square foot and can be laid in all kinds of patterns. Depending on the type of paver you choose, you can also get a good bang for your buck by investing in durable natural stone.
