Short version: a resin-bound driveway in Australia is typically indicatively around A$90–230 per square metre installed in 2026, with driveways usually sitting in the upper part of that range. But that band is a starting point, not a quote — the real number depends on your site, and especially on what's already under your driveway. Here's how it breaks down honestly.
Every price on this page is indicative. We don't quote a misleading "from $X" headline. Every Terralume driveway is individually quoted after a free, no-obligation site assessment, with the spec, blend, depth and timeline set out in a fixed written price before you commit.
The indicative price bands — and what they include
Resin-bound surfacing is priced per square metre, but the per-metre rate moves a lot depending on the job. The bands below are a realistic 2026 read on installed pricing in Australia for a typical residential resin-bound surface. "Installed" means supply and lay — labour, the kiln-dried aggregate, the two-part UV-stable resin, mixing and trowelling on site, and the basic finishing — but not major groundworks like full excavation, a new sub-base or extensive concrete repair, which are quoted separately.
| Indicative band | Typical scenario | What's usually involved |
|---|---|---|
| ~A$90–140/m² | Overlay on a sound baseResurfacing existing, solid concrete or asphalt | Clean, prepare and prime a sound existing slab, then bond the resin-bound wear course straight over it. Least groundwork, so the lowest end of the range. |
| ~A$130–190/m² | Standard new drivewayNew permeable build-up, good access | A new open-graded permeable base built up to take a vehicle load, edge restraints, falls set for drainage, then the wear course laid at vehicular depth. |
| ~A$180–230/m²+ | Complex or premium jobExcavation, tricky access, premium blend | Excavation and spoil removal, a deeper engineered base, awkward access, heavy edging or detailing, or a premium imported aggregate blend. Upper end and above. |
So a 40 m² resin-bound driveway might land anywhere from roughly A$4,000 to A$9,000+ depending almost entirely on the base and access — which is exactly why a single "average price" online is close to meaningless. The honest answer to "how much per square metre" is "it depends, and here's what it depends on."
The five things that move the price
When we quote a resin-bound driveway, five factors do most of the work. Understanding them lets you read any quote — ours or anyone else's — with clear eyes.
The base condition
By far the biggest swing. Laying over a sound existing slab is quick; excavating and building a new permeable base with falls and edging is a different job entirely.
The biggest factorArea & shape
Larger areas usually cost a little less per square metre as setup is shared across more metres. Tight, fiddly or heavily detailed shapes cost a little more.
Site access
Can a mixing station and materials get close to the work? A clear, near driveway is cheaper to lay than one reached by barrow across a steep or narrow block.
Edging & detailing
Edge restraints, channel drains, thresholds, curves and tie-ins to existing surfaces all add labour and materials. Clean, simple perimeters keep the price down.
Stone blend
The smallest swing of the five. Most house blends sit close together, but a premium or imported aggregate can lift the per-metre rate a touch.
Why the base is the biggest swing
If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: most of the cost difference between two resin driveways is under the stone, not in it. The resin-bound wear course itself is a fairly consistent product — rounded kiln-dried aggregate (around 2–5 mm) bound in roughly 7% two-part aliphatic, UV-stable polyurethane resin, laid at about 18 mm minimum for vehicular use. What changes dramatically is what it's laid on.
If you already have sound, stable concrete or asphalt, we can often clean, prime and bond the new surface straight over it — no demolition, far less labour, and the lower end of the bands above. That's covered in detail in our guide to laying resin-bound over existing concrete.
If the base is cracked, soft, moving, or you want a genuinely permeable, WSUD-friendly driveway, then there's groundwork to do: excavation, an engineered open-graded base built up to carry the load, edge restraints, and falls set so water heads where it should. That's a bigger, more skilled job — and it's where two quotes for "the same" driveway can differ by thousands. A surface is only ever as good as the base under it, so it's also where cutting corners costs you later.
A note on "permeable". Resin-bound is permeable only over a permeable, open-graded base — never on its own and never over a solid slab. We won't promise "100% permeable" or "no puddles"; we design a base to drain freely for your block, subject to your site and Greater Geelong City Council. That base is part of the cost, and it's part of why the figure varies.
Why a site assessment gives the only real number
You've probably noticed every quote-comparison site loves a tidy national average. The trouble is that a resin driveway's price is set by things you can't see from a postcode: whether your existing slab is sound, how a mixing station reaches the work, what falls and edging the block needs, and how your site drains. Two driveways the same size can be a different job entirely.
That's why we measure up in person. At a free site assessment we check the base, talk through drainage and council, confirm depth and blend, and bring real stone samples so you're choosing from the actual aggregate — not a render on a screen. Then we put it all in a fixed written quote. No "from" headline that balloons on the invoice, no surprises. You can read the full method on our how it works page, and there's plenty more in our complete guide to resin driveways in Geelong.
Want a number before we visit?
If you'd like a ballpark before booking a visit, our instant estimator turns a few quick details — rough area, the kind of base you have, and your chosen blend — into an indicative range using the same bands above. It's a guide to help you plan, not a fixed quote, and it's free to use.
Get an instant estimate
Answer a few quick questions and we'll show you an indicative price range for your driveway in under a minute — no obligation, no contact details required to see the range.
Use the instant estimator Book a free quoteKeep reading
A driveway is one of several surfaces we lay — the same costing logic applies to patios and courtyards, pool surrounds and pathways, though pedestrian areas are laid shallower (around 15 mm) and often sit lower in the bands. These guides go deeper on the choices that affect both look and price: