Driveways
Tarmac,
laid hot and true.
For long drives, shared accesses and anywhere you want a quiet, continuous run of surface, machine-laid tarmac is hard to beat on cost and speed. The trick is the base and the edges — and never laying it by the barrow-load off the back of a van.
Tarmac gets a bad name because of the firms that give it one — the ones who knock the door, lay 20mm of cold material over a soft base and are three counties away by the time it ruts. Done properly it is an excellent surface: fast to install, comfortable underfoot, and easy to patch or resurface down the line.
We machine-lay wherever access allows, on a base built and compacted for the job, with a binder course and a wearing course rather than a single thin skim. Edges are restrained so the tarmac has something to lean on, because an unedged tarmac drive crumbles from the outside in.
Where tarmac earns its place
Long drives and lanes, where block or resin over that area gets expensive fast. Shared accesses between houses, where you want one continuous surface and no trip lines. And resurfacing, where the existing base is sound but the top has worn — we can plane off and overlay rather than dig the lot out.
For a small front drive on show, block, resin or stone usually wins on looks. We will tell you when tarmac is the smart money and when it is not the right call for the frontage.
Every tarmac job includes
- A base built or repaired for the loading — not a skim over soft ground
- Separate binder and wearing courses, machine-laid where access allows
- Restrained, edged perimeter so nothing crumbles away
- Falls and drainage set so water runs off, not into potholes
- Ironwork and gullies raised or dropped to the finished level
- 10-year written guarantee on base and workmanship
Common questions
How soon can I drive on new tarmac?
You can usually walk on it the same day and drive on it the next. Avoid turning the wheels while stationary or parking a hot tyre in one spot for the first few weeks while it fully cures.
Is tarmac permeable for the planning rules?
Standard tarmac is not, so a front drive over 5m² would need drainage to your own land or planning permission. Porous asphalt exists and we can spec it where permeability is the deciding factor.
Can you resurface rather than replace?
If the base is still sound and it is only the surface that has gone, yes — planing off and overlaying is cheaper and quicker. If the base has failed, an overlay only buys you a season, and we will say so.
Get a price for tarmac
A written, itemised quote covering the base, the surface and the drainage — with a fixed programme and no surprises halfway through.