Tarmac driveway cost calculator UK: what the job involves and who is registered to do it

How tarmac driveway cost calculator works

1. Measure the area in square metres. Pace or tape the drive and write down length by width, subtracting anything that is staying. That single number multiplies the surfacing rate and is the figure every quote should agree on.
2. Work out the excavation volume. Area multiplied by the dig depth gives cubic metres, and spoil is priced by volume to remove. A deeper, better base costs more here and is the line that most often explains a gap between two quotes.
3. Measure the edges in linear metres. Walk the perimeter that needs restraint and write down the metres. Kerbs and edgings are priced per metre and a long thin drive carries more of them per square metre of surface than a square one.
4. Add the fixed lines. Site access, plant hire, waste transfer and any dropped kerb application are not proportional to area. On a small drive they are a large share of the total, which is why very small jobs are rarely very cheap.
5. Then compare quotes line by line. Two quotes broken into those four groups are comparable. Where they differ it is nearly always dig depth or edgings, and both are things you can ask about directly.

Insurance and paperwork

Common questions

Why does this page not print a rate?

Because the rate that matters is the one in your own quote. A national average would be an average of jobs with different depths, different access and different drainage, and it would tell you less than the arithmetic does.

How deep should a tarmac driveway be dug?

Deep enough for a sub base that carries the vehicles that will use it, over ground that has been assessed. Ask the contractor for the depth and the material they are proposing and why, and get it written into the quote.

Should the dropped kerb be in the same quote?

It is a separate application to the local highway authority and often separate work by an approved contractor. Get it priced explicitly rather than assumed, because a new drive with no legal access to it is an expensive garden.

Registered contractors by region

• Registered roofers in the East Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the East of England postcode area
• Registered roofers in the London postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Scotland postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Wales postcode area
• Registered roofers in the West Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Yorkshire and The Humber postcode area