Tarmac driveway cost: what the job involves, and why the base sets the price

How tarmac driveway cost works

1. Ask what depth is being excavated. A drive that will carry cars needs a sub base under the surfacing, and how deep it is dug is invisible once the job is done. The excavation depth and the sub base material belong in the quote, in writing, before anybody starts.
2. Check the edgings are priced. Tarmac needs restraint at its edges or it ravels away from them. Kerbs, block edgings or a concrete haunch are separate linear items and a quote without them is quoting a surface that will fray.
3. Ask how many layers. A base course and a wearing course is the normal specification for a vehicle drive. One thin layer is cheaper on the day and shows every turning wheel within a season.
4. Settle where the water goes. Tarmac is impermeable. A new front drive over five square metres that sheds water onto the highway is the case the drainage rules are about, so the quote should say whether the fall runs to a border, a channel or a soakaway.
5. Be careful about doorstep offers. Surfacing is the trade most associated with doorstep selling and leftover material offers. A firm with a verifiable address, a written quote and no urgency is the minimum, and paying in full up front is the thing to refuse.

Insurance and paperwork

Common questions

How long does a tarmac driveway last?

A properly built one lasts many years and a thin one over a poor base can fail in two or three winters. The life is decided by the excavation and the sub base far more than by the surface, which is why those lines are worth arguing about.

Can tarmac be laid over an existing drive?

An overlay is possible where the existing surface is sound and levels allow it, and it is much cheaper. It is not a fix for a drive that is moving or holding water, because the new surface inherits whatever the old one is doing.

Do I need permission for a tarmac drive?

An impermeable surface over five square metres at the front of a house needs planning permission unless the water drains to a permeable area on your own land. Providing that drainage is usually cheaper than the application.

How much to tarmac a drive, and what sets tarmac driveway prices?

Tarmac is priced by the square metre laid, and that rate is only half the quote. The rest is the work done before the surfacing wagon arrives: excavating to a depth, carting the spoil away, laying and compacting a stone sub base and setting edgings, so ask for each of those lines in writing.

Is the tarmac driveway cost per m2 the whole price?

No. Kerbs, block edgings or a concrete haunch are separate linear items, and the number of layers matters as well: a base course and a wearing course is the normal specification for a vehicle drive, while one thin layer is cheaper on the day and shows every turning wheel within a season.

Why are some tarmac prices so much lower than others?

A price that looks unusually low almost always has a thin base or no edgings behind it, and both fail in the same way within a few winters. Surfacing is also the trade most associated with doorstep selling and leftover material offers, so a verifiable address, a written quote and no demand for full payment up front are the minimum.

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