Tarmac driveways in Aylesbury
A hot-laid bituminous surface, rolled to a dense finish. It is the most economical way to cover a large area properly, it's quick, and it wears extremely well — as long as nobody cut corners on the ground underneath it.
Tarmac driveway
£75–£110 / m²
Lower end on straightforward overlays and large simple areas. Upper end for full excavation, drainage work or difficult access.
See how the price is built up →
If you're working to a budget
Tarmac is already one of the cheaper ways to cover a large area properly. Below it, only gravel over a compacted Type 1 base costs less — and on the right drive that is a perfectly good driveway rather than a compromise.
When tarmac is right — and when it isn't
When it's the right choice
- The area is large and fairly plain. Cost per square metre drops faster with tarmac than anything else.
- It's a long or shared driveway, or an access track, where hard-wearing matters more than decorative.
- You want the work finished quickly — laying is fast once the base is prepared.
- You want a smooth, quiet surface to drive on with no joints and nothing to re-sand.
When it isn't — say so and pick something else
- Kerb appeal is the main objective. Tarmac is plain, and no edging detail changes that much. Block paving or resin will do more for the front of a house.
- You need permeable drainage without a soakaway. Standard tarmac is impermeable, which brings the planning rules into play.
- You'll need to dig it up for services. A tarmac patch never matches, and it always shows.
- There are tree roots close to the surface. They will lift and crack it, and the fix is usually a different surface, not thicker tarmac.
How we lay a tarmac drive
Excavate to depth, membrane, MOT Type 1 compacted in layers to 150mm. Edges — kerbs, block edging or a concrete haunch — go in first, because tarmac needs something to be rolled up against or the edge crumbles.
A base course is laid and rolled, then a finer wearing course on top, each rolled while hot with a vibrating roller. Falls are set away from the house and water taken to a gully or a permeable margin. Joints against existing surfaces are cut clean and sealed rather than feathered out.
Tarmac we've laid
Our own work, captioned by material and detail only. The block border isn't decoration: it's the restrained edge that stops the tarmac spreading and crumbling away at the sides.
Five-year workmanship guarantee, sub-base included
Most guarantees quietly stop at the surface. Ours covers the part you can't see: the excavation depth, the membrane, the compacted sub-base, the falls and the edge restraints. If the ground work moves, we come back and put it right.
A fixed price before anyone starts digging
We measure, agree the build-up in writing and give you one price. It doesn't move unless you change what you've asked for, or unless we open the ground and find something nobody could have known was there — in which case we stop, show you, and agree the cost with you before we carry on.
Common questions about tarmac
How long does tarmac last?
Twenty years or more on a correctly built base, kept free of standing water and fuel spills. On a thin or poorly compacted base it can start rutting inside two or three winters. Once again the base decides, not the surface.
Can you lay tarmac over the existing drive?
An overlay on sound, stable tarmac is legitimate and cost-effective. Over cracked or moving material it just reflects the cracks through within a couple of years. It also raises the level, which matters at thresholds, gullies and gates — we check that before proposing it.
Why does tarmac get soft in summer?
Bitumen softens in high temperatures. That's normal and it re-hardens, but in a heatwave sharp objects — motorbike stands, caravan jockey wheels, trailer legs, stiletto heels — can indent it. A pad under a point load solves it.
Can it be laid in winter?
Yes, but it has a working window. The material arrives hot and must be laid and compacted before it cools, so cold, wet or windy days shorten the time available and increase the risk of a poor finish. In genuinely bad conditions we'd rather reschedule than lay it badly.
Does it need sealing?
No. Sealants are sold hard door-to-door and are rarely necessary on a sound drive; on a failing one they hide the problem for a season. If someone knocks on your door offering to seal your tarmac with leftover material from a nearby job, that is the oldest scam in this trade.
Can I have a coloured or red tarmac?
Coloured macadam is available, usually red or green. It costs more, the colour is not as rich as photographs suggest, and it weathers. If appearance is the priority, resin bound or block paving will give you a better result for the money.
Towns we cover
We're based in Aylesbury and work about ten miles around it.
- Aylesbury
- Bierton
- Stoke Mandeville
- Weston Turville
- Aston Clinton
- Wendover
- Waddesdon
- Wingrave
- Whitchurch
- Quainton
- Wing
- Haddenham