Hitchin

Tarmac Driveways in Hitchin

Tarmac laid hot in two courses and rolled, over a base built for what it carries. Free survey, a fixed written price, and you only pay when you're happy with the work.

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Tarmac Driveways in Hitchin, explained

Tarmac is usually the sensible answer when the area is large, the budget is real, and you want one continuous surface with nothing to maintain between the joints. What it is not is the cheap option that happens to look like the expensive one. A tarmac drive laid badly shows you inside a winter, and it shows you at the edges and in the low spots.

Which is why most of our quote is levels and drainage rather than the black stuff on top. Tarmac sheds water instead of absorbing it, so a tarmac drive is only ever as good as the fall somebody set before the first load turned up. We work that out at the survey and write it into the price, rather than finding it on the day and coming back to you for more money.

We are based in Hatfield and cover this area as part of our normal work. The survey and the written quotation are free, there is no deposit, and you pay when the drive is finished and you are happy with it.

We cover the SG4 and SG5 postcodes in Hitchin, and the rest of Hertfordshire.

What your quote covers

A free survey, with the falls and the drainage worked out before anything is priced
One fixed price in writing, no deposit, nothing payable up front
Excavation, clearance of the old surface and removal of the arisings
A compacted sub-base, and edgings or kerbs haunched in concrete to roll up against
A base course and a finer wearing course, laid hot and rolled while hot
Joints cut and sealed against thresholds and manholes, and the site cleaned down

Choosing tarmac driveways in Hitchin

Look at any tarmac drive that has gone wrong and the chances are it started at an edge. Tarmac has to be rolled against something solid to compact properly at its perimeter. Where there is nothing holding it, the edge never reaches full density, it crumbles under the first few winters, and the damage works inwards from there.

That is why edgings or kerbs go in before the tarmac does, haunched into concrete, rather than being an afterthought or left out of a cheap price altogether. It is one of the quickest things to check on any quotation you are weighing up in Hitchin.

With the edges and the base right, tarmac is a sound choice: one continuous surface with no joints to maintain, quick to lay, good under traffic and economical over a larger area. The water has to be planned for, because tarmac does not drain through, so the falls carry it to a channel, gully or soakaway.

Thinking about tarmac driveways in Hitchin?

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From first visit to finished job

Step 1
Free Site Survey
We check levels, drainage and the existing base and agree the finish with you.
Step 2
Written Quotation
A clear fixed price in writing, agreed before we begin.
Step 3
Groundwork
We excavate to the right depth and lay a compacted sub-base.
Step 4
Surfacing
The tarmac is laid hot in layers, raked to falls and rolled to a smooth finish.
Step 5
Sign-Off
We tidy the edges and site, and you pay once the job is complete and you are happy.

What happens on site in Hitchin

The drive is excavated, the arisings are cleared, and a compacted sub-base is built to suit what will be driven on it. Then the edgings or kerbs are installed and haunched in concrete, before any tarmac arrives, so there is something to roll against.

Falls are set at the same stage, so the finished levels take water deliberately to the drainage point rather than leaving it to pool at the low end of the drive.

The surfacing is two layers on most domestic jobs, a base course for strength and a finer wearing course for the finish, both laid hot and rolled while hot to achieve density. Joints at thresholds, manholes and existing surfaces are cut and sealed against water tracking beneath.

What affects the price in Hitchin

We do not publish a rate per square metre, because the number would be wrong for most properties. The survey is free and the price you get afterwards is fixed and in writing. These are the things that move it:

The area, which is where tarmac earns its keep against the other surfaces
How much excavation it needs and how far the arisings have to travel
Whether the drive takes one course or the full base and wearing course build-up
The drainage the levels call for: a channel, a gully connection or a soakaway
Edgings or kerbs, and whether you want a block-paved border
Plain black, red, or a decorative chipping finish on top

Looking after tarmac driveways

Go easy for the first weeks, especially in warm weather. Dry steering scuffs new tarmac, and anything with a small footprint such as a jockey wheel or a motorbike stand will indent it. Stand them on a board.

Keep soil and growth back from the edges and keep the drainage running. Edges and low spots are where the trouble starts, and both are things you can keep an eye on.

A seal a couple of years in restores colour and slows the surface drying out. Damage is repairable by cutting out and patching rather than replacing the drive, and a properly constructed one should run to 15 years or more.

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Around Hitchin

As well as Hitchin itself, we take on tarmac driveways work in Astwick, Barton-le-Clay, Hexton, Herring's Green and Steppingley, and across the rest of Hertfordshire. If you are just outside the towns listed here it is still worth a call, because we cover more ground than any list of names can sensibly show.

Tarmac Driveways in Hitchin: Common Questions

Do you lay tarmac in Hitchin?

Yes, SG4 and SG5 are both in our area. We are based in Hatfield and the survey and written quote are free.

Why do the edges matter?

Tarmac has to be rolled against something solid to compact at the perimeter. Without edgings haunched in concrete the edge never reaches density and crumbles, and the failure spreads inwards.