Stevenage

Tarmac Driveways in Stevenage

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 Stevenage, 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 SG1 and SG2 postcodes in Stevenage, 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 Stevenage

Tarmac does not let water through, and that single fact shapes the whole job. Rain that lands on the drive has to be sent somewhere on purpose: across the threshold into a channel, along a fall to a gully, or into a soakaway. A tarmac drive with no plan for the water will find its own, usually towards the garage door.

Most of the work on a tarmac drive in Stevenage is therefore about levels rather than surfacing, and it is where a cheap job gets found out. A surface laid flat over old ground looks fine in June and shows you exactly where the low spots are by the first wet winter.

What tarmac gives you in return is a continuous surface with no joints to maintain, laid quickly, that takes traffic well and costs less per square metre than blocks or resin once an area gets large. Black is standard, red is available where it suits the house, and a decorative chipping finish softens the look if you want it.

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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 Stevenage

We excavate the area, clear the arisings and build a compacted sub-base suited to what the drive will actually carry. Edgings or kerbs go in before any tarmac, haunched in concrete, because tarmac has to be rolled up against something solid or the edges break away.

The falls are set during that groundwork rather than corrected afterwards, with the levels worked so water runs to the channel, gully or soakaway we have agreed. Getting this right is most of the job.

The surface itself goes down in two layers on most domestic drives: a base course for strength and a finer wearing course for the finish. Both are laid hot and rolled hot, because the rolling is what gives the density. Joints against thresholds, manholes and existing surfaces are cut and sealed so water cannot track underneath.

What affects the price in Stevenage

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

Be gentle with it for the first few weeks, particularly in warm weather. Turning the steering wheel while the car is stationary will scuff a new surface, and anything with a small footprint, a motorbike stand, a trailer jockey wheel, a skip leg, can press into it. A board underneath solves that.

Keep the drainage clear and the edges free of soil and growth. Almost every tarmac failure starts either at an edge or at a low spot where water has been allowed to stand.

Sealing a couple of years in is worth thinking about, as it brings the colour back and slows the surface drying out. If a crack or pothole does appear it can be cut out and patched rather than the drive being replaced. Built properly, expect 15 years or more.

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Around Stevenage

As well as Stevenage itself, we take on tarmac driveways work in Gosmore, Longstowe, Bedford, Roxton and Great Gransden, 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 Stevenage: Common Questions

Do you lay tarmac in Stevenage?

Yes, SG1 and SG2 are both in our normal area. We work from Hatfield and the survey and written quotation are free.

Is the survey free?

Yes, along with the quote. There is no deposit and nothing to pay until the drive is finished.

How soon can I park on it?

It is walkable once it has cooled and will take vehicles shortly after, but it carries on hardening for a few weeks, so treat it carefully in that period.

Where does the water go?

Somewhere deliberate: a channel across the threshold, a fall to a gully, or a soakaway. We decide which at the survey based on your levels and the ground, and build the falls to suit.

Why is your quote higher than a doorstep price?

Usually because of the base and the drainage. A price quoted at the door rarely includes excavating to a proper depth, a compacted sub-base, haunched edgings and set falls, and those are what make the drive last.

Can you lay tarmac over my existing drive?

Sometimes, if what is there is sound and the levels still work afterwards. If it is breaking up or the levels would end up wrong, an overlay just buys a couple of years. We will tell you which you have at the survey.