Service · Tarmac

Tarmac driveways
smooth, strong, dependable.

Q: How long does a tarmac driveway take?

Most residential tarmac driveways take 2–4 working days. One day to excavate and lay the sub-base, a day or two for the binder course, and a final day for the surface course and edging.

Hot-rolled tarmacadam for driveways, courtyards and access roads. Proper sub-base, crisp kerb lines, hand-finished edges. Whether it's a residential drive or a commercial yard, we lay it once — properly.

✓ Residential & commercial work
✓ Hot-rolled binder & surface course
✓ Coloured tarmac available
✓ 10-year written guarantee

Get my free quote Call 07596 51930

Hot-rolled tarmac driveway installed by RKG in Abingdon, Oxfordshire

£65–£95per m²

Indicative range. Final price depends on sub-base depth, access and finish.

2–4days on site

Most residential drives are finished in under a week, weather depending.

15–20years lifespan

With seal coats every 3–5 years a hot-rolled tarmac drive lasts decades.

10 yrguarantee

Written workmanship guarantee in addition to material warranties.

Tarmac options

Hot-rolled, coloured, or surface-dressed.

Three options depending on budget, traffic, and how new the existing base is. We'll recommend the right one at your free site visit.

Hot-rolled (standard)

Black bitumen-bound mix laid in a 50–60mm binder course over the sub-base, topped with a 25–40mm surface course. The strongest, longest-lasting finish for driveways.

From £65/m² · best for daily-use driveways

Coloured tarmac

Red, green or buff pigment mixed through the surface course. Same strength as black, with a softer aesthetic that suits older properties and Cotswold-stone homes.

From £80/m² · ~15% premium over black

Surface dressing (overlay)

If you have an existing sound tarmac drive that's just looking tired, we can overlay with a new 25mm surface course rather than a full dig. Saves money and reuses your existing base.

From £32/m² · existing base must be structurally sound

Tarmac & block-paved trim

A popular Oxfordshire combination — tarmac field with a block-paved border. Gives a softer, more decorative finish without the full block-paving price tag.

From £75/m² · roughly 20m² of border on a 40m² drive

Side-by-side

How does it compare?

The four main driveway surfaces, with the trade-offs we walk every customer through at their site visit.

Factor	Block Paving	Tarmac this page	Resin Bound	Shingle
Cost per m² installed	£80–£130	£65–£95	£120–£170	£40–£70
Typical 40m² drive total	£3.5k–£5.5k	£2.8k–£4k	£5.5k–£7.5k	£1.8k–£2.8k
Lifespan	25+ years	15–20 yrs	15–25 yrs	15–20 yrs
SuDS-compliant (permeable)	Permeable opt	No	Yes	Yes
Maintenance	Light	Low	Very low	Top-up shingle
Install time	4–7 days	2–4 days	3–5 days	2–3 days
Looks best with	All homes	Modern, long drives	Contemporary or country	Country, cottages
Sloped drives	OK	Best	OK	Needs grid

Pricing is fully installed in Oxfordshire and Berkshire. Lifespan assumes a properly engineered sub-base (150mm MOT Type 1 in 75mm lifts).

How we lay it

The reason proper tarmac doesn't ripple.

A tarmac driveway is only as good as the sub-base under it. Here's our exact process.

Excavation

200–300mm dig down to firm subgrade. Graded for falls to drainage.

Geotextile + Type 1

Heavy-duty membrane then 150mm MOT Type 1 in 75mm lifts, fully compacted.

Edge restraints

Concrete-haunched kerb or hidden steel edging. Keeps the tarmac square and prevents edge cracking.

Binder course

50–60mm of bitumen-bound binder course laid hot, rolled with a vibrating roller for full compaction.

Surface course

25–40mm fine-graded surface course laid hot, rolled three times for a smooth, dense finish.

Cooling & handover

Tarmac is rope-tape-off for 24–48 hours to fully cure, then walk-through with photos and your written guarantee.

What affects the price

Honest pricing, with the variables explained.

Existing surface

Removing existing tarmac, concrete or block paving adds excavation time and skip costs. Soft clay subgrade may also need extra Type 1.

Total area

Tarmac gets cheaper per m² as area grows — the team and machines are on site anyway. A 60m² drive is rarely 50% more than a 40m² drive.

Drainage

If we need to add a linear drain to meet SuDS rules, that's £400–£700 depending on length and outfall.

Colour

Coloured tarmac costs ~15–20% more than black due to the pigmented binder and additional rolling.

Access

Tight access means smaller lorry deliveries (more journeys), and slower laying. Side-return-only access adds 10–20% to labour.

Decorative edging

Block-paved borders or contrasting kerb stones add cost but transform the look. Most clients add at least a kerb strip.

Tarmac FAQs

The questions people ask.

How much does a tarmac driveway cost?

Tarmac driveways in Oxfordshire and Berkshire typically cost £65–£95 per m² installed. A standard 40m² two-car driveway lands between £3,500 and £5,500 including excavation, sub-base, edging and a proper hot-rolled tarmac finish.

How long does a tarmac driveway take?

Most residential tarmac driveways take 2–4 working days — a day to excavate and lay the sub-base, a day or two for the binder course, and a final day for the surface course and edging.

Can tarmac be coloured?

Yes — red, green and buff coloured tarmacs are available using pigmented binder. The colour mellows slightly with age but holds for 10+ years. Cost is roughly 15–20% more than standard black tarmac.

How long does tarmac last?

A properly laid hot-rolled tarmac driveway with a full sub-base lasts 15–20 years before it needs resurfacing. Sealing every 3–5 years extends this further and keeps the surface looking fresh.

Do I need planning permission for tarmac?

Tarmac is non-permeable, so if you're laying over 5m² you'll need to ensure drainage runs to a permeable area (lawn or border) rather than directly onto the public highway. We design every quote to meet the 2008 SuDS regulations.

What's the difference between tarmac and asphalt?

In the UK the words are used interchangeably, but technically tarmacadam uses tar-bound aggregate and modern "tarmac" is actually bitumen-bound macadam. We use modern hot-rolled bitumen mix on every job — stronger and longer-lasting than old-school tar.

Indicative estimate

Roughly what will it cost?

Drop your driveway size in below for an instant indicative range. We confirm the exact price at the free site visit.

Cost calculator

Indicative range only — based on typical Oxfordshire/Berkshire installs.

Free quote · No obligation

Ready to plan your
tarmac driveway?

We come out within 72 hours, measure up, talk material options, and follow up with a written fixed quote within a week. No pressure, no upsells, no hidden costs.

✓ Free site visit · samples brought to your door
✓ Written fixed quote within 7 days
✓ Our own crews · no subcontractors
✓ 10-year written workmanship guarantee

★★★★★

4.9 / 5 on Google. 127 reviews from homeowners across Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

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Tarmac driveways
smooth, strong, dependable.