Expert Paving and Landscaping

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Tarmac Driveway Installation in Norwich

A tarmac driveway is a hot-laid bitumen and stone surface rolled over a compacted sub-base. In Norwich, a properly laid tarmac driveway lasts 15 to 20 years and is the fastest of the main driveway surfaces to install, typically finished in one to two days.

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What is a Tarmac Driveway, and how long does it last?

Tarmac is a mix of stone aggregate bound with bitumen, laid hot and compacted with a roller while it is still workable. On a correctly built sub-base it lasts 15 to 20 years, with a resurface typically needed somewhere around the 10 to 15 year mark.

A driveway laid too thin, or laid straight onto soil, will show cracking and edge crumbling within three to five years. The material is not the variable. The base is.

Residential Tarmac Installations

Most people think it’s just matter of laying material, compacting it and doing. But that’s exactly where most contractors take shortcuts. They skip proper drainage preparation, use thin base layers, buy cheap materials and then they disappear. We have personally witnessed the damage which is costly to repair. Expert Paving and Landscaping do things differently. Over fifteen years of experience in Norwich and Norfolk, we have come to understand that each site has its own specific needs. Costessey’s soil isn’t like Old Catton’s. Thorpe St Andrew needs different drainage than Sprowston or Wymondham. Each area has its own Unique features. So, we start by properly assessing your site looking at soil, drainage, slope, everything that determines how your driveway will perform. The three shortcuts we see most often in Norwich: a sub-base of 50mm where the ground needs 150mm; no edge restraint, so the tarmac crumbles from the sides inwards; and laying over an existing failing surface without addressing why it failed.

How much does a tarmac driveway cost in Norwich?

Tarmac is normally the least expensive of the three main driveway surfaces per square metre. What moves the price is not the tarmac — it is what has to happen underneath it.

Industry cost guides put the components at roughly:

ComponentApproximate cost
Sub-base£23 per m²
Excavation and disposal£28 per m²

Roughly a third of a properly built driveway is groundwork you will never see again, and it is exactly what a cheap quote leaves out.

Resurfacing costs substantially less than a rebuild. If the base beneath your existing tarmac is still sound, we can plane off the worn surface and lay a new wearing course. If the base has moved, resurfacing only hides the problem for a season. We will tell you honestly which one you have rather than take the easier job.

Every quote is free, fixed and itemised. Call 01603 858680.

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    Tarmac vs block paving vs resin for a Norfolk driveway

    Tarmac is the fastest and cheapest per square metre. Block paving lasts longest and can be repaired block by block. Resin bound is permeable and usually avoids a planning application. On Norfolk’s clay soils, drainage matters more than the surface you choose.

    Tarmac Driveway resurfacing and repairs

    If the base beneath your tarmac is still sound, resurfacing is a fraction of the cost of a rebuild. We plane off the worn surface course, repair any localised failures, and lay a new wearing course.
    If the base has sunk or is cracking through, resurfacing will only hide the problem for a season. We will say so rather than take the easier job.

    Areas we cover for Tarmac Driveways

    We lay and resurface tarmac driveways across Norwich and Norfolk, including Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston, Hellesdon, Old Catton, Dereham, Attleborough and Great Yarmouth. See all areas we cover.

    Tarmac driveway FAQs

    How much does a tarmac driveway cost in Norwich?

    Tarmac is normally the least expensive of the three main driveway surfaces per square metre. The variable is the base: resurfacing over a sound existing base costs considerably less than a full excavation and rebuild. Industry guides put excavation and disposal at around £28 per m² and the sub-base at around £23 per m².

    15 to 20 years when laid over a correctly built sub-base, with a resurface typically needed at around the 10 to 15 year mark. A driveway laid too thin, or laid onto soil, will crack and crumble at the edges within three to five years.

    Often yes, if the existing surface is structurally sound, well drained and not moving. This is called overlaying and is considerably cheaper than a full rebuild. If the existing base has sunk or is cracking through, overlaying will only hide the problem for a season.

    For domestic use, a base course of around 50mm with a 20mm wearing course, over a compacted sub-base of 100 to 150mm. Norfolk’s clay soils generally need the deeper end of that sub-base range. Anything less on the sub-base is where driveway failures begin.

    You can usually walk on it the same day and drive on it after 24 to 48 hours. Avoid turning the steering wheel while stationary for the first few weeks, and keep heavy vehicles and trailer jockey wheels off it while the surface hardens over the first month.

    Standard tarmac is impermeable, so laying more than 5m² of it in a front garden requires planning permission unless the water drains to a permeable area within your own property. A drainage channel to a lawn or soakaway usually satisfies this. Confirm with your local planning authority.

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