Tarmac Driveways In Middleton
Need a big driveway surfaced without a big bill?
Hot-rolled tarmacadam driveways with a binder course, block edging and proper drainage across Middleton and north Manchester
Tarmac gets a bad name from the vans that turn up unannounced with 'leftover material from a job down the road'. That is not tarmac's fault. Laid properly - two courses, hot, on a compacted base, rolled and framed in block - it is the most cost-effective way to surface a large drive and it will outlast the car you park on it. We lay it the way the council lays roads, because for twenty years that is what our groundwork trade has been alongside.
No obligation
Free Tarmac Driveways Quote
Scott usually rings back the same working day.
Why tarmac driveways
Why tarmac still makes sense on a Middleton drive
01
The lowest cost per metre
From around £45 per square metre installed, tarmac is the surface that makes a big detached-house drive in Alkrington or Hopwood affordable.
02
Quick to lay, quick to use
A two-car drive is surfaced in a day once the base is in, and you can drive on it the following morning once it has cooled through.
03
Takes heavy loads
Two hot courses on a full-depth base will carry a works van, a caravan or a skip lorry without marking - it is what roads are made of.
04
Smooth and plain
No joints, no pattern, nothing to catch a bike wheel or a pram. Some people want a drive that just disappears, and tarmac does.
05
Looks sharp with a block border
A single or double course of charcoal or brindle block along every edge frames the black and stops the tarmac edge crumbling. We do it as standard.
06
Red as well as black
Red tarmac is an option for paths and for drives on houses where black looks too heavy, and it can be used as a border to a black drive.
20+
Years Laying Drives
Middleton and North Manchester
7
Surface Types
Resin to porcelain, one crew
Free
Site Visits & Quotes
Written, itemised, fixed
10 yr
Guarantee
In writing, terms and conditions apply
How we work
Seven steps to a tarmac in Middleton that stays flat
Most of what goes wrong with a drive goes wrong in steps three to five, which is why they are the ones we spend the longest on.
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Site visit
Measure up, check where water goes now, check access for the roller and the delivery wagon - tarmac arrives hot and has to be laid within a couple of hours.
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Written quote
Base depth, binder course thickness, wearing course thickness, edging and drainage all stated with a fixed price.
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Excavation and sub-base
The old surface out, dig to depth, membrane on soft clay, then 150 to 200mm of MOT Type 1 compacted in layers. Tarmac shows every soft spot underneath, so this is done carefully.
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Block or kerb edging
A block soldier course or concrete kerb bedded and haunched in concrete around the whole drive. Tarmac needs a solid edge to be rolled against or it crumbles.
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Drainage and falls
A linear channel across the gate or the garage, gullies where needed, and falls formed in the base so water runs to them. Tarmac is not porous, so this is not optional.
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Binder course and wearing course
A 50 to 60mm open-graded binder course laid hot and rolled, then a 25 to 30mm dense wearing course over it, also hot, rolled to a tight, closed finish. Two courses, not one.
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Cooling and handover
Foot traffic the same evening, cars the next day once it has cooled through. We walk it with you, check the edges and the falls, and hand over the guarantee.
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Want to see the steps on a real job? The projects page has every one of them photographed on the day we finished.
The guarantee
Every drive we lay in Middleton is put in writing
A driveway is a structure. The part you see - the block, the resin, the tarmac - is 50 to 60mm of the 250mm we build, and it is the 200mm underneath that decides whether it is still flat in ten years. So our guarantee is written around the bit that matters: the excavation depth, the compacted MOT Type 1 base, the edge restraints haunched in concrete and the falls that move water off the surface. If any of that lets you down inside the ten years, we come back and put it right at our cost. Terms and conditions apply, and you get them on paper before we start, not after.
- Sub-base depth and compaction stated on the quote, not left to chance
- Edging set in concrete so the surface cannot spread or rock
- Settlement, sinking or lifting caused by our work put right free
- Materials backed by the manufacturer on top of our own cover
20+
Years in the trade
The same name, the same phone number, the same man on site
10 yr
10-year guarantee on every job
Terms and conditions apply. Handed over in writing at the final walk-round, kept on file at our end too
Before you choose anyone
What to look for in a tarmac driveway installer
Never take a knock at the door. The 'we've got some tarmac left over' visit is the most common driveway scam in Greater Manchester and Trading Standards deal with it every summer. The material is usually cold, thin and laid straight on top of whatever is there, and it breaks up within a year. A real tarmac firm has a yard, a landline, a company number and a written quote, and it books material from a plant for a specific day because hot tarmac cannot be stockpiled.
Ask how many courses. A domestic drive should have a binder course (the coarse, open layer that gives strength) and a wearing course (the fine, dense layer you see), each laid hot and rolled separately. One thin course of wearing material on its own looks fine for a summer and then ruts where the car sits and cracks at the edges. The quote should state both thicknesses.
Ask what the tarmac is being laid on and how the edges are held. Tarmac on a thin or uncompacted base will follow every soft spot as the ground moves, and tarmac with no edge restraint crumbles from the outside in. We lay on a full-depth Type 1 base with block or kerb edges haunched in concrete, and it is why our drives from a decade ago are still flat.
Compared
Tarmac against the alternatives
Tarmac is the value option, not the cheap option. Here is where it sits against the surfaces that cost more.
| Tarmac | Block Paving | Resin Bound | Printed Concrete | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expected lifespan | 15 to 20 years | 25 years plus | 15 to 25 years | 20 years plus |
| Drainage | Falls to a channel or soakaway | Through the joints | Porous | Falls to a channel |
| Weeds and moss | Rare, edges only | Some in joints | None | None |
| Maintenance | Seal every few years if wanted | Re-sand joints | Hose and brush | Reseal every 3 to 5 years |
| Cost per m² installed | £45 to £65 | £60 to £90 | £70 to £100 | £65 to £90 |
| Planning permission | Not needed with drainage to your land | Not needed | Not needed | Not needed with drainage |
Design and finish
Edging, borders and colour
Plain black tarmac looks best with something framing it. A charcoal or brindle block border along every edge is the usual choice, and a double course with a contrasting inner line looks sharper still on a wide drive. Red tarmac works as a path or a border, or as the whole surface on a house where black is too much. Kerb edging is the cheapest option and still does the structural job.
- Black or red wearing course
- Single or double block soldier course borders
- Concrete kerb edging as a lower-cost option
- Matching tarmac paths and side accesses laid in the same visit
“Most of the tarmac drives we replace in Middleton were a single course under 40mm thick - the ones laid with two courses are almost never the ones we are called out to.”
Based on enquiries and jobs handled by S P Groundworks & Driveways.
Cost
What a tarmac driveway costs in Middleton
Tarmac starts from around £45 per square metre including excavation, sub-base, block edging and both courses, rising to about £65 where there is a lot of edging or drainage. A two-car front of 45m² is usually £2,000 to £3,000, and tarmac gets proportionally cheaper the bigger the drive because the fixed costs are spread. What adds to it:
- +Small drives, where the delivery and plant cost is spread over few metres
- +Double block borders and decorative edging
- +Long runs of drainage channel or a soakaway
- +Difficult access for the delivery wagon and roller
- +Retaining walls or regrading on a sloping plot
Starting from
£45/m²
Including excavation, sub-base, edging and the finished surface. Fixed on a free site visit.
Get A Fixed QuoteFAQ
Tarmac Driveways questions
How soon can I drive on a new tarmac driveway?
The next day. Tarmac is laid hot and needs to cool through before a car sits on it, so we ask you to keep off it overnight. Avoid turning the steering wheel on the spot for the first couple of weeks in hot weather, and keep jacks and motorbike stands off it in summer.
Is tarmac cheaper than block paving?
Yes, by a fair margin - roughly £45 to £65 per square metre against £60 to £90 for block. On a big drive that adds up to thousands. Block lasts longer and can be repaired invisibly, so it is a trade-off rather than one being better.
Will a tarmac drive need planning permission?
Not if the water drains to your own land. Tarmac is not porous, so we build in a linear channel or gully feeding a soakaway or a lawn. That meets the national rules and Rochdale Borough Council does not need an application for it unless the house is listed or in a conservation area.
Why does my old tarmac have ruts where the car sits?
Almost always because it was one thin course on a poor base. The base gave under the weight and the tarmac followed it. A binder course and a proper compacted sub-base are the fix, and it is why we never lay a single course.
Can tarmac be laid in winter?
It can be laid in cold, dry weather - the material arrives at around 150°C and the crew works fast. What it cannot be laid in is rain or onto a wet base. We move the date rather than lay into weather.
Do you lay tarmac drives outside Middleton?
Yes, across Rochdale, Heywood, Oldham, Chadderton, Royton, Bury, Prestwich, Whitefield, Radcliffe, Blackley, Failsworth and north Manchester. Each area has a page on this site.
Our work
Tarmac Driveways and other recent work
Filter the full set by surface on the projects page.
Reviews
What customers around Middleton say
“Scott and his lads did my driveway this week and did a brilliant job. They turned up when they said they would and finished the job on time. No messing and no BS. The lads liked their tea and were friendly. Great job, great price and great team.”
Michael I.
New driveway · Google review
“Scott gave us good honest advice from the first visit. The completed job was exactly what we wanted with a high quality finish and lots of comments from friends and family. Definitely went above and beyond, and for a very reasonable price.”
Sarah
Middleton · Block paved driveway
“Brilliant work done by the team. Completed the work in a timely manner, very neat and professional. Would highly recommend.”
Sajida R.
Manchester · New driveway · Google review
“Scott has amazing team and so quick really excellent work.”
Jacqueline O.
Google review
“Scott and his team arrived early, worked through and finished the whole drive by Sunday. Excellent workmanship at a competitive price - we could not be happier.”
Lesley
Heywood · Resin driveway
“Ian at SP created a driveway for us that surpassed our expectations. A fantastic, clean, exact job. He is a credit to the company.”
Laurie
Chadderton · Tarmac and block driveway
Rated 5.0 out of 5 from 4 reviews on Google. Read more on our reviews page or the Facebook page.
Other surfaces
Not sure tarmac driveways is the one?
Where we lay it
Tarmac Driveways across north Manchester
Tarmac, laid like a road
Two hot courses on a full-depth base, framed in block, with a written quote before a shovel goes in. Book a free site visit.