Tarmac Driveways in the West Midlands

How long does it take to install?

Most domestic driveways take one to two days depending on size and how much excavation is needed. Larger areas or jobs needing drainage work will take longer. We'll give you a realistic timeframe at the quote stage rather than a best-case one, and there's a full breakdown of what affects the price and the timeline in our tarmac driveway cost guide.

When can I park on it?

You can walk on it after four to six hours, but leave it three to five days before driving on it, and longer in cold or wet weather. Full curing carries on for months afterwards. Avoid turning your wheels while stationary early on, and keep motorbike stands, trailer legs and skip corners off it, as point loads mark a new surface easily. We've set out the whole timeline in how long tarmac takes to dry and cure.

Do I need planning permission for a tarmac driveway?

Standard tarmac isn't permeable, so if you're surfacing more than five square metres of front garden you'll need to either drain the water to a permeable area within your property or apply for planning permission. We design the drainage in at quote stage, usually with a channel drain or a soakaway, so it complies without an application. There's more on this, including porous asphalt as an alternative, in our article on whether tarmac is permeable.

Can you tarmac over my existing driveway?

Sometimes. If the existing surface is stable, well drained and at a level that allows the extra height without blocking airbricks or doorways, an overlay works and costs less. If it's cracked, moving or sitting on a poor base, an overlay just hides the problem for a year or two - a thin layer over a bad base won't hold. We'll tell you which one you're dealing with when we come out.