Driveway & Surfacing FAQs

As a rough guide, our tarmac driveways work out at around £100 per square metre, including full dig-out and sub-base. A typical 45 m² driveway would be roughly £4,050 to £4,950. Block paving is around £125 per m² and resin-bound around £140 per m². The final price depends on access, drainage and ground conditions, so we give a fixed written quote after a free site visit. You can get an instant estimate with our driveway cost calculator.

Tarmac is hard-wearing, quick to lay and usually the most cost-effective. Resin-bound gives a smooth, decorative finish and is permeable, so it meets SuDS drainage rules. Block paving offers lots of patterns and colours, and individual blocks can be lifted and relaid if needed. We'll talk you through what suits your property and budget at the site visit.

We're based in North Northamptonshire and regularly work in Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough, Raunds, Wellingborough, Kettering, Thrapston, Finedon and Burton Latimer, as well as Northampton and Bedford. We'll travel further for larger driveway and commercial jobs, so it's always worth asking.

In England you don't usually need planning permission for a new front driveway if it uses a permeable surface, such as resin-bound or permeable paving, or if rainwater runs off to a lawn or border within your property. If you're covering more than 5 square metres of front garden with a non-permeable surface that drains onto the road, you'll normally need planning permission. We'll advise on drainage for your driveway when we visit.

Yes. Our team holds NRSWA qualifications for working on the public highway, and we're a North Northamptonshire Council approved dropped kerb contractor. You'll need to apply to your council for approval first; once it's approved, we can carry out the work.

Ask each contractor how deep they'll dig out, how much Type 1 sub-base they'll lay and how it will be compacted, and the depth of the base and surface layers. This is where cheaper quotes usually cut corners. We lay our sub-base in layers and compact it with a large roller.

Yes. Atlas Surfacing Ltd carries £10 million public liability insurance.

Our own team. Charles Murphy, who has been laying driveways since 2001, works on site with the crew, so the person who quotes your job is the person who builds it.