Front garden to tarmac driveway in Earley

How much should I budget in Earley?

These Earley guide prices reflect rates in the South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£66–£105 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,450–£2,300
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,200–£3,450
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,950–£4,700

As a 2026 guide in Earley, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £66–£105 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,200–£3,450. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

What the price covers

Turning a lawn or front garden into off-road parking: dig, base, tarmac, kerb crossing and planting.

Highway authority dropped kerb application guided or handled for you
Lawn, hedge roots and topsoil removed
Sub-base and two tarmac courses, or porous asphalt
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
Water directed to a border, soakaway or channel

How it is built

Rules that apply in Earley

In England, householder permitted development (Class F of the 2015 General Permitted Development Order) lets you lay a hard surface in front of a house without planning permission if it is porous, or if the rainwater is directed to a permeable area within the property. If the area is more than 5 m² and neither applies, you need permission. Standard dense tarmac is not porous, so a dense tarmac drive needs a lawn, border, channel to a soakaway or other permeable route for its water. If the job needs a dropped kerb, the highway authority (the county or unitary council) approves it before any work on the footway.

Where we work in and around Earley

Earley at a glance. We reach Earley on our Berkshire survey days; Reading is 3 miles away.

Postcodes: RG6, RG2, RG5, RG10
Area: Berkshire
Nearest towns: Reading (3 miles), Wokingham (4 miles), Crowthorne (7 miles), Yateley (7 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Reading, Wokingham, Crowthorne, Yateley, Bracknell.

Your questions answered

Is the survey in Earley free?

Yes for new surfacing such as drives, paths, private roads and car parks. Small repairs are often priced from photos; if a visit is needed for a repair-only job, we tell you any charge first.

How long does a front garden driveway conversion take in Earley?

Usually 2–4 working days, after the kerb approval. We book Earley surveys alongside other jobs in Berkshire, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

Front garden driveway conversion cost in Earley: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in Earley, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £66–£105 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,200–£3,450. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Are there planning or highway rules in Earley?

In England, a new hard surface over 5 m² in front of a house needs planning permission unless it is porous or drains to a lawn, border or soakaway within the property. Dropped kerbs are approved by the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

Other work in Earley

Tell us what you have in mind for Earley and we'll book a survey and put the specification in writing.