Front garden to tarmac driveway in Exmouth

How much should I budget in Exmouth?

For Exmouth, we apply the South West rate, about 3% above our UK midpoint. Your survey turns these ranges into a fixed price.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£62–£98 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,350–£2,150
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,050–£3,250
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,800–£4,400

As a 2026 guide in Exmouth, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £62–£98 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,050–£3,250. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Exmouth: the local details

Survey cover and pricing for Exmouth. We reach Exmouth on our Devon survey days; Plymouth is 37 miles away.

Postcodes: EX8, EX7, EX9
Area: Devon
Nearest towns: Exeter (9 miles), Newton Abbot (11 miles), Torquay (12 miles), Paignton (14 miles)
Pricing: South West, about 3% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in Exeter, Newton Abbot, Torquay, Paignton, Brixham.

What we do on a front garden driveway conversion

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

Check the space: length, width and gate posts for a car
Highway authority dropped kerb application guided or handled for you
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
Water directed to a border, soakaway or channel
A planted strip kept where it helps drainage and looks

Rules that apply in Exmouth

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. A vehicle crossing over the footway is a separate approval, from the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

How it is built

Your questions answered

Which Exmouth postcodes do you cover?

We cover Exmouth including EX8, EX7, EX9, and nearby Exeter, Newton Abbot, Torquay.

How quickly can work start in Exmouth?

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

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

As a 2026 guide in Exmouth, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £62–£98 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,050–£3,250. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Do I need permission for a front garden driveway conversion in Exmouth?

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 Exmouth

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