Front garden to tarmac driveway in Hemel Hempstead

Front garden driveway conversion prices in Hemel Hempstead

Guide prices below are for Hemel Hempstead, adjusted for the East of England, where surfacing rates run about 5% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£63–£100 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,400–£2,200
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,100–£3,300
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,850–£4,500

As a 2026 guide in Hemel Hempstead, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £63–£100 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,100–£3,300. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Covering Hemel Hempstead

What applies in Hemel Hempstead. We cover Hemel Hempstead as part of our regular Hertfordshire rounds.

Postcodes: HP2, HP3, HP1, WD4
Area: Hertfordshire
Nearest towns: Berkhamsted (5 miles), St Albans (5 miles), Harpenden (6 miles), Watford (7 miles)
Pricing: East of England, about 5% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in Berkhamsted, St Albans, Harpenden, Watford, Chesham.

Planning and kerb rules for Hemel Hempstead

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).

What is included in a front garden driveway conversion?

A front garden conversion turns lawn or planting into a parking space: the ground is excavated, a stone sub-base laid, tarmac surfaced on top, and a lowered kerb arranged so a car can cross the pavement legally.

Check the space: length, width and gate posts for a car
Sub-base and two tarmac courses, or porous asphalt
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
Water directed to a border, soakaway or channel
A planted strip kept where it helps drainage and looks

Questions about front garden driveway conversions in Hemel Hempstead

How much does a front garden driveway conversion cost in Hemel Hempstead?

As a 2026 guide in Hemel Hempstead, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £63–£100 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,100–£3,300. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Do you cover all of Hemel Hempstead?

We cover Hemel Hempstead including HP2, HP3, HP1, WD4, and nearby Berkhamsted, St Albans, Harpenden.

How quickly can work start in Hemel Hempstead?

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

Are there planning or highway rules in Hemel Hempstead?

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).

More we do in Hemel Hempstead

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