Red tarmac driveways in Dorset

How much does a red tarmac driveway cost in Dorset?

Rates in Dorset follow the South West, about 3% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Red tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£77–£118 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,550–£3,900
Example: 50 m² drive	£3,850–£5,900
Example: 80 m² drive	£6,200–£9,500

Towns we cover in Dorset

Postcode areas: BH, DT.

What is included?

Red tarmac is ordinary asphalt with a red pigment, and often red aggregate, in the surface course, laid on the same sub-base and binder course as a black tarmac drive.

Full dig-out and MOT Type 1 sub-base, about 150 mm
Black AC 20 binder course, about 50–60 mm
Red pigmented surface course, about 20–30 mm
Contrasting block or kerb border as edge restraint
Colour sample discussed before ordering
Falls and drainage set as for any new drive

Rules in Dorset

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. Any new or widened crossing over the pavement needs approval from the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

How it is built