Tar and chip driveways in Exeter

What does a tar and chip driveway cost in Exeter?

For Exeter, 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)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£46–£77 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,300–£3,850
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,650–£7,700
Example: 200 m² drive	£8,800–£14,700

As a 2026 guide in Exeter, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £46–£77 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,300–£3,850. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

What we do on a tar and chip driveway

Tar and chip, also called surface dressing, is a layer of bitumen sprayed onto a prepared base and immediately covered with stone chippings, which are rolled in so the surface looks like gravel but behaves like a bound drive.

Base prepared: new MOT Type 1 sub-base, or an existing sound tarmac or stone base
Hot bitumen or emulsion sprayed evenly
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Where we work in and around Exeter

Survey cover and pricing for Exeter. Exeter is one of the bigger places we cover in Devon, so survey slots come round regularly.

Postcodes: EX4, EX2, EX1, EX3, EX6, EX5
Area: Devon
Nearest towns: Exmouth (9 miles), Tiverton (12 miles), Newton Abbot (14 miles), Torquay (18 miles)
Pricing: South West, about 3% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Close to Exeter: Exmouth, Tiverton, Newton Abbot, Torquay, Paignton.

How it is built

Planning and kerb rules for Exeter

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.

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Exeter

Can I get a free survey in Exeter?

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.

What is the price of a tar and chip driveway in Exeter?

As a 2026 guide in Exeter, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £46–£77 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,300–£3,850. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Which Exeter postcodes do you cover?

We cover Exeter including EX4, EX2, EX1, EX3, EX6, EX5, and nearby Exmouth, Tiverton, Newton Abbot.

What approvals apply in Exeter?

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 Exeter

Ready for a price in Exeter? Use the guide price tool or send the form, and we'll arrange a visit.