Tar and chip driveways in Kelso

How much should I budget in Kelso?

Local guide rates for Kelso (Scotland, about 2% below our UK midpoint):

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£44–£74 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,200–£3,700
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,400–£7,350
Example: 200 m² drive	£8,400–£13,950

As a 2026 guide in Kelso, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £44–£74 per m² including VAT, so a 100 m² drive is roughly £4,400–£7,350. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Where we work in and around Kelso

Survey cover and pricing for Kelso. We cover Kelso by grouping surveys with nearby Scottish Borders jobs; Hawick is 18 miles away.

Postcodes: TD5
Area: Scottish Borders
Nearest towns: Galashiels (15 miles), Selkirk (16 miles), Hawick (18 miles)
Pricing: Scotland, about 2% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The council

We also cover nearby Galashiels, Selkirk, Hawick.

What the price covers

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
Edges set with kerbs, setts or cobbles
Hot bitumen or emulsion sprayed evenly
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days

Planning and kerb rules for Kelso

In Scotland, permitted development allows a hard surface between a house and a road only if it is porous or the water drains to a porous area within the property. Unlike England there is no 5 m² allowance, so it applies to any size. Conservation areas and the grounds of listed buildings have extra restrictions. The council, as roads authority, controls any new or widened access across a footway.

Kelso: common questions

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

As a 2026 guide in Kelso, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £44–£74 per m² including VAT, so a 100 m² drive is roughly £4,400–£7,350. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Do you work in my part of Kelso?

We cover Kelso including TD5, and nearby Galashiels, Selkirk, Hawick.

What approvals apply in Kelso?

In Scotland, a hard surface between the house and a road is permitted development only if it is porous or drains to a porous area within the property, whatever its size. Dropped kerbs are approved by the council as roads authority.

How long does a tar and chip driveway take in Kelso?

Often 1–3 days depending on base work. We book Kelso surveys alongside other jobs in the Scottish Borders, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

Also in Kelso

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Kelso? Call, WhatsApp or use the form, and we'll talk it through.