Tarmac Driveways in Manchester
We lay tarmac driveways for homes across Manchester, and we plan where the rain goes before we start.
- Quotes in writing
- 20 areas covered
Manchester Resin Drives lays tarmac driveways for homes in Manchester and the towns around it. The tarmac we lay is a hot mix of small stones and a black binder, spread over a packed stone base and rolled flat. We also lay resin bound and block paving drives if you want a colour or a pattern.
Where the rain goes on a tarmac drive
The plain tarmac we lay does not let water through, so the rain has to run off somewhere, and on a front garden that matters for planning. Government guidance says that if a solid drive covers more than 5 square metres and the water cannot run to a permeable area, you need planning permission.
That is why we plan the drainage before anything else. The guidance gives a few ways to do it:
- Let the rain run off the edge onto a lawn or flower border, where it soaks in.
- Put a soakaway along the side of the drive. A soakaway is a trench full of gravel, or a buried chamber, that collects the water and lets it seep into the ground. The guidance says on clay soil you may need to link it to the drain that takes the water from your roof.
- Slope the drive away from the house and towards the road. If the drive has to slope towards the house, the guidance says to fit a drainage channel to catch the water and send it to the roof-water drain.
Our driveway drainage page goes into soakaways and channels in more detail.
Porous tarmac
Government guidance describes a kind of tarmac with lots of fine holes that let water pass through. It calls this porous asphalt, and lists it alongside gravel and permeable block paving as a surface that needs no planning permission on a front garden of any size.
The same guidance says porous asphalt should be supplied and laid by a specialist company. Ask us on the visit whether it suits your drive.
Dropped kerbs and tarmac in Manchester
If you want a dropped kerb as well, check this before you pick the surface. Manchester City Council's dropped kerb page says all driveways must be laid with permeable material. A solid tarmac drive may not meet that, so tell us at the start if a dropped kerb is part of the plan.
Before we dig
Government guidance says to make sure no services, such as water pipes, TV cables or electricity cables, sit close to the surface where you are paving. We check for these before we dig out the old drive.
What to get in writing
Ask for these in writing, whoever you hire:
- Whether the tarmac is solid or porous.
- Exactly where the rain will run, and what takes it there.
- How deep the stone base is, and what stone goes in it.
Questions about tarmac driveways in Manchester
Can you lay tarmac over my old drive?
We look at the old drive first. If it has sunk or cracked badly, we dig it out and lay a new base. Government guidance says an existing drive can also be changed so it drains to a rain garden, but to get advice first, because the drive may also be taking water from your roof.
Why does it matter what washes off a tarmac drive?
Government guidance says hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt collect oil, petrol and brake dust, and the rain washes it into the drains. We send the water onto a lawn or into a soakaway where we can, so less of it reaches the drains.
Can porous tarmac get blocked?
It can. Government guidance says a clogged porous asphalt surface can be cleaned with a jet washer or a small vacuum sweeper.
Can you add a resin finish to tarmac later?
Yes, we can. If the tarmac is sound, we can lay resin over it. See our resin over tarmac and concrete page.
Do you lay tarmac paths as well as drives?
Yes, we do. We lay tarmac paths, and we can run a path from the drive to your door at the same time.
Get a quote for a tarmac drive
Send us the quote form with your postcode and a few words about the drive, and we'll come out, measure up, check where the rain will go and give you a written quote. To see the other drives we lay, go to the Manchester Resin Drives home page.
Ready to talk about your resin driveway job?
Send the quote form with your postcode and what you need. We will get back to you with a written quote.