07365 022872
info@terrabase paving.co.uk
info@terrabase paving.co.uk
On all work undertaken
Pay on completion
Quality Craftmanship Guaranteed
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Welcome to Terrabase Paving, your local specialists in gravel driveways in Tunbridge Wells. With over a decade of hands-on experience and a real passion for transforming properties, we take pride in driveways that balance durability, appearance and everyday practicality.
Our own team of driveway installers handles every stage of the work, from the first survey through to the final rake, and nothing is subcontracted. Using quality aggregates and proven construction methods, we build gravel driveways that look right against the house and hold up under daily use.
A driveway is more than a practical necessity. It is the first thing a visitor sees, and it adds real value and character to a property. As local specialists, we take the time to match the aggregate size, colour, and finish to your home’s style, so the finished driveway complements the house rather than competing with it.
There are no deposits to pay, and we offer a generous 5-year guarantee to fully protect you during and after installation. Call 07365 022872 or use the enquiry form to get in touch, and we will arrange a free property survey to assess your requirements and provide a bespoke quotation.
Gravel driveways offer a versatility of choice that other driveway solutions struggle to compete with. Just some of our options include Golden gravel, Cotswold buff, flint, Scottish pebble, slate, granite chippings and self-binding gravel.
A typical two-car driveway is completed within one to three working days, minimising disruption.
Gravel is one of the most affordable driveway options, making it a great option for homeowners with a tight budget.
Unlike resin-bound and tarmac driveways, gravel driveways can be easily repaired when an issue arises. A worn patch is topped up rather than cut out and relaid.
Bands or borders of contrasting aggregate set into the main gravel area. Best suited to larger driveways, where an unbroken run of a single stone can look flat, and where it helps to mark out parking bays or a turning area.
Block paving across the turning, parking and threshold areas, with gravel over the rest of the drive. Best suited to properties where vehicles move over the same spots every day, or where wheeled bins and pushchairs need a firm route to the door.
A single decorative aggregate, or a blend of complementary shades chosen to sit with the house. Best suited to properties where appearance is the deciding factor: warmer golds and buffs work against Victorian and Edwardian brick, while greys, slate and granite suit render and newer builds.
Level changes built into the scheme so the driveway meets the front door, path or garden without an awkward drop. Best suited to sloping plots and raised entrances, where the drive and the house sit at different heights.
A hard border of setts or cobbles along the edges of the drive, or a setted apron at the entrance. Best suited to driveways that meet a pavement, lawn or planting bed directly, where loose stone would otherwise migrate off the surface.
We take the time to visit your property. We price up the job and offer free advice where required.
Nothing is paid up front. You settle on completion when you’re happy to sign off on the project.
Covering settlement, rutting and edging failure. Normal gravel movement and topping up are not covered.
Our team carries out every stage. Nothing is subcontracted out. We remain accountable at every stage of the process.
Tunbridge Wells has many unique geographic characteristics that need to be accounted for when laying driveways. It sits on the Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation, with Wadhurst Clay beneath and outcropping across parts of the borough. Ground conditions vary from street to street, so we always check the dig depth on site rather than pricing a standard build across the board.
The other local factor we consider is gradient. Much of the town is built into High Weald slopes, and a falling driveway moves gravel downhill unless edging, aggregate choice and finished levels account for it. Unmade lanes and narrow entrances between walls and gate piers are common here too, and both affect site access.
The borough also has a large number of conservation areas and listed buildings, and gravel tends to suit those properties well, though the planning position is worth checking first. Government guidance on permeable surfacing of front gardens and the Planning Portal set out the national rules.
We do not publish prices online because a flat per-square-metre rate would be misleading for most of the properties we quote. This is because a variety of factors can influence pricing and costing for each project. These include:
✅ Driveway area
✅ Excavation depth
✅ Waste removal
✅ Access
✅ Edging
✅ Drainage work
✅ Aggregate choice
Instead of pricing online, we price every driveway on a bespoke basis after a free property survey. There’s no deposit; payment on completion, by cash or bank transfer.
Usually within one to two working days of your enquiry. We measure up, check the ground and talk through blocks, patterns and drainage.
You’ll get a quote, turnaround estimate, and availability window immediately after we assess the property.
We’ll start by excavating, laying the sub-base, and adding a geotextile membrane. We typically lay 50mm to 75mm of angular gravel, then compact and rake to an even finish. Most driveways take three to five days depending on size.
You’ll have the chance to review the installation before sign-off to ensure you’re happy with the job before we leave. From there, our five-year guarantee covers our workmanship and the materials we supply.
Take a look at some of the recent projects we have completed across Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas.
The main things we check at survey are which way the ground falls, whether the drive runs towards the house or a garage threshold, and where water can safely discharge on the property. Gravel allows rainwater to drain into the surface, but the driveway only works as a whole system if the levels and discharge route are right.
For a front garden in England, planning permission is not normally needed where permeable surfacing is used or water is directed to a permeable area within the property. Restrictions can still apply for listed buildings, flats, planning conditions and conservation areas, and a dropped kerb is a separate matter. Because our standard build uses a compacted sub-base, we look at where water goes as part of the survey rather than assuming the exemption applies. Check your own circumstances with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and the Planning Portal.
Our standard sub-base is MOT Type 1, laid and compacted in layers, because it gives the most stable platform for vehicles. Type 3 is more open-graded and drains more freely, but it is not our standard specification. If free-draining construction is a priority on your property, raise it at the survey and we will talk through what is achievable on the ground you have.
Angular gravel is more stable than rounded pea shingle, because the stones lock together instead of rolling. We normally lay 14mm to 20mm, since smaller stones are more likely to lodge in tyre treads and be carried off the drive. Stone hardness, colour, how much traffic the drive takes and the gradient all feed into the choice, and we go through the options at survey.
There is no universal build-up. On a standard domestic driveway, we dig to around 200mm, lay and compact 150mm of MOT Type 1, then finish with 50mm to 75mm of angular gravel, going deeper where the ground is soft, or the loads are heavier.
Not automatically. A channel drain is worth considering where the drive falls towards the house, meets a garage threshold, or where water has no safe route away. We check levels and discharge points during the survey and price any drainage work as a visible line on the quote rather than discovering it mid-job.
Before. Permission must be in place before a new vehicle crossing is installed or used, and in this area the application goes to Kent County Council as the highway authority, separately from anything to do with the driveway surface. The property owner must make the application.
Some movement is part of owning a gravel driveway, but most of it is preventable. Angular stone at the right size, a sensible surface depth and firm edging fitted as standard keep the gravel where it belongs, and a setted apron or rumble strip at the entrance knocks stone off tyres before cars reach the road. Expect to rake occasionally regardless.
No outdoor surface can be promised as permanently weed-free, and we will not claim otherwise. A geotextile membrane below the gravel slows growth from underneath, but windblown seed still settles on the surface over time. Occasional hand-weeding or spot treatment normally keeps it tidy.
Loose gravel is hard work for narrow wheels, and we would rather say so before you commit. If a wheelchair, pushchair, motorcycle or wheeled bin crosses the drive daily, either build in a firm path or apron on that route, or consider block paving or resin bound for the whole driveway.
Gravel suits period and country-style properties and offers many benefits, such as quick installation, affordability, and easy repair. In exchange, you accept some noise, occasional raking and a top-up every year or two.
Rake it back into shape roughly every couple of weeks, clear leaves regularly and deal with weeds by hand or spot treatment as they appear. Also, you’ll need to budget for a fresh gravel top-up every 1 to 2 years. That is the honest picture: low maintenance, not no maintenance.
First off, Terrabase Paving Ltd is registered in England, company number 12572527. We carry public liability insurance, offer payment on completion and provide a generous five-year guarantee on the workmanship.
We work across Royal Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding villages, including Southborough, Rusthall, Pembury, Speldhurst, Langton Green, Bidborough, Frant, Groombridge and Tonbridge. We can operate across other areas of Kent, including Seven Oaks, Maidstone, Tonbridge and Ashford.
If your property sits just outside that area, get in touch anyway, and we will happily consider it. Call 07365 022872 or use the enquiry form for a free property survey.
