07365 022872
info@terrabase paving.co.uk
info@terrabase paving.co.uk
On all work undertaken
Pay on completion
Quality Craftmanship Guaranteed
With No Strings Attached
Terrabase Paving Ltd installs tarmac driveways in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas. We have traded under this name since 2020, with more than ten years’ hands-on paving experience behind it, and the work is carried out by our own team rather than a subcontracted surfacing gang.
Tarmac earns its place on a driveway for practical reasons. It goes down as one continuous surface, so there are no joints for weeds to push through and no loose stones getting walked into the house. It takes daily car use in its stride, it is quick to lay, and it costs less than block paving across the same area. Finished with a block or kerb border, it looks deliberate rather than plain, and it suits everything from a Victorian villa to a modern semi.
Every job starts with a free property survey. We look at the ground, the levels, the access and where the water needs to go, then send an itemised quote setting out the work, the materials and the waste removal. There is no deposit. You pay when the job is signed off, and the work is covered by our five-year guarantee on workmanship and materials.
Call 07365 022872 or email info@terrabasepaving.co.uk to book your free survey.
We dig out the existing surface, prepare and compact a sub-base, then lay and roll the tarmac.
We take out the old surface and the material under it, then rebuild the driveway from the ground up.
If the base is still sound and the levels work, we can overlay it with a fresh tarmac surface.
Our repair services include repairs to potholes, sunken patches, crumbling edges, and cracked sections.
Every driveway is different, but the same handful of things come up on job after job around this part of Kent.
The ground itself is the starting point. Royal Tunbridge Wells sits on the High Weald, where the Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation lies over Wadhurst Clay.
Sandy ground drains well but can be soft near the surface. Clay holds water through winter and moves as it wets and dries. Neither is a problem on its own. Both decide how deep we dig and how much sub-base goes in, which is why we would rather look at the ground than quote a depth over the phone.
Levels come next. A lot of plots here run downhill off the ridge, so getting the falls right matters more than it would on a flat site. Water needs to leave the property rather than head for the front door, and that is the part a cheap quote tends to skip.
Then there is everything sitting around the drive. Narrow lanes, gateposts, mature trees with roots near the surface, original walls, steps and air bricks all shape how we work and what plant we can get on site.
Permissions are worth a mention too. The borough has a large number of conservation areas and listed buildings, so check with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council if either applies to you. A new or altered dropped kerb needs permission from Kent County Council. And where more than five square metres of front garden is surfaced with something water cannot pass through, planning permission can apply unless the run-off is directed to a permeable area. We go through all of it at the survey.
Don’t worry, although all this may sound quite overwhelming, we will be on hand to advise on any regulatory requirements before work is undertaken.
Tarmac cures as one seamless sheet. That means there are no joints for weeds, no loose stones across the lawn, and nothing getting trodden into the hallway on wet mornings.
Most domestic driveways are done in three to five days. Following installation, you can park on your own drive again the same week.
Tarmac generally works out cheaper per square metre than block paving or resin, while still handling daily vehicle use and the wet winters we get down here.
A sweep and the occasional wash keeps it looking right. If a section is damaged, it can be cut out and repaired rather than replacing the whole drive.
Usually within one to two days of you getting in touch. We measure up, look at the ground and the access, and talk through your options.
We provide you with a quote immediately after the survey has concluded. We can itemise this for you if required.
Typically three to five days for a domestic driveway, depending on size. We will keep you posted if the weather causes any delays or we encounter any other issues.
Once the installation is complete, you can walk on the drive after about 24 hours and park on it after around three to seven days. We will provide aftercare advice and a five-year guarantee before we sign off.
We do not publish prices online, and there’s a good reason for this. The cost of your project will vary depending on several factors that need to be considered during a property visit. Just some of the factors that impact price include:
✅ Size
✅ How deep we have to dig
✅ How easy the access is for machinery and lorries
✅ Drainage requirements
✅ The edging you choose
✅ Whether there are steps or slopes to work around
✅ How much waste comes off site.
Once we have considered these factors at the property visit, we will then price up and offer you a fixed quotation.
Take a look at some of the recent projects we have completed across Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas.
No dodgy or inexperienced subcontractors carrying out the work.
Installing resin bound driveways for Kent homeowners.
Covering workmanship and materials.
To price up the job and offer advice if required.
Usually not, but it depends on where the rainwater goes. National rules say a hard surface over five square metres at the front of a house needs planning permission if it is impermeable and water runs off onto the pavement or road. Don’t worry, we will advise if planning permission is likely required.
You can normally walk on it the same day. However, you should typically leave it a minimum of 3-5 days before parking vehicles on top of it. Weather conditions can also affect timings. Cold and damp slow it down; a hot spell keeps the surface softer for longer. We will advise on when you can walk and park on the surface before signing off.
It varies depending on several factors, so it’s hard to give a precise estimate without inspecting your property. We can advise at the property visit.
Yes. Tarmac needs an edge restraint, or it will spread and break up along its edges, particularly in hot weather, when the surface softens.
They stay accessible. Inspection chambers and covers are raised, recessed or replaced so they finish flush with the new surface and can still be lifted.
Not usually. Most weeds on an established tarmac driveway grow in surface debris rather than push up from below.
It does. Tarmac is laid hot and compacted while hot, so heavy rain, standing water or hard frost will stop us surfacing on the day.
That does not rule out autumn and winter work in Kent. Most of the year is workable, and the groundwork stages continue in conditions that would stop the surfacing itself. It just means the surfacing day needs a suitable window.
If the weather affects your job, we will let you know up front so you’re not left guessing.
No deposit required. You pay when the work is finished, and you are happy with it. If anyone asks for a large sum up front for driveway work, particularly on the doorstep, treat it as a warning sign.
We bring in a licensed waste disposal contractor, and that cost is built into the quote, so no separate disposal charge appears at the end.
This almost always comes down to sub-base preparation, not the resin itself. Cutting corners on excavation, compaction, or drainage underneath is typically the underlying cause of cracking, dips, and rippling later on. We carry out proper sub-base preparation on every job with our own team, and back the finished installation with a 5-year guarantee for your complete peace of mind.
It varies job by job. We include a realistic timescale in your quote so you know what to expect.
Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks are our two busiest areas, and we work throughout the villages between them, including Langton Green, Speldhurst, Bidborough, Pembury, Frant, Groombridge, Penshurst, Chiddingstone, Leigh, Hildenborough, Matfield, Brenchley, Lamberhurst, Goudhurst and Hadlow.
We also cover Tonbridge, West Malling, Kings Hill, Maidstone, Staplehurst, Chatham and Ashford, along with other parts of Kent. If your town is not on the list, get in touch and we will happily consider it.
Book a free survey for your Tunbridge Wells property on 07365 022872 or at info@terrabasepaving.co.uk. Tell us the rough size of the drive, what is down there now and what is going wrong with it, and we will take it from there.
