Tarmac surfacing contractors

Cooper Jackson Surfacing lays tarmacadam on sites across the UK, from single driveways to phased commercial contracts. Most of our work is machine-laid, which gives a tighter, more consistent finish and a faster programme; hand-laying is used where access, edges or small areas make a paver impractical.

What varies between jobs is not really the black surface people see. It is the depth of each layer, the condition of what sits underneath and whether water can get away from the surface. Those three things decide how long the job lasts.

Where tarmac is the right choice

Tarmac is the default surface for large areas that need to take vehicles, because it goes down quickly, takes traffic within a day or two and can be repaired in sections rather than wholesale. It works well for:

• Car parks, forecourts and service yards
• Private, estate and access roads
• Industrial hardstandings and circulation areas
• Residential driveways and parking areas
• Footpaths, cycle routes and school playgrounds
• Farm tracks and agricultural access

It is less suitable where the surface will carry static point loads for long periods — skip feet, trailer legs, container corners — or where a decorative finish matters more than durability. We will tell you if a different surface is a better answer for your site.

Specification and layer build-up

Every quote we issue states the build-up. These are the depths we would typically be working around, before the site survey adjusts them:

Application	Surface course	Binder course	Sub-base
Footpath / light pedestrian	20–25mm	—	100–150mm
Domestic driveway	20–30mm	40–50mm	150–200mm
Car park, light vehicles	30–40mm	50–60mm	200–250mm
HGV yard / heavy loading	40–50mm	60–80mm	250–350mm+

Depths are indicative. Soft or wet ground, poor drainage or heavy axle loads all push them up, and the survey is what settles it. [TEAM INFORMATION]

Preparation, which is where jobs are won or lost

Preparation is the majority of the work on most sites and almost all of the reason surfaces fail. It normally covers:

• Excavation or planing to the required formation level, and removal of arisings
• Proof-rolling the formation to find soft spots before anything is laid over them
• Laying and compacting sub-base material, usually MOT Type 1, in layers
• Setting levels and falls so surface water runs where it should
• Drainage — gullies, channels or soakaways where run-off has nowhere to go
• Edge restraint: kerbs, edgings or a haunched edge so the surface cannot spread

If a quote you are comparing does not mention any of this, it is worth asking what happens when the digger finds soft ground.

What affects the price

• Area. Larger areas cost less per square metre — mobilisation, plant and delivery are much the same whether we surface 40m² or 400m².
• Existing surface. Overlaying a sound base is far cheaper than excavating, carting away and rebuilding.
• Depth required. Driven by loading and ground conditions.
• Access. Restricted access, height limits or long barrow runs add labour and can rule out machine-laying.
• Drainage. New gullies, channels or connections are priced separately and are often the difference between two quotes.
• Programme. Out-of-hours or phased working costs more but keeps a site trading.

As a broad guide, fully installed tarmac work in the UK generally falls between £35 and £85 per square metre, with overlays at the lower end and full excavation with new sub-base and drainage at the upper end.