Tarmac Driveways Bricket Wood
Red or black tarmacadam, a quick and low-maintenance way to upgrade your frontage. Add block paved borders or decorative chippings rolled into the surface for a smarter finish.
Tarmac, block paving and resin bound driveways built by a family run team. Free survey · Free quote · No obligation.
Tell us about your drive and we will arrange a free, no-obligation survey.
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No obligation. Your details are only used to arrange your quote.
Leaf fall, soft verges and oak roots are part of life around Bricket Wood Common, and they shape what makes a good driveway here. We lay red or black tarmac Bricket Wood homeowners can rely on through wet autumns, along with block paving, resin bound drives, tar and chip and patios across the AL2 village. From the bungalows and chalet homes off Mount Pleasant Lane to the family houses near the Abbey Line station on Station Road, we tailor each design to the plot, the trees and the way you park. Every job starts with a free survey and straightforward advice on the finish that will suit your home.
Red tarmac is a good fit for Bricket Wood's leafy setting, giving a warm colour that sits naturally beside hedges and lawns, while black tarmac offers a crisp, practical finish. For extra character, decorative chippings can be rolled into the surface while it is hot, adding texture and grip on damp, leaf-covered days. Tarmac is quick to lay, with many driveways completed in one day, and we use a firm, well compacted base so it stays level. All our work is carried out with £5 million public liability insurance.
Also covering How Wood, Park Street, Chiswell Green, Garston, Colney Street, Frogmore
Most of our work comes from recommendations. Here is what customers say about us.
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From a small reinstatement to a complete driveway, forecourt or car park, we have the team and the equipment to do the whole job.
Red or black tarmacadam, a quick and low-maintenance way to upgrade your frontage. Add block paved borders or decorative chippings rolled into the surface for a smarter finish.
Choose from a wide range of colours and patterns to suit your house. Laid on a properly compacted base with firm edge restraint, so the blocks stay level and do not sink.
A smooth, permeable finish that lets rainwater drain through, with little upkeep. Also available as resin bonded or tar and chip for a textured, natural look.
Walls and brickwork, brick pillars, steps and planters built to frame your new drive, so the whole frontage looks finished, not just the surface.
Potholes, sunken blocks, cracked concrete and failed edges put right, or a worn surface lifted and replaced on the existing base where it is sound.
Patios and paths, kerbs, channel drains and soakaways. Drainage provision is designed in, in line with current planning rules.



Water gets in, freezes and breaks the surface up further every winter.
Usually a sign of a thin or failed sub-base, often with wheel ruts where the car parks.
Standing water or run-off towards the house points to poor falls or missing drainage.
Gaps have opened up and the jointing sand has washed out.
A narrow drive or old crazy paving that no longer suits two cars.
Without firm edge restraint, the surface spreads and breaks away at the sides.
10-year guaranteeBricket Wood grew piecemeal, so a single road can include older bungalows, 1960s and 70s houses and recent infill. Many older drives are thin concrete or loose gravel that has rutted, and plots on School Lane and Lye Lane often have mature oaks and hedges close to the frontage, so roots and leaf litter are constant issues. The ground varies from gravel to clay, with wetter patches towards the River Ver, so we check drainage at the survey and may add a soakaway or a permeable surface. We dig to firm ground, use a thicker sub-base where it is soft, and set strong edge restraint so verges and roots cannot push the edges out.
We cover all of Bricket Wood and the surrounding lanes, from Bricket Wood Common and Station Road to the roads towards How Wood and Garston.
We also cover these nearby areas with the same team and the same guarantees.
What happens after you call, from the first visit to the day you park on it.
We visit, measure up, check levels and drainage, and talk you through the options that suit your house and budget.
You get a free, no-obligation quote that sets out the surface, edging, drainage and any extras such as walls or pillars.
The old surface is removed, the ground excavated to firm subgrade and a crushed stone sub-base laid and compacted.
Falls, channel drains or a permeable build-up are set out, then kerbs and edges are fixed to hold the surface in place.
Tarmac, block paving or resin goes down and is finished by hand. Many tarmac driveways are completed in a single day.
We clear the site, walk you round the finished driveway and leave you with our 10-year guarantee.
Most of our work comes from customers passing our name to friends and neighbours, so every driveway has to be right.
Block paved driveways need expert building to avoid movement and sinking. We dig to firm ground, compact a proper sub-base and fix firm edges.
Every drive is laid to current planning rules, with correct drainage provision designed in from the start.
A 10-year guarantee on new driveways, with materials from leading manufacturers that carry their own guarantees.
Watford Paving & Asphalting Ltd. Registered in England No. 09219477.

For a Bricket Wood driveway, the main factors are the size and shape of the plot, what is coming out and the ground underneath. Breaking out old concrete or clearing loose gravel adds time, softer or wetter ground needs a deeper sub-base, and trees close to the frontage may need extra care. A soakaway, new kerbs or a dropped kerb will also be priced in, along with your choice of finish. Call 01923 439926 for a free no-obligation survey.
Free survey · Free quote · No obligation
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most. If yours is not here, call us.
Roots are a common cause of lifting in wooded villages, but good design reduces the risk. We note where the main trees are, keep excavation away from large roots where possible, and use a deep, well compacted sub-base with firm edge restraint. Flexible surfaces such as tarmac or block paving cope better with small movements than concrete. If a tree is protected, we will advise you to check with St Albans first.
Not usually, as long as the new surface is permeable or drains onto a lawn or border within your property. A new or replacement hard surface of more than 5 square metres in a front garden that sends water onto the road does need planning permission. We design to the current rules and explain the drainage at your free survey. A new dropped kerb is a separate application.
No. On every new driveway we supply all materials, sourced from leading manufacturers, and they come with the manufacturer's own guarantee. You will not need to buy anything for your driveway installation.
Yes. We have wide experience of what works best for each situation in terms of use and budget, and can nearly always suggest something that will improve your driveway, path, patio or garden. We are happy to visit, give you our advice and supply a free, competitive quote.
A channel drain is installed across the width of the driveway at its lowest point, usually where the drive meets the garage or the pavement, and it is connected to a soakaway or a suitable drainage run.
Loose gravel is not a good choice on a sloping drive, because it rolls downhill when cars drive over it. On a slope we recommend tarmac, block paving or a resin bound surface instead.
A new driveway should be at least 10 to 12 feet wide (3 to 3.6 metres). Anything narrower makes it awkward to get in and out of the car.
A well compacted, crushed stone sub-base on a firm, prepared subgrade. The sub-base is the foundation of the driveway, so we dig out to firm ground and choose the base material to suit your soil and the surface going on top.
It depends on how long you want it to last, how much maintenance you are happy to do, the look you want and how much traffic it will take. For a hard-wearing, attractive surface with little upkeep we usually recommend tarmac or resin bound. Block paving offers the widest choice of colours and patterns.
Tell us a little about your driveway and we will arrange a free, no-obligation survey at a time that suits you.
"*" indicates required fields
No obligation. Your details are only used to arrange your quote.