Tarmac Driveways Shenley
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.
Newer homes at Porters Park, cottages near the pond on London Road and detached houses along Radlett Lane give Shenley a real mix, and we build driveways to suit all of them. Our family run team lays tarmac, block paving, resin bound surfaces, patios and paths across the village and the surrounding WD7 lanes. Some customers want a smart extension to a developer-laid drive, others need a full replacement on an older property with a long, sloping approach. We start with a free survey, look at how you park and how water runs across the plot, then recommend a finish that suits the house and the village setting.
Good edging is what keeps a drive looking sharp for years, and it is often overlooked. On Shenley properties we set kerbs and edging blocks in concrete haunching so the surface cannot creep into lawns and borders, and use contrasting soldier courses or granite-effect kerbs to frame block paving, tarmac or resin. Where a drive meets the road, a properly set kerb line avoids trip edges and puddles. Materials come from leading manufacturers such as Bradstone, Pavestone and Natural Paving, and our work is backed by a 10-year guarantee.
Also covering Radlett, London Colney, Borehamwood, Ridge, South Mimms, Shenleybury
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 guaranteeShenley sits on high ground, and many plots on Rectory Lane and Harris Lane slope towards the road, so falls, steps and drainage channels are part of most designs. The soil is heavy London Clay, which swells in winter and shrinks in dry spells, so we dig deeper and use a thicker sub-base. Porters Park homes date from around the turn of the millennium, and some original drives are now showing settled blocks and dips. Older cottages and houses towards Shenleybury tend to have narrow gateways, mature hedges and gravel drives, which means careful access, root protection and solid edge restraint when we upgrade to a bound surface.
We cover Shenley village, Porters Park and the surrounding lanes, including Radlett Lane, Rectory Lane and the roads out towards London Colney.
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.

In Shenley the cost depends on the length of the drive, the slope and how much existing material has to come out. Clay ground means a deeper dig and more sub-base, and sloping plots may need steps or channel drains. Extending a Porters Park drive is usually a smaller job than replacing a long gravel approach on an older property. Kerbs, walls and your choice of finish also affect the total. Call 01923 439926 to book 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.
Usually, yes. We identify the block type and colour where we can, or suggest a close match from leading manufacturers, and lift a strip of the existing edge so the new section knits in rather than meeting at an obvious joint. Older blocks weather, so a slight difference at first is normal and usually softens over time. Some Porters Park homes have covenants on frontages, so check your deeds before work starts.
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.