Frequently asked questions
Every question a customer has actually asked us, answered directly. Same answers a person gets on the phone.
Frequently asked
How do I get a quote from Solid Ground Paving?
Call the office or send the quote form. We arrange a site survey, measure the area, check ground conditions, access and drainage, then issue a written itemised quote within two working days. We do not quote from photographs or over the phone alone.
Do you charge for quotes or surveys?
No. Surveys and written quotes are free anywhere inside our 40-mile working radius, with no obligation and no follow-up sales pressure.
What areas do you cover?
We work across Somerset, North Somerset and Bristol within roughly 40 miles of our base, including Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Portishead, Nailsea, Backwell, Congresbury and the surrounding villages.
Are you insured?
We carry public liability cover of full public liability cover. Certificates are supplied with every quote and on request before work starts.
What guarantee do you offer?
Workmanship is guaranteed in writing. The guarantee is issued in writing with the final invoice and covers workmanship. Material defects are covered by the manufacturer's own warranty.
Do you take a deposit?
No deposit is taken before materials are ordered, and we never ask for payment in full up front. Staged payments are agreed in writing before work starts.
Do you cold-call or door-knock?
Never. If someone knocks offering leftover tarmac from a nearby job at a discount, it is not us and it is not a legitimate offer.
How long does a typical driveway take?
Three to six days for a standard domestic driveway: excavation and spoil removal, sub-base and edgings, then surfacing. Additional drainage or poor ground adds a day or two.
Do I need planning permission for a driveway?
Usually not, provided the surface is permeable or drains to a permeable area inside your boundary. Non-permeable surfaces over five square metres draining to the highway do require permission.
Which driveway surface lasts longest?
Block paving and tarmac both exceed twenty years on a correct build-up. Block paving is the more repairable of the two because individual blocks lift and relay; tarmac is cheaper per square metre.
What is the cheapest driveway surface?
Tarmac, per square metre installed, because material and labour are both lower than block paving or resin. The saving disappears if the base is skimped, so compare build-up depths rather than headline prices.
Can you repair an existing driveway rather than replace it?
Where the base is sound and failure is localised, yes — patching or relaying an area is often the right answer and we will say so. Where the base has failed, a repair buys a season at most.
Do you remove the old driveway?
Yes. Excavation, loading and disposal under waste transfer documentation are included and itemised separately on the quote, because spoil volume is one of the bigger cost variables.
Do you install drainage?
Yes — channel drains, gullies, soakaways and connections to existing surface water systems, sized to the area draining into them.
Do you do patios, fencing or landscaping?
We lay hard surfaces and carry out the groundworks beneath them. We do not do planting, turfing, fencing or garden structures.
Do you work for commercial clients?
Yes. Car parks, access roads, yards, playgrounds and industrial hardstanding, phased so the site keeps operating. RAMS and insurance documentation are provided up front.
How do I pay?
Bank transfer against staged invoices agreed in the written quote. We do not ask for cash and we do not offer a discount for it.
What happens if the weather turns during my job?
Tarmac cannot be laid in steady rain or below temperature, so we reschedule rather than lay material that will fail. You are told the same day, not left waiting.
How much does a new driveway cost in Somerset?
A new driveway typically costs £40–£120 per square metre depending on surface type, excavation depth, spoil removal and drainage. Block paving sits at the upper end, tarmac at the lower. Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
What is the correct build-up for a driveway?
Excavate to formation and compact the sub-grade, lay a geotextile membrane, then 150mm of Type 1 MOT sub-base compacted in two layers. Surface on top: 50mm AC20 binder plus 20mm AC6 for tarmac, or 50mm blocks on 30mm sharp sand for block paving.
How long does a driveway take to install?
A standard domestic driveway takes 3–6 days from first dig to finished surface. Day one is excavation and spoil removal, days two and three are sub-base and edgings, and the surface goes down last. Bad ground or added drainage adds a day or two.
Do I need planning permission for a driveway?
Usually not, provided the surface is permeable or surface water drains to a permeable area within your own boundary. Non-permeable driveways over five square metres draining to the highway do need permission. We set falls and drainage so the finished job complies either way.
Can you lay a driveway over an existing one?
Only where the existing base is sound and levels allow. Overlaying a failed base transfers the failure straight to the new surface. We core or dig a trial hole to check before recommending it.
What happens to the material you dig out?
It is loaded and removed under waste transfer documentation the same day where possible. Spoil volume is one of the larger cost lines on a driveway, so it is itemised separately on our quotes.
Do you install dropped kerbs?
Yes, where the local highway authority grants a vehicle crossing licence. The application has to be made and approved before the work starts; we can carry out the crossing once it is in place.
How much does a tarmac driveway cost?
Tarmac driveways typically run £40–£70 per square metre installed, including excavation, 150mm Type 1 sub-base, binder and surface courses. Smaller areas cost more per square metre because plant and delivery are fixed costs. Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
What thickness should a tarmac driveway be?
For domestic use we lay 50mm of AC20 binder course over the sub-base, topped with 20mm of AC6 surface course — 70mm of bound material in total. Commercial and vehicular-access areas take a thicker binder. Anything under 50mm total is a resurface, not a driveway.
How long before I can drive on new tarmac?
You can walk on it once it has cooled, usually within a few hours, and drive on it after 24 hours. Avoid turning the steering wheel on a stationary car, parking trailers on stands, or leaving heavy loads on one spot for the first month while it fully cures.
Why does tarmac crumble at the edges?
Almost always missing edge restraint. Tarmac has no lateral strength — without a haunched kerb, block edge or concrete upstand holding it, wheels push the outer 100mm sideways and it ravels. Every driveway we lay is restrained on all open edges.
Can tarmac be laid in the rain?
Light drizzle is workable; steady rain is not. Water cools the material below compaction temperature and traps moisture in the mat, which causes early failure. We reschedule rather than lay in poor conditions.
Is red or coloured tarmac available?
Yes. Coloured surface courses and resin-bound edging details are available at additional cost. Colour sits in the surface course only, so the build-up beneath is identical.
Should tarmac be sealed?
No. We do not seal or paint tarmac and would advise against anyone offering it. Sealants trap moisture, wear unevenly and are the classic mark of a resurfacing scam rather than a repair.
How much does a block paving driveway cost?
Block paving typically costs £60–£100 per square metre installed. Concrete blocks sit at the lower end, clay pavers and permeable systems at the upper. Cutting-heavy layouts such as herringbone against a curved edge add labour. Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
What laying pattern is strongest for a driveway?
45-degree or 90-degree herringbone. The interlocking pattern resists the twisting force of turning wheels far better than stretcher bond or basketweave, which are better suited to patios and footpaths. We lay herringbone as standard on any surface a car drives on.
What goes underneath block paving?
Compacted sub-grade, geotextile membrane, 150mm of compacted Type 1 MOT sub-base, then a 30mm screeded sharp sand laying course. Blocks are laid on the screed, vibrated in, and jointed with kiln-dried sand brushed and vibrated until the joints are full.
Does block paving need permeable drainage?
If surface water would otherwise run onto the highway, yes. Permeable block paving uses wider joints filled with 2–6mm grit over a clean angular sub-base, letting water through into the ground. It removes the planning question entirely and is what we recommend on most front driveways.
Why does block paving sink in places?
Nearly always a laying course that was not screeded to a consistent depth, or a sub-base compacted in one thick layer instead of two. Both are correctable, but only by lifting the affected area back to the base.
How do I stop weeds in the joints?
Keep the joints full. Weeds root in the debris that collects in an empty joint, not in the sand itself. Topping up kiln-dried sand every couple of years does more than any weedkiller.
Can you match blocks on an existing driveway?
Often, though weathered blocks never match new ones exactly. Where we extend an existing driveway we usually blend lifted originals into the visible area and put new blocks where they are least noticeable.
How much does a resin driveway cost?
Resin bound typically costs £70–£120 per square metre over an existing sound base. If a new tarmac base is required, add the tarmac cost beneath it. Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
What is the difference between resin bound and resin bonded?
Resin bound mixes aggregate through the resin and trowels it flat — permeable, smooth and 15–18mm thick. Resin bonded scatters loose stone onto a resin-coated surface — non-permeable, rougher, and it sheds stone. We install resin bound only.
Can resin be laid straight onto gravel or old concrete?
Not onto gravel, and onto concrete only where it is sound, clean and crack-free. Resin bound needs a continuous bound base. Where the existing surface is failing we lay a new tarmac base first and let it weather before the resin goes down.
Is a resin driveway slippery?
No more than any smooth surface when wet. The exposed aggregate profile provides texture, and anti-slip quartz can be blended into the mix on slopes and around steps. It does not ice up faster than tarmac.
How long does resin take to cure?
Foot traffic after around six hours, vehicles after 24–48 hours depending on temperature. Cold weather extends the cure; we do not lay below 5°C or onto a damp base.
Does resin fade?
UV-stable resin holds colour well. Non-UV-stable resin yellows within a couple of years and is noticeably cheaper — worth asking any contractor which one they are quoting.
How much does a commercial car park cost to surface?
Commercial surfacing typically runs £45–£90 per square metre depending on traffic loading, existing base condition, drainage and line marking. Larger areas cost less per square metre. Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
Can you resurface a car park without closing it?
Yes. We programme commercial work in phases so a proportion of the parking stays open throughout, and we can work evenings, weekends or shutdown periods. Phasing is agreed at survey stage and written into the programme before we start.
What build-up does a car park need?
Heavier than a driveway. Typically 250mm of Type 1 sub-base, 60mm AC20 binder and 30mm AC10 surface course for car traffic, increasing again for HGV and service-vehicle routes. Drainage, gully positions and falls are designed rather than assumed.
Do you carry out line marking?
Yes. Bay marking, disabled bays, hatching, directional arrows and speed-restriction markings are applied in thermoplastic or high-durability paint once the surface has cured. Bay layouts are set out to the dimensions the site actually needs, not a default grid.
Do you work for local authorities and managing agents?
Yes. We work to programme, provide RAMS and insurance documentation up front, and invoice against agreed stages.
Can you patch rather than resurface?
Where failure is localised and the base is sound, planing out and patching is the right answer and we will say so. Where the base has gone, patching buys a season at most.
What groundworks do you carry out?
Excavation and muck-away, strip and trench-fill foundations, footings, service trenches, surface and foul drainage, soakaways, retaining walls, site clearance and levelling. We work for homeowners, builders and commercial clients across Somerset and Bristol.
How much do groundworks cost?
Groundworks are priced by scope rather than by square metre, typically priced by scope. Excavation volume, spoil disposal, ground conditions and access are the four variables that move the figure most. Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
How deep do foundations need to be?
In most Somerset ground, a minimum of 900mm to undisturbed bearing strata, deeper in shrinkable clay or near mature trees. Depth is confirmed on site by building control inspection before concrete is poured — we book and attend that inspection as part of the work.
Do you handle drainage and soakaways?
Yes. We install surface water drainage, channel drains, gullies, and soakaways sized to the contributing area and tested for infiltration where required. Foul connections are made to the existing system or to a new run as the job needs.
Do you provide waste transfer documentation?
Yes. All excavated material leaves site under waste transfer notes to a licensed facility, and copies are supplied with the final invoice.
Can you work on restricted-access sites?
Usually. Micro excavators and conveyor muck-away let us work through gateways and side passages. Access is assessed at survey because it materially changes the price.
Do you cover my town?
We cover Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Portishead, Nailsea, Backwell, Congresbury, Yatton, Banwell, Winscombe, Cheddar, Wells, Burnham-on-Sea, Bridgwater, Bristol, Long Ashton and the surrounding villages, within roughly 40 miles of our base.
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