Asphalt Driveway guides, calculator & reference

Resurfacing a sound existing tarmac or concrete driveway with a 40mm SMA asphalt overlay costs €55 to €80 per m² (€2,800 to €4,200 for a typical 50 m² 2-car driveway). A full dig-out with a 150–200mm compacted Clause 804 stone sub-base, 60mm binder course and 40mm SMA surface course costs €75 to €115 per m² (€3,800 to €5,800 for 50 m², or €6,000 to €9,000 for an 80 m² 3–4 car driveway).

Traditional tarmacadam uses graded stone in a softer binder that can scuff when modern heavy cars or EVs turn their power steering on the spot. Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) uses a gap-graded stone skeleton bound with fibre-modified bitumen — the stones lock directly together, giving a denser, smoother, scuff-resistant surface that lasts 20 to 25 years.

Yes, provided the existing slab or tarmac is structurally sound, does not rock or hold deep puddles, and the threshold height at your house damp-proof course (DPC) and road footpath allows an extra 40mm depth. An overlay costs €55 to €80 per m² after sweeping, joint-sealing and spraying a hot K1-40 bitumen tack coat.

Under Class 6 of the Planning and Development Regulations, paving or surfacing a front garden up to 5 m² is automatically exempt, and areas over 5 m² are exempt provided surface water is drained within the curtilage of your property (for example into a lawn border, gravel soakaway strip or ACO linear channel connected to a soakaway) rather than flowing out onto the public footpath. Widening the vehicular entrance pier opening onto a public road always requires council planning permission.