Lenotre Landscapes & Surfacing
03300 433699Free quote
Wide cream resin bound driveway curving round a house, with a round stone inlay and a black edge
Driveways

Driveway installers for resin, block paving, tarmac and gravel

We lay new driveways across Dorset, Hampshire, south Wiltshire and West Sussex, from small front drives to long sweeping ones. Every drive goes down on a dug-out, compacted sub-base with edging that holds it in place.

  • Free visit, levels checked
  • Itemised written quote
  • Old drive removed and taken away
  • Permeable options, no planning
Get a free quote 03300 433699

Get your free quote

Tell us a little about the job and we will call you to arrange a site visit.

Free site visit and written quote. No obligation.

  • Free site visitMeasured and quoted in writing
  • Fully insuredPublic liability cover on every job
  • Itemised quotesEvery stage priced separately
  • Bournemouth basedWorking across the south
Choose a surface

Four driveway surfaces we lay

Most people come to us with one in mind and some change their minds after the visit. Here is what each one is like to live with.

Smooth and permeable

Resin bound driveways

Natural stone mixed with clear resin and trowelled smooth over a sound base. Rain soaks straight through, so a resin drive meets the front garden drainage rule without a planning application, and there are no joints for weeds. Pale and warm blends brighten a brick house; silvers and greys suit render. Curves, borders and round inlays are easy to form.

  • Permeable, no planning needed
  • No weeds, no loose stones
  • UV-stable resin keeps its colour
  • A jet wash once or twice a year
More on resin bound
Sweeping beige resin bound driveway through open wooden gates, black kerb at the road and open countryside behindSilver-grey resin bound driveway with black block edging and lawn either side, in front of a bungalowA cream resin bound area with a round stone inlay in the centre
Patterns and repairs

Block paving

Concrete blocks in brindle, charcoal, grey or tumbled tegula styles, laid in herringbone, basketweave or stretcher bond. Borders, curves and inlays in a second colour frame the drive. Because each block is separate, a sunken patch or a dug-up cable run can be lifted and relaid without a scar. Permeable blocks are available where the drive needs to drain.

  • Herringbone, basketweave, borders
  • Lift and relay one area
  • Permeable blocks if needed
  • Kiln-dried sand topped up yearly
More on block paving
Long curving brindle block paved driveway with charcoal edging leading up to a bungalow across a lawn and low wallHerringbone block paving in red and brown tones with a curved charcoal borderPale grey block paving driveway with a darker border in front of a stone farmhouse
Hard-wearing

Tarmac driveways

Hot tarmac laid in a base and a surface course, then rolled. It is the toughest surface for the money, which is why it suits long drives, shared accesses and anywhere vans turn. A block paving apron at the road or a brick edge either side takes it from plain to smart. Tarmac is not permeable, so falls and a drain or soakaway go in with it.

  • Lowest cost per m² of the hard surfaces
  • Copes with heavy vehicles
  • Block apron or edging to finish
  • Needs falls and a drain
More on tarmac
Black tarmac driveway with a brick-paved apron beside a detached brick house and double garageA grey tarmac surface with a block paved edge in front of a brick wall
Lowest cost

Gravel driveways

Angular gravel over a honeycomb stabilising grid, laid on a compacted sub-base and a weed membrane. The grid stops the stones rutting and spreading, so cars do not sink and the depth stays even. It is the cheapest new drive and fully permeable. A block paving apron at the road keeps stones off the pavement.

  • Cheapest way to a new drive
  • Fully permeable
  • Grid stops rutting
  • Block apron keeps gravel in
More on gravel
Single-storey extension clad in multi-coloured slate with a gravel courtyard
What lasts

Why the part you cannot see matters most

A driveway fails from the bottom up. If the sub-base is too thin, or laid on soft ground without a membrane, the surface sinks where the car wheels sit and puddles form. On block paving, missing edge restraint lets the blocks creep apart.

So we dig out to a depth that suits your ground, lay a geotextile membrane where the soil is soft or clay, then build the sub-base in layers and compact each one. Under a car driveway that is usually at least 150mm of Type 1. The edging is set in concrete before the surface goes down.

  • Dig out depth set from the ground, written on the quote
  • Membrane over soft or clay ground
  • Sub-base compacted in layers, not in one go
  • Edging set in concrete on every open side
  • Falls checked so water runs away from the house
Block paving lifted and the base checked during a driveway repair, with the Lenotre van behind
Recent driveways

Driveways we have laid

Pale grey block paving driveway with a darker border in front of a stone farmhouse
Block paving
Silver-grey resin bound driveway with black block edging and lawn either side, in front of a bungalow
Resin bound driveway
Wide brindle block paved driveway with a curved sandstone and charcoal border beside a flower bed
Block paving
Long cream resin bound driveway between a fence and a lawn, finished with a black block edge at the road
Resin bound driveway
Grey block paved driveway with a curved charcoal edge in front of a brick and render house with columns
Block paving
How it works

How a new driveway goes in

  1. Break out and dig

    The old surface comes up and we dig out to depth. Spoil goes in grab lorries or skips, priced on the quote.

  2. Base and edging

    Membrane down, sub-base laid and compacted in layers, and edging or kerbs set in concrete.

  3. Drainage

    Channel drains or soakaways where the falls need them, so water stays off the house and off the road.

  4. Surface and finish

    Resin, blocks, tarmac or gravel laid and finished. We clean up, then walk the drive with you.

Where we lay driveways

Dorset

Hampshire

South Wiltshire

West Sussex

FAQs

Questions we get asked

Straight answers to what people ask us at the site visit.

Which driveway surface is best?
There is no single best one. Resin bound gives the cleanest look and drains well. Block paving suits patterns and borders and is easy to repair. Tarmac is hard-wearing for the money. Gravel is the cheapest and suits rural houses. We recommend one when we have seen the house, the ground and how you use the drive.
Do I need planning permission for a new driveway?
Not if it is permeable, or if the rainwater runs off into a lawn or border on your property. Covering more than 5 m² of a front garden with a surface that sends water onto the road does need permission in England. Flats, listed buildings and conservation areas can be different. Our planning guide explains the rule.
Do I need a dropped kerb?
If you will drive over the pavement to reach the drive, yes. A dropped kerb is a separate application to your council, and it is illegal to drive over a kerb without one. We can tell you who to apply to and fit the drive to suit.
How deep do you dig for a driveway?
It depends on the ground and the surface, so we set the depth at the site visit rather than using one figure for every job. Soft or clay ground needs a deeper sub-base than firm chalk or gravel. The depth is written on the quote.
Can you lay a new driveway over my old one?
Sometimes. A sound, level concrete or tarmac base can take a resin bound overlay. Cracked, sunken or broken surfaces have to come up first, or the new surface will follow the old faults. We check it at the visit and tell you which applies.
How much does a new driveway cost?
National 2026 guides put installed prices at roughly £60 to £120 per m² for resin bound, £50 to £120 for block paving and £45 to £100 for tarmac, with gravel usually the cheapest. Size, digging and drainage move the total most. See the driveway cost guide for the detail.

Get a price for your new driveway

We measure up, check the levels and the ground, and send you a written quote with every stage priced on its own line.

Get a free quote 03300 433699
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