Driveways and patios in Hertford and Hertfordshire
Block paving, resin, tarmac and patios across Hertford, Ware and the villages around them. Pick your job on the price card for a guide figure in 10 seconds.
What are you looking to have done?
Two quick questions and you'll see a guide price.
Which surface for your driveway?
Not sure? Pick the closest; Tom talks through the options on the survey.
Block paving: roughly what size?
A typical two-car drive is 40 to 50 m². A guess is fine; the free survey measures it properly.
Guide price
Pick a surface
Guide range. Larger areas come in lower per m²; the free survey fixes the price in writing.
Our typical rates per square metre
- Block paving: around £130
- Tumbled paving: around £150
- Resin bound: around £200
- Tarmac: around £130
- Imprinted concrete: around £130
- Gravel: priced on the phone
- Indian sandstone: around £180
- Porcelain: around £200
We lay driveways and patios across Hertford and Hertfordshire: block paving, resin bound, tarmac, imprinted concrete and gravel drives, Indian sandstone and porcelain patios, and garden landscaping, from Bengeo and Sele to Ware, Hertford Heath and the villages.
Our Hertfordshire line is 0800 285 1314, open 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. We come out to measure up and quote in person, the price goes in writing before anything is dug up, and the guarantees are the same as everywhere we work: 10 years in writing on block paving, resin and patios, 5 years on tarmac and gravel.
Every drive goes down on a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base with proper edges and drainage falls. See what's different about a drive in Hertford further down.
Driveways, patios and gardens across Hertfordshire
Eight services, one team. Every job in Hertfordshire starts with a free survey and a written quote, and every installation carries a written guarantee.
Block paving
10-year written guarantee
Herringbone, basketweave or stretcher bond on a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, with concrete-haunched edges and a soldier-course border. Standard or tumbled blocks.
Block paving
Resin driveways
10-year written guarantee
Resin bound only, never bonded. UV-stable resin and natural aggregate hand-trowelled to 18mm over a solid base. Walk on it after 24 hours, park on it after 48.
Resin driveways
Patios
10-year written guarantee
Indian sandstone, porcelain, tumbled block paving or granite setts on a compacted hardcore base and semi-dry mortar bed, with falls away from the house. Steps and raised beds too.
Patios
Tarmac driveways
5-year written guarantee
Hot-mix asphalt laid as a binder course then a wearing course over MOT Type 1, with drainage falls and a block paving border if you want one. Usually done in one to two days.
Tarmac driveways
Imprinted concrete
Written guarantee
Pattern-imprinted concrete driveways and paths, poured in one piece and stamped in your pattern and colour, then sealed. No joints for weeds to take hold in.
Imprinted concrete
Gravel driveways
5-year written guarantee
Gravel held in a cellular grid over a weed membrane, so it stays off the road and drains properly. Pea gravel, slate chips or Cotswold stone with timber, brick or granite edging.
Gravel driveways
Cleaning and resealing
Priced on the survey
Block paving and patios pressure cleaned, re-sanded and resealed. Tarmac drives recoloured and resealed. The cheap way to make an old drive look new again.
Cleaning and resealing
Landscaping
Project guarantee
Paths, walls, steps, drainage, turf, artificial grass, sleeper raised beds, planting, fencing and decking. One team from clearance to the finished garden.
Landscaping
What's different about a drive in Hertford
Old streets, four rivers and county rules of its own. Here's what's worth knowing before you plan a drive.
Hertford is the county town, built where the Beane and the Rib run into the Lea. The centre has about 280 listed buildings, most from the 18th and 19th centuries, and round it are Victorian streets in Bengeo, the post-war Sele estate in West Hertford, and new homes planned at Bengeo, Mead Lane and west of the town in the District Plan.
Parking is the local pinch. The council's conservation area appraisal notes that Hertford's 19th-century terraces have short front gardens or none, and that some of those streets are overwhelmed by cars. Where a front is big enough for a drive, Hertfordshire's own rules apply: the county council builds every dropped kerb itself, and no rainwater may run from the drive onto the road. Resin bound and permeable block paving both let it soak through.
Good to know in Hertfordshire
- Chalk, gravel and clay
- British Geological Survey mapping shows chalk along the valley sides, river gravels 3 to 6 m thick in the valleys, saturated at their base, and boulder clay on the higher ground. The county's landscape study describes well-drained soils on the slopes and slowly permeable ones on the plateau, so where the rain can go depends on which part of town you're in.
- Planning: East Herts District Council
- Paving more than 5 m² of a front garden needs permission only if the rain runs off onto the road. Hertford, Ware, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell (Hertford Heath) and Watton at Stone are conservation areas, so check with the council before changing a front there.
- Dropped kerbs: the county council builds them
- In Hertfordshire only the county council, with its own approved contractor, can lower a kerb. The parking space must be at least 5 m deep and 2.7 m wide, and the drive has to be built before the council's works, so we lay it first, to the council's rules.
- No water onto the road
- Hertfordshire County Council says it is an offence to let surface water from a drive run onto the pavement, the road or a highway drain. A permeable surface, or falls to a border or soakaway, keeps it on your side of the kerb.
Places we cover in and around Hertford
Not listed? Call 0800 285 1314 and ask.
Hertford town centreSG14 1
The county town's centre: about 280 listed buildings, most from the 18th and 19th centuries.
- The centre is in the Hertford Conservation Area, first designated in 1967.
- Castle ward's 19th-century terraces, such as Queens Road, Mangrove Road and Morgans Road, have short front gardens or none.
BengeoSG14 3
Victorian houses on narrow streets in Lower Bengeo; in 2011 about a third of homes were semi-detached and a third terraced.
- Lower Bengeo's streets fall inside the Hertford Conservation Area.
- The District Plan's Bengeo site adds about 150 homes.
- SG14 3 has more surface-water flood records than any other postcode in the council's flood risk assessment.
Sele and West HertfordSG14 2
A council estate built from 1952 through the 1960s.
- The District Plan adds about 550 homes either side of Welwyn Road and Thieves Lane.
WareSG12 9
A historic malting town: more than half the buildings in the old core date from the 16th and 17th centuries.
- The centre is the Ware Conservation Area.
- The District Plan site north and east of the town is for at least 1,000 homes.
- The county council has flooding records on London Road, Amwell End and Vicarage Road.
Hertford HeathSG13 7
The old Little Amwell village core, houses along London Road from 1918 to 1939, and post-war public housing.
- The village core is the Little Amwell Conservation Area.
HertingfordburySG14 2
A village strung along Hertingfordbury Road with 27 listed buildings, and 20th-century houses on St Mary's Lane.
- Hertingfordbury is a conservation area.
BayfordSG13 8
Brick cottages mostly from the 18th and early 19th centuries, and 1940s council houses by the pond.
- Bayford is not one of the district's conservation areas.
Watton-at-StoneSG14 3
25 Grade II listed buildings, most from the 16th and 17th centuries, along a High Street beside the Beane.
- Watton at Stone is a conservation area.
- The Beane runs alongside the High Street, with a flood zone beside it.
1. Hertford town centre2. Bengeo3. Sele and West Hertford4. Ware5. Hertford Heath6. Hertingfordbury7. Bayford8. Watton-at-StoneFirst 4 Driveways in Hertfordshire
Based in Hertford
See us on Google MapsWe come to you: covering Hertford, Ware, Bengeo, Hertford Heath and across Hertfordshire.
Recent work from our own team
Eight jobs from our own photos. Every one was laid by our team.
Block paving
Charcoal herringbone, buff chevron border
Resin driveways
Silver resin bound drive, charcoal edging
Patios
Grey block patio with steps
Block paving
Charcoal herringbone, curved border
Resin driveways
Golden resin, red brick border
Landscaping
Resin patio and artificial grass
Block paving
Interlocking diamond pattern in charcoal pavers
Block paving
Herringbone with drainage channel
Block paving, resin, tarmac, patios and landscaping, before and after.
What customers say
Verbatim from our Hertfordshire Google listing. Names as they appear on the review.
4.9 from 30 Google reviews5.0 from 90 on Yell5.0 from 16 on Facebook
Scott
April 2025 · Driveway
Highly recommend First 4 Driveways. Done a fantastic job on my driveway. Site was left spotless and the guys on site were brilliant. Polite and punctual and worth every penny! Top work!
Ekhombk Dhekhob
November 2022 · Drive and patio
Would thoroughly recommend First 4 Driveways, really good quality work, and responsive to whatever your needs, happy to work around your own commitments..lots of case studies to share and advise .. we had over 200 square metres of drive and patio done and varying styles… looks great very impressed with the finished look.. 👍🏻👍🏻
Stone
October 2022 · Driveway
Very professional company and people. Did an excellent job on our huge driveway. We live on a main busy road but the guys got the job done. Very happy with the work, will definatley reccommend First 4 Driveways 😁.
Why Hertfordshire homeowners choose First4Driveways
What customers mention in their reviews, and what we put in writing.
Quoted in person
We come out to measure up and talk it through, and the price goes in writing before anything is dug up.
Guarantees in writing
10 years on block paving, resin and patios, 5 on tarmac and gravel, handed over with the job.
Built on a proper base
Compacted MOT Type 1, proper edges and drainage falls under every drive.
Insured, tidy, on time
Public liability cover on every job. Reviewers mention sites left spotless and work done when promised.
Hertford questions
Straight answers for homeowners in Hertford.
Do you cover all of Hertford?
Yes: the town and the villages round it, from Bengeo, Sele and Hertingfordbury to Ware, Hertford Heath, Bayford and Watton-at-Stone. Not listed? Call our Hertfordshire line on 0800 285 1314 and ask.
Who lowers the kerb for a new drive in Hertford?
Only Hertfordshire County Council, with its own approved contractor. You apply to the council: the assessment was £139 in October 2026 and takes about 8 weeks, and the works follow 12 to 14 weeks after you pay. The drive has to be built first, so we lay it to the council's rules before they come.
Do I need planning permission for a new drive in Hertford?
Not usually. Paving more than 5 m² of a front garden needs permission only if the rain runs onto the road, and permeable block paving, resin bound and gravel let it drain. In a conservation area, such as Hertford, Ware or Hertingfordbury, check with East Herts District Council first, and a new dropped kerb on an A, B or C road normally needs planning permission too.
Is the ground in Hertford good for a soakaway?
It depends where you are. The valley sides are chalk with well-drained soils, the valley floors are river gravels that are saturated at the bottom, and the higher ground is boulder clay that drains slowly. We look at it on the survey and set the falls, channels or soakaway to suit.
How much does a new driveway cost in Hertford?
The same as anywhere we work: around £130 per m² for block paving or tarmac, around £200 for resin bound, and larger areas come in lower per m². The price card gives you a guide in seconds.
Can rainwater from my Hertford drive run onto the road?
No. Hertfordshire County Council says it is an offence to let surface water from a drive reach the pavement, the road or a highway drain. Resin bound and permeable block paving let it soak through; on other surfaces we set falls to a border or a soakaway.
Other areas we cover
Based in Colchester, working across Essex and Hertfordshire. These towns have their own pages.
Colchester
Our base. Every service, across the town and the villages around it.
Our base
Chelmsford
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Chelmsford. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Chelmsford
Braintree
About 16 miles from our Colchester base. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Braintree
Harlow
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Harlow and Old Harlow. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Harlow
St Albans
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in St Albans
Bishop's Stortford
About 36 miles from our Colchester base along the A120. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Bishop's Stortford
Southend
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from Leigh-on-Sea to Shoeburyness. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Southend
Brentwood
About 37 miles down the A12. Driveways and patios across Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton and Ingatestone.
Driveways in Brentwood
Stevenage
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from the Old Town to Great Ashby. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Stevenage
Cambridge
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Cambridge and its villages, with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Cambridge
Also covering: Witham, Clacton-on-Sea, Maldon, Halstead, Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Rayleigh, Saffron Walden, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages between. Not listed? Call and ask.
Get a free quote
Let's talk about your drive or patio
First4Driveways is a family-run business based in Colchester. Tom comes out to quote every job in person, talks through the options and materials, and puts the price in writing before anything is dug up. Block paving, resin and patios carry a written 10-year workmanship guarantee; tarmac and gravel carry five years.
- Free survey and a written quote
- Written guarantee on every job
- Fully insured, public liability cover
- Family-run, based in Colchester
Need to talk now?
Call Tom directly
Start your free quote
Tell us about the drive or garden and we'll arrange a free survey.