Driveways and patios in St Albans
Block paving, resin, tarmac and patios across St Albans, Harpenden 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 St Albans: block paving, resin bound, tarmac, imprinted concrete and gravel drives, Indian sandstone and porcelain patios, and garden landscaping, from the city centre, Fleetville and Marshalswick to Harpenden, London Colney, Park Street and Chiswell Green.
We're based in Colchester, about 70 miles away by the A12 and the M25, and we come out to St Albans to measure up and quote in person. The price goes in writing before anything is dug up, and the guarantees are the same wherever 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 St Albans further down, including the streets where a new drive needs planning permission.
Driveways, patios and gardens across St Albans
Eight services, one team. Every job in St Albans 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 St Albans
Conservation streets, short front gardens and chalk underneath. Here's what's worth knowing before you plan a drive.
From our yard to yours
From Colchester to St Albans on the M25: About 70 miles · about 80 minutes without traffic, by the A12, the M25 and the A1081
St Albans grew round its abbey on the hill above the Ver. Its streets run from the medieval core and Fishpool Street to the suburbs laid out east of St Peter's Street between 1882 and 1914, Fleetville's printing-works terraces, 1950s Marshalswick and the cul-de-sacs of Jersey Farm. Front gardens are often short: on Granville Road the houses sit on a 3 m building line, and the council notes front gardens there already lost to parking.
Under it all is chalk. The British Geological Survey records clay-with-flints on the high ground and boulder clay across the Vale of St Albans, over a chalk surface "modified by solution effects". That's why we'd rather spread the rain through a resin bound or permeable block paving drive than send it all to one soakaway by the house.
Good to know in St Albans
- Article 4: some streets need permission
- Round Fishpool Street and Verulam Road, Sopwell Lane and Albert Street, and Cunningham Avenue, the council has taken away the right to lay a hardstanding or make a new access onto the road. A new drive there needs planning permission from St Albans City and District Council first.
- Chalk: spread the water, not one soakaway
- Hertfordshire's flood team has turned down deep soakaways in the district because the chalk can dissolve, accepted water soaking in through permeable paving, and said soakaways should be at least 20 m from buildings.
- Dropped kerbs: the county council builds them
- Only Hertfordshire County Council, with its own contractor, can lower a kerb; the space must be at least 5 m deep and 2.7 m wide. Off an A, B or C road you'll normally need planning permission, and in a residents' parking zone the district council's agreement too.
- No water onto the road
- Hertfordshire County Council says it is an offence to let water from a drive run onto the pavement or road. The Ver runs through Sopwell and Park Street and the Colne past London Colney, both in the county's flood records, so the falls matter.
Places we cover in and around St Albans
Not listed? Call 01727 649498 and ask.
City centre and St Peter'sAL1 3
The medieval core, and late-Victorian streets to the east laid out piecemeal between 1882 and 1914.
- The St Albans Conservation Area, designated in 1969, was one of the first in the country.
- The Fishpool Street and Sopwell Lane Article 4 areas need planning permission for a new hardstanding or access.
- Granville Road's houses sit on a 3 m building line, so the front gardens are shallow.
FleetvilleAL1 4
Small terraces laid out for the Fleet Works printing factory on Hatfield Road around 1900.
- The city boundary took in Fleetville and Oaklands in 1913.
- No conservation area covers Fleetville.
MarshalswickAL4 9
Low-density 1950s semis and detached "Nash-built" family houses, set back from wide streets.
- Sandridge's neighbourhood plan notes many front gardens here already turned into hardstanding for cars.
- No conservation area covers Marshalswick.
Jersey FarmAL4 9
Two-storey detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, mostly in cul-de-sacs and courtyards on the north-east edge.
- The neighbourhood plan calls parking the biggest issue, especially in the cul-de-sacs.
HarpendenAL5 2
Mostly Victorian, Edwardian, 1930s and post-war homes; the town grew from about 7,000 people in 1921 to about 27,500 in 1981.
- Harpenden's conservation area is one of the largest in the country.
- The neighbourhood plan lists permeable driveways among the drainage it wants to see.
London ColneyAL2 1
A village strung for over a mile along the old A6: 19th-century cottages on the High Street, then estates from the 1930s and after the war.
- The old village is a conservation area, designated in 1974.
- Homes in London Colney and Colney Heath were severely flooded by the Colne in winter 2000/01.
Park Street and How WoodAL2 2
Victorian houses on Branch Road from the 1860s and 70s, Handley Page's 1930s estates, and How Wood's later growth.
- Park Street and Frogmore is a conservation area, designated in 1994.
- The Environment Agency's River Ver flood warning area covers Sopwell, Park Street and Frogmore.
Chiswell GreenAL2 3
Grew along the Watford Road, mostly between the 1950s and the 1970s, round the Grade II Three Hammers.
- No conservation area covers Chiswell Green.
1. City centre and St Peter's2. Fleetville3. Marshalswick4. Jersey Farm5. Harpenden6. London Colney7. Park Street and How Wood8. Chiswell GreenRecent 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 Google listings. Names as they appear on the review.
4.9 from 30 Google reviews5.0 from 90 on Yell5.0 from 16 on Facebook
Wendy Youngman
May 2025 · Resin driveway
We have just had our old driveway re-resined and are extremely pleased with the result. The men who laid the resin were super efficient and polite. They cleared everything away when finished and done an outstanding job
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!
Jake Talbot
March 2024 · Driveway
Tom came to quote for a new driveway, found him very friendly and approachable. We went ahead and the end result was superb. Hard working guys. Fully recommend.
Why St Albans 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.
St Albans questions
Straight answers for homeowners in St Albans.
Do you cover all of St Albans?
Yes: the city and the villages round it, from the centre, Fleetville, Marshalswick and Jersey Farm to Harpenden, London Colney, Park Street, How Wood and Chiswell Green. Not listed? Call and ask.
Do I need planning permission for a new drive in St Albans?
Not usually: paving more than 5 m² of a front garden needs permission only if the rain runs onto the road. But round Fishpool Street and Verulam Road, Sopwell Lane and Albert Street, and Cunningham Avenue, Article 4 directions mean a new hardstanding or access needs planning permission from St Albans City and District Council. A new dropped kerb onto an A, B or C road normally needs permission too.
Can I put a soakaway in for my St Albans drive?
It needs care on chalk. Hertfordshire's flood team has said deep soakaways aren't acceptable where the chalk can dissolve, and that soakaways should be at least 20 m from buildings. A permeable surface spreads the water over the whole drive instead, which is what we'd normally suggest.
Who lowers the kerb for a new drive in St Albans?
Only Hertfordshire County Council, with its own approved contractor. You apply to the council, and the drive has to be built first, so we lay it to the council's rules before they come. In a residents' parking zone you need the district council's agreement as well.
How much does a new driveway cost in St Albans?
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.
Which driveway suits St Albans best?
For most homes, resin bound or permeable block paving: both let the rain soak through, which suits the chalk and Hertfordshire's rule that water can't run onto the road. Tarmac and imprinted concrete need falls to a border or a drain.
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
Hertford
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Hertford, Ware and the Hertfordshire villages around them.
Driveways in Hertford
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.