What Tar Surfacing Costs, and What Moves the Number
Nobody can price a driveway off a photo, and anybody who does is guessing. Here is what actually decides the number, and how to read two quotes that are thousands apart.
- Everything is priced per square metre, measured on site
- The sub-base is always a separate line on our quotes
- Site visit and written quote are free, with no obligation
Why this page exists
Three quotes, three numbers, and no way to compare them
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One quote is half the price of the others.
It is usually half the price because it is half the job — no base, or a base too shallow for what will drive on it.
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None of them show a breakdown.
One line saying “driveway” tells you nothing about what is going underneath.
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The number changed once they started.
A price given over the phone was never a price. It was a hope.
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You do not know what you are supposed to be asking.
Nobody explains what a sub-base is, so it is hard to tell whether it is missing.
Ignore the total. Read the quote from the bottom up.
How to compare quotes
Four things a surfacing quote should tell you
If a quote does not say them, phone and ask. If the contractor will not put the answers in writing, that tells you something.
| Ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The area, in square metres | If nobody measured, nobody knows. A 20 % error in the area is a 20 % error in the price. |
| The sub-base, as its own line | This is the part that decides whether the surface lasts. If it is not itemised, you cannot tell if it is there. |
| The base depth and the stone size | A depth in millimetres and a stone size in millimetres. Written down, so it is checkable. |
| What happens if the ground is worse than it looked | There must be an answer, agreed before the work starts. Ours is that you hear about it before we begin, not after. |
What moves the price
The six things that change the number
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Area, in square metres
Everything is priced per m². We measure it on site; we do not estimate it off a photo.
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What is under there now
Firm ground needs less work than clay that moves. Old broken tar can sometimes be milled and reused, which brings the price down.
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How deep the base has to go
A domestic driveway and a delivery yard get different sub-base depths. Quoting them the same is how surfaces fail.
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Access
If a truck cannot reach the area, the material gets moved by hand, and that is time.
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Falls and drainage
If water has nowhere to go, it has to be given somewhere to go before anything is laid.
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Edges
Cut edges, kerbing, or a channel — each is priced separately so you can choose.
On every quote, the sub-base is its own line. That is the whole point. A quote showing one number for “driveway” is hiding the part that decides whether it lasts.
Free site visit. Written quote. No obligation.
Tar or paving
Is tar cheaper than paving?
Usually yes, per square metre, and it goes down a great deal faster — most driveways are one to three days rather than a week. Paving wins on looks, and it wins when a section needs lifting and relaying later, because you can take up the affected bricks and put them back.
We do not do brick paving, so we have no reason to push you either way. If paving is the better answer for your job, we will say so.
See the number before anyone lifts a spade
Free, no obligation, and Saturday mornings are available.
How it Works
Three steps to a written number
- 01
Phone or send the form
Tell us roughly where and roughly what. It takes two minutes.
- 02
We come out and measure
Free, no obligation, Saturday mornings available. About ten minutes on site for a driveway.
- 03
You get it in writing
Per square metre, sub-base itemised, days stated. Then you decide, in your own time.
Why Choose Us
How we handle pricing
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No telephone quotes
Somebody comes out and measures. Always.
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Sub-base always itemised
Every quote, every time. It is the whole reason this page exists.
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Surprises before, not after
If the ground is worse than it looked, you hear about it before we start.
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No pressure
The quote is free and it does not expire in 24 hours. We do not do that.
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One price, one crew
The people who quote are the people who arrive. Nothing is subcontracted.
Service Area
Free quotes across the metro
Areas We Serve:
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Alberton
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Edenvale
- Bedfordview
- Springs
- Brakpan
- Sandton
- Midrand
- Roodepoort
Somewhere not on the list? Phone us. If it is in the metro, we probably come out to it.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Why will you not give me a price over the phone?
Because it would be a guess, and a guess that turns out low becomes an argument halfway through the job. We would rather spend ten minutes measuring than have that conversation.
Is the quote free?
Yes. The site visit and the written quote are both free, and there is no obligation.
How long is a quote valid for?
We will put the period on it. Asphalt is a bitumen product, so material prices move with fuel — if a quote is old we would rather re-issue it than pretend.
Do you take a deposit?
Ask us when we quote and we will explain how we handle it for your job. Whatever is agreed goes in writing before anything starts.
What is the cheapest way to get a hard surface?
Honestly? A smaller area, properly built, beats a bigger area badly built. If budget is tight, tar the part that takes the traffic and do the rest later. We would rather do half your driveway properly than all of it badly.
Why is one quote so much cheaper than the others?
Usually the base. Sometimes the area was estimated rather than measured. Ask all three for the sub-base as a separate line and the difference normally explains itself.
Do you charge to come out to areas further from the East Rand?
No call-out charge for a quote inside the metro. Tell us the suburb when you phone.
Can I get a rough idea before you come out?
We can talk you through what your job is likely to involve on the phone, and what will move the number either way. We just will not put a figure to it until we have measured.
Get In Touch
Get the number in writing, before anything starts
Free site visit, free written quote, per square metre, with the sub-base as its own line and the working days stated.
- You phone, or send the form.
- Lerato books a time, usually within one working day.
- James comes out and measures.
- You get the quote in writing. Nothing happens until you say so.