Driveway Sub-Base: The Part You Never See That Matters Most
A great driveway starts underneath the surface. Whether you choose resin, blocks or tarmac, what you're really buying is the foundation under it — and it's where bad installers cut the corners you can't see.
What a sub-base actually is
Under every proper driveway is a layer of crushed, graded stone — usually MOT Type 1 — compacted in layers until it's effectively solid. It spreads vehicle loads into the ground so the surface above never has to take them alone.
Why driveways sink
Almost every sunken, rutted driveway has the same diagnosis: the sub-base was too shallow, made of the wrong material, or not compacted in layers. The surface was fine — the foundation failed. That's also why relaying blocks over the same bad base just resets the clock on the same failure.
Questions that expose a corner-cutter
Ask any installer these, and listen for confident, specific answers:
- • What depth will you excavate to, and what does that depend on?
- • What sub-base material do you use, and how do you compact it?
- • How will you handle the edges so they don't spread?
- • Where will the water go?
- • Is muck-away included in the price?
Our standard
We excavate to a depth appropriate to the ground and the loads, lay MOT Type 1 in compacted layers, restrain every edge on concrete, and design the drainage before a single block or trowel of resin goes down. It's not glamorous — it's just what makes a driveway last.
