Drives, yards, parking areas and access tracks laid as one continuous surface, on a sub-base dug and compacted for the weight that will actually use it. Domestic and commercial, across west Cornwall.
A tarmac driveway is a bound bituminous surface laid hot and rolled in layers over a compacted granular base, usually a coarser base course with a finer surface course rolled over the top. It arrives as one continuous sheet with no joints in it, which is what makes it the practical answer over a large area.
What people call a tarmac problem is nearly always a base problem. Ruts under wheel tracks, cracking that spreads from an edge and water standing in the same spot every winter are what happens when the ground underneath was never dug deep enough or compacted properly.
That is why a tarmac job is priced on the dig as much as on the surface, and it sits on the driveways family for exactly that reason.
The existing surface comes out, the formation is dug to ground that will carry a vehicle, and the sub-base goes in and is compacted in layers. The tarmac is then laid and rolled in a base course and a surface course, with edgings and drainage set before anything hot arrives on site.
A commercial yard is a different specification from a house drive. The sub-base is built for the axle loads that will stand and turn on it, and the falls are set across a much larger area, because a big surface has far more water to move and nowhere obvious to send it.
Long approaches, private roads and farm tracks are heavy on drainage and edges. Water running down a track is what takes it apart, so cross falls, drainage channels and a properly built base do more for the life of the track than the surface layer does.
Where the base is sound and only the top has worn out, an existing surface can be planed off or overlaid rather than dug out. We check what is under it first and price both routes so the choice is yours rather than ours.
Failed areas are cut out square back to solid material, the base is put right, and the patch is laid and compacted flush rather than tipped into a hole. Trench reinstatement after excavation work is the same discipline, and both directors hold street works tickets, Aaron as Operative and Mike as Supervisor.
Winter is what generates most of this work. Tracks break up, yards start holding water and edges give way where nothing was restraining them. A typical run of tarmac jobs here is a mix of full drives, a farm track re-graded and surfaced, and cut-out repairs on parking areas that were laid on too little base.
The fairest way to judge a contractor is what previous customers wrote when there was nothing in it for them.
Based on 4 Google reviews
Commenting as the owner of this property I can honestly say that Aaron was a pleasure to work with. Efficient, reliable, extremely hardworking, on schedule, amazing quality and just an all round lovely guy! Thank you Aaron! You can see the almost (steps leading up to the tub yet to be added as a finishing touch) finished project on the Boutique Retreats website: Kilter House, Coverack
Read more on GoogleWould definitely recommend. Our driveway was a mismatch of 3 different sections of gravel, some old concrete and a step. In two days he has completely overhauled it and it looks amazing. Very fast worker, polite and professional and reasonably priced as well. You won’t be disappointed by Michael’s team at all!
Read more on FacebookAaron laid us a wonderful patio for our back garden. From the start he was highly professional and courteous. He sat with us to discuss the best, most cost efficient options to get us exactly what we imagined. Aaron was very reliable and his after care has been exceptional ensuring he delivers the highest quality for his clients. Highly recommended!
Read more on GoogleMike and his son did a fantastic job on our sandstone patio. They provided a competitive quote and had expert knowledge. The job itself was completed to a very high standard. We are very happy with it. I highly recommend. Thank you again for the fantastic work.
Read more on FacebookReally happy with the work from Aaron Hunt Groundworks. Aaron and his team were super easy to deal with—friendly, reliable, and clearly know what they’re doing. They turned up on time, got stuck in, and made sure everything was done properly with a great finish. They kept the place tidy and checked in with us throughout the job to make sure we were happy. No fuss, no stress—just solid, professional work. Would definitely recommend them to anyone needing groundwork done. Top team!
Read more on GoogleWe had been waiting for along time for this small bit of garden to be finished…the original person we had booked just didn’t work out in the end. We booked Sunset Surfacing We are so pleased with the work and can’t wait for the summer to arrive. They were clean, tidy and professional…thank you
Read more on FacebookExtremely happy with my new patio. It wasn’t the most straight forward to lay but Aaron managed to get the finish I wanted and was completely flexible and accommodating to make it happen for our time lines. Would highly recommend.
Read more on GoogleOne surface, however large the areaNo joints, no pattern, no lines for weeds to find. Over a long drive, a yard or a turning area that is the single most practical finish there is.
A base that carries what actually uses itVans, trailers, deliveries and plant are designed into the sub-base depth rather than discovered by it, which is what stops wheel tracks appearing in the first two winters.
Water taken off the surface deliberatelyFalls, channels and edge detail are set out before laying, so run-off leaves at a chosen point instead of finding the lowest spot on its own.
A surface with a second lifeWhen the top eventually wears, a sound base can usually be overlaid rather than dug out, so the money spent on the ground keeps paying.
Call or send the form with the postcode, the rough dimensions, and what will be driving on it, because a family car and a delivery lorry are two different builds.
Levels, falls, where the water can go, access for a machine and a wagon, and what the existing surface is sitting on. The visit is free.
Excavation depth, sub-base build-up, the base and surface course, edgings and drainage, with anything that could change it set out in advance.
Old surface out, formation checked, sub-base in and compacted in layers, edges and gullies set to the finished levels.
Tarmac laid hot in a dry window, rolled to a consistent finish, edges sealed, site cleared, and clear instructions on when you can use it.
Laying tarmac well is a temperature and compaction job, not just a pouring job. BS 594987, the British Standard covering the transport, laying and compaction of asphalt for roads and other paved areas, exists because a surface that is laid too cool, spread too thin or rolled too late will fail regardless of what the material cost. It is also why we would rather move a date than lay into rain.
We build the base we lay on. Excavation, drainage and sub-base are our own trade, so nothing about the part that carries the load is taken on somebody else's word.
A full street works team in-house. Aaron Hunt holds Street Works Operative and Mike Wherry holds Street Works Supervisor, alongside CPCS 360 excavator tickets above and below 10 tonnes and dumper tickets between them.
Our own machines. Diggers, dumpers and a tipper, sized from garden gate access upwards, so one firm mobilises once.
HW Contractors is run by Aaron Hunt and Mike Wherry, who between them bring 40 years of combined experience, Aaron 10 years and Mike 30. Both are working directors, so the person who prices the yard is the person operating the machine on it. Surfacing and groundworks have run side by side through both their careers rather than being separate trades bolted together.
Everyone looks at tarmac on the day it is rolled, when it all looks the same. Come back after two Cornish winters and the surface will tell you everything about how the base was built.Aaron Hunt, co-owner of HW Contractors
Street Works Operative and Street Works Supervisor held between them
CPCS 360 excavator tickets above and below 10 tonnes, CSCS cards and dumper tickets
Fully insured: public liability and full business insurance
Larger tarmac work tends to sit inland and along the main roads, so we do a lot of it around Camborne and Redruth, on commercial units and yards near Truro, and up on the north coast around Newquay, the north end of a patch that runs from the Lizard. Domestic drives run right across the patch, from Helston and Porthleven out to Mullion, Penzance, St Ives and Falmouth.
Tarmac is priced on two things a photograph cannot show us: the area, and what the finished surface has to carry.
That is why a written quote from us states:
Two identical looking yards can be very different jobs once the loads are understood, so the site visit and the quote are free and carry no obligation. Payment terms, where any apply, are written into the quote before work starts.
Weighing tarmac against resin, block paving, gravel or concrete? The hub compares all five honestly.
Driveways
The permeable, seamless finish, often laid over a sound tarmac base rather than instead of one.
Resin bound driveways
The trade underneath every surface we lay: excavation, drainage and bases built to carry real loads.
GroundworksTell us the postcode, the rough size of the area and what will be driving on it. One of us will come and look at the ground, tell you whether it needs rebuilding or resurfacing, and put a written price to it.
Call us on 07886 070245·Get a free quote online
Porthleven, Cornwall
Phone: 07886 070245
Email: info@hwcontractors.co.uk
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Last updated: 22 September 2026