Rutland Driveways & Landscaping 07312 132517 Site visit
Cracked concrete drive at a Stamford stone house before the work
Rutland · Stamford · Oakham

Driveway repairs

Whether a driveway can be repaired or needs replacing depends on the base underneath, not the surface.

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5 yearWritten guarantee
VubaApproved resin installer
NVQQualified
8 yearsTrading in Rutland

Whether a driveway can be repaired or needs replacing depends on the base underneath, not the surface. We dig a trial hole to find out, then tell you which job you actually need: sunken blocks and potholes that keep coming back mean the base has failed, and patching them will not last.

First step
A trial hole, not a guess
Typical time
One to three days for most repairs
Guarantee
5 years, in writing

Our 2026 guide prices where shown. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit.

Driveway repairs

What we repair

Sunken or rutted block paving, lifted and relaid on a rebuilt base; broken or missing edge restraints; tarmac potholes and failed patches cut out square and reinstated; and resin that has cracked or lifted where it was laid over a poor base.

Where a tarmac drive is sound underneath, a plane and re-top costs £45–£70 per m² and is far cheaper than a rebuild.

Driveway repairs

When repair is the wrong answer

If the trial hole shows the drive was built on soil or a thin skim of stone, repairs will keep failing. We will say so, and price both options, so you can decide.

Recent finishes

The kind of finish we build

Cracked concrete drive at a Stamford stone house before the work
Cracked concrete drive at a Stamford stone house before the work
Resin bound driveway with pale block edging in front of a stone Stamford townhouse
Resin bound driveway with pale block edging in front of a stone Stamford townhouse
The same driveway before: cracked and stained concrete
The same driveway before: cracked and stained concrete
Finished golden resin driveway in front of a stone house with climbing roses
Finished golden resin driveway in front of a stone house with climbing roses
★★★★★

Rated 5.0 from 37 Google reviews

“rutland driveway recently completed our resin driveway in Stamford. The team were great from the start. at first they done an AI mock up for us and we got to change colours etc until we were happy, then the final product looked even better!”

Victor, Stamford · Resin driveway — Google review

“Lewis and his team recently carried out the fitting of a European oak clad sleeper wall and the construction of new steps leading from the patio up into the lawn area at our home in Lyddington. We are really pleased with the result, it looks great and is exactly what we wanted. …”

Sally, Lyddington · Oak clad sleeper wall and garden steps — Google review
Read the reviews
Questions

Things people ask us

How much do driveway repairs cost?
Driveway repairs are priced after we have checked the base, because that decides whether a repair is possible at all. Where a tarmac drive is sound underneath, a plane and re-top is usually £45–£70 per m². Where the base has failed, patching only buys time and the drive needs rebuilding at new-drive rates, such as £90–£130 per m² for tarmac.
Can a damaged driveway just be patched rather than replaced?
Sometimes. If the base is sound, yes. If it has failed, a patch will sink again, and we will show you the trial hole before you decide.
Why is my block paving driveway sinking?
Block paving sinks when the base underneath moves, most often because the drive was laid on too little sub-base, on soft clay, or over a trench that was never properly compacted. Water getting in through empty joints or past a broken edge makes it worse, and ruts where the wheels run are the classic sign. The lasting repair is to lift the blocks, dig out and rebuild the base, then relay them.
Can sunken block paving be relaid with the same blocks?
Usually yes: the blocks are lifted, cleaned and relaid on a rebuilt sub-base and fresh bedding sand, with new ones only where blocks have broken. Relaid areas can look slightly different from the untouched drive for a while, and new blocks rarely match weathered ones exactly, so replacements are best used where they show least. A clean and re-sand afterwards helps the whole drive look even.
How do you repair potholes in a tarmac driveway?
A pothole in a tarmac drive is repaired properly by cutting the damaged area out square to sound material, cleaning and tack-coating the edges, then laying and compacting hot tarmac and sealing the joint. Bagged cold-lay repair is a stopgap that tends to break up again within a winter or two. If potholes keep appearing across the drive, the base has failed and patches will not hold.
Can a cracked concrete driveway be repaired?
Fine surface cracks in a concrete drive can be filled, but the repair usually shows and does not stop the slab moving, so wide, stepped or spreading cracks normally mean breaking it out and rebuilding. A new surface can sometimes go over the old slab, but only if it is sound, drains properly and leaves the finished level at least 150mm below the damp proof course. A trial hole and a level check settle it.
Can a cracked or loose resin driveway be repaired?
Small areas of cracked or loose resin can be cut out and relaid, but matching the colour and texture exactly is difficult, so a patch often shows. Resin that cracks or lifts was usually laid over a weak or cracked base, or mixed too thin, so the cause has to be found first or the crack returns through the new surface. Where the base has failed, the area needs rebuilding beneath it.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a driveway?
Repairing a driveway is cheaper only when the base underneath is sound. On a sound tarmac drive, a plane and re-top at £45–£70 per m² costs around half of a tarmac rebuild at £90–£130 per m² on a new base. If the base has failed, repeated patching ends up costing more than doing it once, which is why we dig a trial hole and price both options before you decide.
Do I need planning permission to repair or replace a driveway?
Patching or repairing an existing driveway does not normally need planning permission. Replacing the surface of a front drive is treated like a new one: more than 5m² of impermeable surface draining onto the road needs permission, unless it is permeable or drains to a lawn or border on your land. Listed houses, Stamford's conservation area and Rutland villages with Article 4 directions can need permission for road-facing changes.
Why does water puddle on my driveway?
Water puddles on a driveway where the surface has sunk, was laid with too little fall, or has nowhere to drain, such as a drive sloping towards the house with no channel drain. A drive needs a steady fall, typically around 1 in 60, to shed water. Low spots need lifting and relaying rather than filling on top, and where the falls cannot be corrected a channel drain or soakaway is usually the answer.
How long does a driveway repair take?
Most driveway repairs take one to three days, depending on how much has to be lifted and whether the base needs rebuilding. Block paving can be used as soon as it is relaid, compacted and sanded, and tarmac once it has cooled and hardened. Resin and concrete need longer to cure before cars go back on, and we tell you when it is safe to park again.

Request a site visit

We measure up, check levels and drainage, and send a written proposal with the build-up, the programme and one whole price. No pressure and no follow-up sales calls.

Request a site visit Call 07312 132517
☎Call 07312 132517 Site visit