Groundworks
Stone farm tracks and estate drives, built to carry weight and to look right in the landscape.
A stone track is still the right answer for a great deal of rural access. It carries heavy machinery, it copes with being churned in a wet winter, it can be topped up rather than replaced, and on an estate or in open country it looks like it belongs in a way that a strip of black tarmac never does.
Formation dug out, geotextile membrane where the ground needs it, a coarse stone base and a graded topping. The membrane is what stops the stone disappearing down into soft ground over a couple of seasons, and on wet land it is the difference between a track and an expensive mistake.
Access drives through parkland and grounds, built with a stone and finish chosen to suit the setting. On listed and conservation sites the appearance is part of the brief rather than an afterthought, and we will work to what has been agreed.
Most tracks that have gone soft do not need rebuilding. They need the ruts taking out, the drainage reinstating and a fresh topping graded and rolled in. That is a fraction of the cost of starting again.
Gateways and turning areas take far more punishment than the run of a track, because that is where vehicles slow, turn and stand. They are worth building heavier than the rest, and it is cheaper to do that at the outset.
A stone track that holds water will not last a winter. It needs a camber or a crossfall so water runs off the surface rather than sitting in the wheel ruts, and it needs somewhere for that water to go once it leaves. Ditching, culverts under the track and cross drains at the low points are all part of building a track properly, and skipping them is the most common reason a track fails early.
Our work
Our work
Every photograph here is Laymac's own, taken on the job.
What people say
Had my driveway done by laymac ltd done a wonderful job got the job completed on time always kept the site clean and tidy staff well Mannered and friendly
Fantastic professional company stuck to their word and got the job done efficiently and quick thanks very much for your service
Had Lay Mac over to do resin on a rental property off mine , I was very happy with the finishing project looked great .
Everything else we do
Tar and chip surface dressing for sound private roads, long drives and access routes that need a renewed wearing surface.
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Private roads, estate roads and access routes surfaced, resurfaced and repaired.
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Tarmac and asphalt laid for driveways, private roads, parking areas and working yards, with preparation matched to the traffic.
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Tarmac, tar and chip, block paved and gravel driveways, laid on a base built to last.
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Yards, car parks, loading areas and industrial hardstanding built for real weight.
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Excavation, drainage and sub-base preparation, the work under the surface that decides how long it lasts.
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Reclaimed road planings laid and compacted for suitable tracks and hardstanding, with the material and ground assessed before use.
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Surfacing for farms, estates, equestrian yards and rural businesses, planned around a working site.
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Resin driveway installation with the base, drainage, edges and intended vehicle use considered alongside the finished appearance.
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Block paving laid for driveways, entrances and parking areas, with the layout and supporting construction designed around daily use.
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Recycled materials laid for suitable access routes and hardstanding, selected for their role in the finished construction.
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Garden, boundary and retaining walls, entrance piers, brick steps and extension brickwork, built on a proper footing.
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Luxury patios, outdoor kitchens and cooking areas, with the walls, steps and drainage built properly underneath.
Learn more →Where we work
These are the areas we cover. If yours is not listed and you are nearby, ring anyway, it is a short conversation.
Common questions
A farm track potholes because water sits on it. Once a hole forms, its base and edges are compacted hard, so every shower pools in it and the traffic pumps the stone out again. Filling the hole with loose stone lasts a season. Rebuilding the surface with a camber, drainage to the side and a compacted base stops it coming back.
Read the full answer →Before you ring
It depends on the ground, the traffic and the finish you want. Typically a coarse crushed stone for the base with a finer graded topping over it. On estate and parkland drives the appearance of the topping matters too, and we will bring options rather than assume.
To build, usually yes, sometimes by a long way. It does need occasional topping up where tarmac does not, so over a long period the gap narrows. For farm and field access, stone is very often the better value answer as well as the cheaper one.
Usually not. Most soft tracks are a drainage problem, not a construction problem. Reinstating the falls, clearing the ditches and re-topping is normally enough, and it costs a fraction of a rebuild.
West Sussex · Surrey · East Sussex · Hampshire
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