Concreting a Drive

A concrete slab driveway is the most popular form of driveways. Concrete lasts for many years and is a durable finish. Concreting a drive suits as concrete performs well in all types of weather.

During a concrete driveway quote, we provide various options with costing. We will find suitable options for your new driveway and look for improved solutions to what you previously have.

As part of the concrete driveway quote process, we will find a tailored solution to suit your needs. This process will determine the concrete driveway cost. The concrete driveway cost is variable from site to site and can include excavation.

We do driveway excavation as part of a all in one service. This means we provide a total inclusive cost for the works. As driveway excavation services are included, we provide a value-added service. We have all the relevant driveway excavation equipment to speedily complete your driveway.

Our skid steer loader is great for driveway excavation as it is compact and maneuverable on residential sites. A skid steer loader reduces the driveway cost as it can complete driveway excavation quickly.

Our skid steer loader has a fast ground speed. Our skid steer loader has a large carrying bucket that is suitable for driveway excavation. It is one of our many excavation equipment that we use to build driveways.

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Concrete Driveway Repair

Concrete driveway repair may be the best option where only a partial section needs replacing. Driveway repair is usually completed where there is existing plain concrete. Concrete driveway repair is an easy task.

As most of the existing plain concrete driveway is kept, modification or repair can be achieved relatively quickly in this form of construction. Repair is done in localised sections of the concrete driveway. It is common as part of our concrete removal Parramatta projects to include concrete driveway repair.

Plain concrete for Parramatta Council driveway crossovers is the standard finish. Where possible minimal concrete driveway repair is preferred as the new concrete can match better with the existing plain concrete.

Concrete removal and repair is conducted in all parts of Parramatta. It is needed to maintain or update public infrastructure within the Parramatta Council area.

Our works in Parramatta also include concrete removal and repair for Sydney Water. Sydney Water mains are sometimes located under Parramatta Council driveways. Concrete removal is needed to replace or service water mains. Afterwards, new driveways are poured for Parramatta Council once the maintenance crew have updated the water infrastructure.

Winston Hills and North Rocks are common places where total concrete driveway removal is needed. In Winston Hills and North Rocks many homes are knocked down and rebuilt. As North Rocks and Winston Hills fall within the Parramatta Council region, approval is needed to rebuild a new driveway. We take care of all Parramatta Council requirements. Once approval is granted, we can then start driveway excavation. As we work with Parramatta Council, we can streamline your driveway build.

New concrete driveways in North Rocks and Winston Hills are designed much wider than traditional sizes for those suburbs. The driveway section that is on council land is finished in plain concrete, Parramatta Council only permits plain concrete for your driveway crossover section. The concrete section inside your boundary does not have to be plain concrete. In North Rocks and Winston Hills, coloured concrete is usually chosen for the driveway part that lies inside the boundary. Charcoal and light grey colour driveways are popular in North Rocks and Winston Hills.

In contrast to Winston Hills and North Rocks concreting areas, Constitution Hill and Wentworthville have different concrete styles. Our concreting Constitution Hill and Wentworthville projects are usually on hilly blocks. New homes are typically built on these hilly blocks with basement car parks. Basement concrete is a common feature for Constitution Hill and Wentworthville.

A new Parramatta Council driveway concrete crossover needs to be built to suit. Vehicular traffic has to enter the basement form the Council driveway crossover. In these types of driveways, the driveway slopes downwards to the basement from the boundary. The parking space in these types of driveways is in the basement instead of on the drive.

Driveway excavation for Constitution Hill and Wentworthville involves not only concrete removal, but also soil removal. As concrete basements usually are two metres below the Parramatta Council driveway crossover, soil removal is part of driveway construction. In Constitution Hill and Wentworthville driveway excavation sites have good rich soil. Driveway excavation can include relocating soil around the property to reduce the concrete driveway cost and keep the fertile soil onsite.

Minor concrete driveway repair work around Parramatta is common in North Rocks and Ermington. Minor repair in these suburbs is usually for concrete that has lifted by large eucalyptus trees.

The strong root system is the common cause. In Ermington this is visible on Parramatta Council footpaths. Concrete removal work is needed to restore the council footpath to a useable condition.

Driveway and footpath excavation can include realignment to provide more space for tree roots to grow. This makes Ermington and North Rocks to have unique shaped footpaths within the Parramatta region.

As many eucalyptus trees in North Rocks and Ermington are located close to Parramatta Council driveways and footpaths, design is influenced by the location of eucalyptus trees.

To alleviate ongoing Parramatta Council infrastructure costs, Parramatta Council driveway and footpath designs can take a nonlinear approach for Ermington and North Rocks.

Parramatta Council concrete designs for Ermington and North Rocks have curved concrete edges to provide more room for tree roots. Concrete footpaths are shaped to curve around tree roots and trunks.

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Concrete Driveway North Shore

Concrete driveways on the North Shore are typically unique. North Shore driveways are larger than most concrete drive projects in Sydney.

A North Shore concrete driveway can totally change the ability for vehicles to enter a property. Many concrete drives in the northern suburbs have small and narrow driveways. New driveway builds completely change the usability of homes. The driveway makeover usually starts right from the street. Many of our Wahroonga and Killara projects, include concreting from the council driveway road. 

In Wahroonga and Killara, concrete driveway infrastructure in these places have not been modernised compared with other North Shore areas.

Building our Wahroonga and Killara projects is often from a clean slate. Many Wahroonga and Killara projects need to identify street entrance positioning. As partners with local governments in the North Shore, creating the best concrete driveway road entrance is the first step in building new driveways.

On many occasions there is no street concrete gutter. Before building the road entrance, a new concrete gutter is built so it aligns with the section of the driveway that is inside the boundary.

Concrete layback and gutter works has to be built specifically as the land terrain is hilly and cannot be standardised as in flat areas of Sydney. For Wahroonga driveways, street dimensions where often built with the natural contours and features of the land. North Shore road grading those days was more flexible.

For Killara this meant many streets maintain the hilly topography of the area as road grading machinery was primitive compared with today. This makes Wahroonga and Killara to have completely different street concrete gutters and laybacks for driveways. Concrete on the North Shore is influenced by the topography. 

In Killara, there have been many instances where homes never had a concrete driveway. As there are many steep blocks in Killara, these types of blocks are common for not having a concrete driveway. There was simply no mini excavating machinery at the time. Driveways on the steep blocks were simply built with a gravel driveway. 

Driveways in Killara has slowly developed. Killara homeowners have had to deal with rutted and eroded driveways longer than other North Shore areas.

When we concrete a driveway in Killara on a block for the first time, it has increased home values considerably. Even with the increased home values, it changes so much the way homeowners use their home that many decide not to sell.

As vehicles have become lower over the years, it is safer to concrete as it provides a durable even surface. There have been many instances in Killara where vehicles has bottomed out on a rock boulder. Gravel driveways are being discontinued and being replaced with concrete driveways.

For concrete in Killara, we generally recommend a minimum two and a half metre wide driveway. This width gives sufficient room to navigate your vehicle on slope blocks which is common in Killara.   

Working with Ku-ring-gai Council on concrete driveway projects, we have modernised many driveways and streets. We have improved many sites with our experience concreting in the Ku-ring-gai region. We work with Ku-ring-gai Council to create improved driveway and footpath spaces.

Concrete driveways on the North Shore can sometimes become a mini road building project. Our Wahroonga projects are some of the largest on the North Shore. Wahroonga projects are usually completed after extensive home renovation. The concrete driveway brief is usually to create heritage North Shore concreting styles.

As concrete on the North Shore is a site specific non standardised from of concreting, this requires local North Shore knowledge. Wahroonga is a good example where concrete has varied requirements. 

Wahroonga sites have a high degree of layout variation than most North Shore localities. To complete a concrete driveway design for Wahroonga is to incorporate home location. For Wahroonga this looks at making the grand heritage federation homes of the suburb work with modern road infrastructure.

With the manor style homes of Wahroonga, homes are represented differently to today’s standard. Wahroonga homes can be at the front or rear of blocks. Many homes in the past where self sufficient estates. Driveways did not exist as we know today. Sometimes a heritage gate is the only marker to work with when building a new concrete driveway.      

Building driveways in Wahroonga, requires detailed excavation. As many homes previously had small dams or ponds for irrigation of crops, concrete slab drainage is important for this locality. Driveway excavation may include altering surface runoff away from low spots on the property to prevent flooding. Driveway excavation rectifies past drainage practices.

New concrete driveways usually solves many onsite legacy land uses. For Wahroonga, this can include eliminating gravel footpaths that crisscross each other. Gravel footpaths originally lead to many parts of a block. For example, gravel footpaths led to wells, fruit orchards and out houses. When building a new concrete driveway, gravel footpaths are usually removed. Driveway excavation removes gravel footpaths and incorporates those spaces into the existing landscape.

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Concrete, Pavers or Asphalt. Which is Best?

Building with concrete for a new driveway is a low maintenance choice. The beauty of concrete is that it acts as a continuous one piece strong structure. For paving, individual pavers need to be interlocked with each other to achieve a similar effect. Pavers can shift over time causing an uneven surface. Concrete driveways provide a long term solid surface.

For a driveway this has many advantages. A concrete driveway can handle heavy loads such as vehicles without its shape changing. A driveway constructed out of pavers needs more upkeep to maintain its appearance and utility. Pavers are laid on a sand base; with constant vehicle traffic it is common for pavers to move out of place.

Sand is used to fill the gaps between pavers. Wet weather can wash the sand away and cause messy sand deposits on the drive surface. This eventually makes the pavers to 'rock' when walking or driving over them.

Most Sydney homeowners with paved driveways tell us the decision to replace the driveway with a concrete driveway is the weeds and moss that grow between the pavers.

Many of our concreting projects involve removing existing paved driveways. Paved driveways can get to a stage where it is more cost effective to replace with a concrete driveway than continue with the ongoing maintenance.

Stamped concrete can achieve a brick and stone look similar to pavers. It is a good option if you like the look of a paved driveway but do not want the ongoing maintenance that is involved with a paved driveway.

An asphalt driveway is the other main choice when considering building a new driveway. Asphalt is a tar like petroleum product. With a concrete driveway there are many colours, patterns and finishes available. With an asphalt driveway design choice is limited to a flat finish with black colour as this is the colour of asphalt. With a concrete driveway there are more design options to complement your home and outdoor area.

Asphalt driveways need a regular maintenance schedule. Asphalt driveways need resurfacing and sealing every three to five years to maintain its shape and surface. For a concrete driveway there is minimal maintenance needed. Maintenance of a concrete driveway is easy and involves cleaning the driveway surface if it becomes dirty. To clean a concrete driveway generally all is needed is a wash with the garden hose or use of blower vacuum. Cleaning a concrete driveway is best done when gardening or mowing the lawn as it adds little time to the outdoor upkeep of your home.

With a concrete driveway there are numerous patterns and finishes available to enhance the durability of your driveway. Pavers and asphalt finishes are typically smooth and asphalt needs its top layer sealed or resurfaced to maintain its durability.

A concrete driveway is strong and stable and works well in different climates. Pavers having a smooth finish can be slippery with wet weather. A concrete driveway can be had with numerous textures to provide grip when wet.

With our warm summers in Sydney, fluctuations in temperature can test the longevity of your driveway. A concrete driveway has excellent performance in warm weather. When asphalt heats up, it can flex and become soft. A concrete driveway does not change shape and also stays relatively cool compared with an asphalt driveway. Walking barefoot on a concrete driveway in summer is possible unlike asphalt where it becomes hot and gooey to walk over.

If you use your driveway as a storage space or leave a parked vehicle in one spot for some time, asphalt can sink causing ‘craters’ to develop on your driveway. A concrete driveway is much stronger; it can handle heavy items with ease as steel is used in the concrete to increase strength.

A concrete driveway is a versatile option for your home. A concrete driveway needs minimal upkeep and provides a durable and strong surface for the long term.

- Concreting Sydney