Cost of new concrete driveway?

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Daydreamer, 2nd Jul, 2016.

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  1. Daydreamer

    Daydreamer Well-Known Member

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    Hi,
    Hoping to get advice on average range of reasonable costs for new concrete driveway in Sydney.
    Job involves excavating existing old concrete driveway & its disposal, and laying new coloured concrete for our side of boundary (not any fancy patterns, just plain concrete) and non-coloured concrete out to council vehicle cross over and layback.
    Driveway is 3 m wide x 5.9 m long on our land, and 3 m x 3.8m over public land.

    What would be a reasonable cost ? I have had only one quote ($9000 including GST) and I got a good impression of the guy and if it is in the ball park, just want to go with someone who seems reliable and was on a list of contractors that the local council had experience with and can recommend in good faith.
    Normally I would try to get 3 quotes, but I have not had much luck with concreter who seem too busy or don't turn up on agreed days to give quote.

    This is for PPOR on the North Shore in Sydney - so want quality job, not necessarily the cheapest but also not excessive. Thank you.
     
  2. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Going by a job we did do, and a job we got priced up bit didn't go ahead (different IP), I think your quote sounds about right. So, if you can find someone who comes recommended, that is the other thing that is important.
     
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  3. Daydreamer

    Daydreamer Well-Known Member

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    Thanks very much for the reply. I have read somewhere else on this forum people referring to around $110 per sqm rate for new concrete driveway. According to that, our driveway would come to around $3,200 cost - but that sounds too cheap ?
     
  4. EN710

    EN710 Well-Known Member

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    @Daydreamer sounds about right re $3200 for new driveway. Doesn't include excavations and removal of old driveway though
     
  5. Phantom

    Phantom Well-Known Member

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    That price per sqm is roughly right. But you need to factor in the demolishing and removal of the old concrete. This can be a significant cost also.
     
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  6. jins13

    jins13 Well-Known Member

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    I am dreading this as I know 2 of my IPs require new concreating completed for the driveway.
     
  7. Daydreamer

    Daydreamer Well-Known Member

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    What is a reasonable estimate for this for an average sized old concrete driveway? Mine is around 29 sqm.

    Also, does coloured concrete add a significant premium to that $110 per sqm guide?
    Does my total quote for the job including excavation and removal of old concrete of $9000 sound reasonable ? The guy said that it would be a minimum 3 day job (again, is that about right?). If the consensus is that the average total cost for replacing old with new concrete driveway is say around the $8000 mark, I am happy to go with this guy who has quoted a bit more. However, if the experienced forum members are saying it ought to be more in the range of $5000-6000 max, then that is a significant difference in cost to that quoted.
     
  8. Phantom

    Phantom Well-Known Member

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    I think it is definitely a 3 day job at the very least. One day for demolition and removal. Another day for ground preparation and formwork. Another day for the actual laying of the concrete. Then they will come back at when the concrete cures to cut the concrete (control joints). So there a fair bit of labour involved.
    The colouring of the concrete depends on what method they will use. They can order the concrete with the colour in it. Or they can lay the plain concrete and then throw the colour on top during the finishing. This method will eventually wear away and expose the plain concrete as only the surface has colour. But most probably will be cheaper.
    I think your best bet is to get another few quotes. This way you will get a clearer idea of the price ranges.
     
  9. Skilled_Migrant

    Skilled_Migrant Well-Known Member

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    42 $ / Sqm - 6 months back (only preparation and leveling, no demolition as a new build), but in Melbourne.
     
  10. drg86

    drg86 Well-Known Member

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    I recently did this exact job on my PPOR. It was 75sqm and cost around $5k all up. I did a bit myself so add maybe $2k for my hours and brings it to about $7k. That's still way under what you have been quoted and mine is 2.5 times bigger.

    Some costs on mine were roughly:
    Excavation $480
    Concrete disposal $140 (7 tonnes)
    Fill disposal $100 ( 1 truck)
    Packing sand $250 (5 cubes)
    Steel mesh/chairs $600
    Labour/formwork/prep $1,000 (plus around $2,000 for my hours)
    Concreters $800 (2 blokes for day)
    Concrete $1900

    If your happy to pay someone 9k I'm tempted to come do it myself haha. Going off my costings it would come in at around $3,000 for your job. But Sydney... triple the rate seems to be the standard.
     
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  11. Daydreamer

    Daydreamer Well-Known Member

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    Thanks everyone - seems like the advice is to get another couple of quotes perhaps as the range seems large. It seems that concreters in Sydney have a lot of work and busy, and so don't seem to keen on coming by to give a quote, and they can't do the job for a month or two because they are apparently that booked out !!

    Does anyone have a concreter that they can recommend? (The job location is Sydney - North Shore).
     
  12. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Without looking up the size of ours, it fit three small cars but did include a set of two concrete stairs and a small besser block wall and a path. I think it was about $12k for all that. It was a more than just a two car driveway I guess.

    Second quote was crossover to a two car pad (pad about 6m x 6m) and that was about $9/10k from memory.

    Both jobs entailed a fair bit of excavation and dumping.

    Edit: We did get a couple of quotes too.
     
    Last edited: 4th Jul, 2016
  13. drg86

    drg86 Well-Known Member

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    I'll PM you the guys I used for the pour. They do all the work but are based on Central Coast, he may travel down just give him a call.
     
  14. RenegadeDom

    RenegadeDom Well-Known Member

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    Would you be able to PM details to me as well, I'm wanting to get a driveway done on the central coast and would like someone who comes recommended. Thanks mate.
     
  15. mikey7

    mikey7 Well-Known Member

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    I'm in Sydney.. I paid $110/sqm for my driveway, which was also stencilled two colours. I'll have to get a pic and upload to show. It's a total of 114sqm.

    They did an awesome job, and levelled it properly as the front of my house is on a slight gradient, and I was putting in a 6.2m electric sliding gate.

    I pulled up the brick driveway myself and sold the bricks on gumtree for ~$300. My neighbour then knew someone who had a bobcat and truck, who helped me remove the concrete underneath the bricks (Only wanted $250 and a carton of beer for almost 2 days work).

    While I had no driveway (just mud while it rained for 2 weeks), I had a couple of different businesses knock on my door asking if I needed someone to do my driveway. They all quoted the same except one which quoted $98/sqm. So I knew the quote was roughly the right going rate.
     
  16. dna4

    dna4 Member

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    I paid mine approx $95 per sqm about two years ago in Sydney.It didn't involve any demolition since there wasn't any driveway when we bought the property and we don't need to do the cross over .They leveled it up and setup the foamwork poured concrete.

    You can see the before and after in my blog : What's matter in life
     
  17. Eugene82

    Eugene82 Well-Known Member

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    Hi Mate,
    Who did you end up using? I'm also on North Shore and have to redo my driveway as it is a muddy mess atm
     
  18. Daydreamer

    Daydreamer Well-Known Member

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    I'm still in middle of the job - recent rain all week meant that the concrete pour could not happen. I'll only know if worth recommending after job is completed.
     
  19. Daydreamer

    Daydreamer Well-Known Member

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    I have had the concrete driveway excavated and awaiting concrete pour tomorrow. A landscaper who came by to look at a paving job for me recommended that I get the Concreter to put in a channel grate just in front of garage door to collect any surface storm water. photo attached.
    do you guys think this is necessary or desirable ? the driveway does very gently slope down towards the crossover/road. not a large gradient but certainly it is not the reverse (i.e. the garage is not lower than the street). obviously it won't be possible to add this once the concrete has been poured. any advice tonight would be much appreciated !
     

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  20. datto

    datto Well-Known Member

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    Bit late now. You can always cut the concrete and add it later. See how she handles it after a good downpour.