Slabline Concreting Co. Concrete Driveways
A driveway is the slab that takes a car every day, and it lives or dies on the base and the reo under it. We pour on a compacted base with the thickness and the mesh sized to the site classification, not a one-size slab over loose fill, because a driveway that cracks and lifts is a base and reo problem, not bad luck. Priced honestly by the m², with the crossover sorted to the council spec.
What this job includes.
- ✓New driveways and replacements, poured on a compacted base
- ✓Thickness and mesh sized to the site classification, 100 mm SL72 as standard
- ✓Crossovers built to the council spec, with the permit sorted
- ✓Plain, exposed-aggregate, coloured and honed finishes to suit the look
- ✓Control joints cut so the slab cracks where we choose, not across the middle
A driveway lives or dies on what is under it
A concrete driveway looks like a finish job and is actually a base job. A slab poured straight onto loose fill, or onto a base that was not compacted and graded properly, will crack and lift inside three summers no matter how nice the broom finish was on handover day. We dig down, compact a crushed-rock sub-base to depth, and only then lay reo and pour. The thickness, the mesh and the MPa on the quote all come off the site classification, not a flat rate.
What changes when the soil is reactive clay
Most of Geelong sits on basalt-derived reactive clay that shrinks in summer and swells in winter. A 100 mm slab over SL72 mesh that suits stable ground is the slab that fails on a reactive Highton or Belmont block. We step the thickness up to 125 to 150 mm, drop to SL82 mesh, and run bars in the edge beams where the slab carries a vehicle every day. The classification under AS 2870 sets all of it; we do not guess and we do not copy the last job.
What an itemised driveway quote includes
- The area in m², the slab thickness, and the finish (broom, exposed, coloured), each named
- The site classification (Class A through E) and what it sets for thickness, mesh and footing edges
- The mesh gauge (SL72 or SL82) and any reo bars in the edges
- The mix supplier (Boral, Hanson, Holcim) and the strength (N25 or N32), named on the page
- The compacted sub-base depth and the crushed-rock material
- The control-joint pattern, sawcut and sealed
- The cure protocol, the safe-to-drive date, and the crossover and council permit if a vehicle crossing is part of the scope
- The 10-year slab and footings warranty in writing
Two quotes for “a 60 m² driveway” can be five thousand dollars apart and still both be honest, because one of them is naming a thinner slab and lighter mesh than the soil wants. The line items above are how you compare the same slab to the same slab.
Priced by the m², itemised line by line.
The m² and thickness, the site classification, the mesh and reo, the MPa, the base prep, the finish, control joints, and the guarantee. Not one round number for a slab.
- 1 Square metres and thickness. The price broken down by the m² and the slab thickness, 100 mm for a standard driveway, stepped up for reactive soil or vehicles. Not one round number for "a slab".
- 2 The site classification (AS 2870). The site classification, Class A through E, that the slab and footings are designed to. This is the line a cheap quote skips, and it is what decides whether the slab cracks or holds.
- 3 The mesh and reo. The mesh and reo named and sized, SL72 or SL82 and any bars, set to the soil classification or the loads the slab carries, never a one-size slab over loose fill.
- 4 The MPa and slump (AS 3600 / AS 1379). The concrete strength in MPa and the slump, ordered to AS 1379 and placed to AS 3600. "Concrete" with no strength named is the warning sign, not the number.
- 5 Base prep and vapour barrier. The excavation, the compacted base, and the vapour barrier under a habitable slab, each itemised, never a pour straight onto loose fill that lets damp through later.
- 6 The finish and sealing. The finish named, broom, exposed aggregate, coloured or honed, and the sealing on a decorative slab, so you know exactly what surface you are getting and what it costs.
- 7 Control joints and the guarantee. The control joints cut at the right spacing so it cracks on the line, and the 10-year guarantee on the slab and footings in writing, with the AS 2870 paperwork where the slab is structural.
What happens, step by step.
Free measure and set-out
We measure the area, check the soil and the falls, mark out the slab and talk through the finish and the spec, then put a written by-the-m² quote in your hands.
Excavate to depth
We strip the topsoil and excavate to the right depth for the slab, the falls and the soil, and cart the spoil away, so the slab sits on solid ground and drains the way it should.
Compacted base and vapour barrier
We bring in and compact the road base in layers, then lay the vapour barrier under a habitable slab and lap it at the joins, because a slab is only as good as what is under it.
Form up and place the mesh and reo
We set the formwork to the line and the falls, then place the mesh and any reo on chairs to the design, so the steel sits in the slab, not on the ground.
Pour and finish
We pour the concrete to the named strength, screed it to level, and work the finish, broom, exposed aggregate, coloured or honed, the way you signed off on the quote.
Cure and cut control joints
We cure the slab so it reaches its strength instead of drying out and cracking, cut the control joints at the right spacing, seal a decorative finish, and hand over the guarantee in writing.
The paperwork behind the price.
Public liability to $20M, and a 10-year slab & footings, all in writing, all on request.
We hold a Victorian Building Authority registration for the structural slab and footing work in Victoria, and we carry public liability insurance, so you are covered on site. House and shed slabs are designed to AS 2870 off a real site classification, and the concrete is supplied to AS 3600 and AS 1379 at a named strength. The guarantee is a 10-year written guarantee on the slab and footings, the part that cracks and heaves first, plus the manufacturer materials warranty on the genuine mix and the sealer. All in writing, with exclusions named.
Concrete Driveways: common questions.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
How long until I can drive on a new driveway?
Do you do the crossover to the road as well?
Can you match or extend my existing driveway?
Get a free, itemised quote you can actually read.
Tell us what you need. We’ll book a walkthrough and send a quote with the work itemised, not just a number.