Plain and coloured concrete driveways in Kalkallo

A standard concrete driveway for a family car is a slab at least 100 mm thick on a compacted base, with control joints no more than 3 metres apart and a steady fall so water runs off. In Melbourne a plain slab is listed at $79 to $160 per square metre, and coloured concrete at $100 to $210 per square metre. Kalkallo Concreting passes your enquiry to an independent local concreter, and that business quotes, builds and stands behind the job.

What does a good driveway slab need?

The Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia (CCAA) data sheet on residential concrete driveways and paths is the plainest guide to what a homeowner should expect. The points that matter most on a house block:

• Concrete grade. Most residential paving uses normal class N20 concrete. The data sheet recommends N25 where vehicles between 3 and 10 tonnes use the pavement, such as a caravan, boat trailer or a small truck.
• Thickness. At least 100 mm for vehicles under 3 tonnes gross mass, and at least 150 mm for the 3 to 10 tonne range.
• Mesh. Reinforcing mesh holds cracks tightly closed; it does not add load capacity. It sits in the top half of the slab on bar chairs with at least 30 mm of cover to the surface.
• Joints. Control joints at no more than 3 metre centres, at changes of shape and around pits. Panels should be close to square, with length no more than one and a half times the width.
• Falls. A minimum grade of about 1 in 100 for drainage, and no steeper than 1 in 4 inside the boundary unless a transition is built so cars do not scrape.

Plain or coloured: which suits your block?

Finish	How it is made	Price guide	Worth knowing
Plain broom finish	Grey concrete, broomed across the fall for grip	$79 to $160 per square metre	Lowest cost; shows tyre marks and stains more
Coloured through the mix	Oxide pigment added at the batching plant	$100 to $210 per square metre	Colour runs through the full depth, so chips show less
Exposed aggregate	Surface paste washed off to show stones	$125 to $210 per square metre	See the exposed aggregate driveway guide
Stamped or stencilled	Pattern pressed or sprayed into the surface	$125 to $210 per square metre	Needs a sealer and periodic resealing

Those Melbourne ranges come from a published cost guide verified in October 2026. A national guide from hipages puts a plain driveway at $65 to $85 per square metre and coloured at $75 to $95 per square metre, which shows how much quotes vary by site and supplier. The Kalkallo driveway cost guide explains what moves a quote up or down.

Coloured concrete has one catch the CCAA guide points out: it should not be cured under plastic sheeting, damp sand or wet hessian, because those can leave patchy colour. A chemical curing compound that suits the sealer is the usual answer, so ask what your concreter plans to use.

What will the concreter check before quoting?

Expect questions or a site visit covering:

1. The length, width and shape of the driveway, plus any path that joins it.
2. Levels from the garage slab to the boundary, and where water goes now.
3. What is under the surface: topsoil depth, builder’s fill, and any soft or wet patches.
4. Where the stormwater pits, sewer inspection openings and service lines run.
5. Access for the concrete truck and pump, and whether the nature strip has a street tree.
6. Whether the council vehicle crossing is already built, or needs a permit and a new pour.

On a house built in the last few years, the builder’s soil report and site plan help. If your land contract has estate design guidelines, check what they say about driveway finish and timing before you pick a colour.

What the work involves

The concreter strips topsoil and grass, trims to level, and compacts a crushed rock base. Formwork goes in at the finished height, then mesh on chairs. The pour starts at the low end on a sloping site. After screeding and floating, the surface gets its finish, joints are cut or tooled, and curing starts the same day.

The CCAA guide calls for at least 3 days of curing for light vehicle pavements, by membrane, curing compound or keeping the surface continuously wet. Wetting it twice a day is not enough in hot weather. Keep cars off until the concreter says the slab is ready.

The house slab, drainage and the NCC

A driveway poured hard against the house can cause damp and pest problems. Drawing on the National Construction Code (NCC), the CCAA guide says driveway paving beside a wall should drain away from the house, with the damp-proof course or flashing kept 75 mm or more above the concrete. Paving must not hide the termite inspection zone or cover sub-floor vents without replacement vents. If your driveway has to fall toward the garage, a grated drain across the door opening is the normal fix.

Do you need a permit or a registered builder?

The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) says on its landscaping page that constructing a driveway does not need a building permit. A contract that covers only driveways and paving is not generally domestic building work, so a registered building practitioner is not legally required for that work regardless of price. Add a retaining wall, verandah or fence to the same contract and the position changes; read the BPC page before you combine trades. The part in the road reserve is different again and needs council consent, explained in the vehicle crossing guide.

What a careful concreter will not skip

• Removing topsoil and soft spots instead of pouring over them.
• Setting mesh on chairs, not dragging it up into the wet concrete with a hook.
• Refusing to add water at the truck to make the mix easier to spread.
• Holding off or taking precautions when the forecast is above 30 degrees, which the CCAA guide flags for hot weather work.
• Booking the council inspection before pouring any part in the road reserve.

The Kalkallo angle

Stockland’s Cloverton estate accounts for much of Kalkallo’s new housing, so a common job is a first driveway once a new house is handed over. On those blocks the levels between the garage slab, the footpath and the kerb were set by the builder and the estate, and the driveway has to meet all three. The 2012 Lockerbie planning report places the area in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion. Ask what the concreter expects to find under your topsoil; on highly expansive clay the CCAA guide recommends a non-expansive sub-base, usually about 100 mm thick. See the Kalkallo area page for council and estate notes.

What to do next

Measure the driveway, take photos from the street and from the garage door, and note any pits in the area. Then send the driveway details through the quote form so a local concreter can look at the job.

Send a job enquiry