Case Study: Pouring A Concrete Driveway

Stenciling technique

With a new baby just 4 weeks away, a new driveway was a must for Al and his wife, Jackie.

While a new driveway is not typically at the top of the wish list for parents-to-be (think cots, car seats and rockers instead) this seemingly odd request actually made a lot of sense. “It’s impossible to push a stroller up a gravel driveway,” explains Al – a huge issue considering the couple’s existing gravel driveway was the main access route to the house.

Al decided a concrete driveway was the solution to this problem and listed the job on ServiceSeeking.com.au “I’d heard about the site so decided to give it a go,” he tells. Al was impressed with the great response he received, with a total of 5 businesses expressing interest in the job. A handful of these businesses then came to inspect the site to give a more accurate quotation.

After recently completing renovations and a sizeable home extension, Al is definitely no stranger to dealing with tradesmen so knew exactly what he was looking for and how much he expected to pay. “I ended up selecting Platinum Concreting Services,” he tells, expanding “they offered a mid-range quote that I thought was fair,” he tells.

However, Al didn’t hire on face value alone and did some research of his own before committing to the business. “I checked they were licensed and visited a job they were doing in Balmain to observe how they worked and check the cleanliness of the site,” he reveals. Al was impressed with what he saw so decided the proceed with the job.

Platinum Concreting Services had been registered on ServiceSeeking.com.au for just 2 weeks so owner Grant was excited to win the work. Unbelievably, the job wasn’t the first but the second one they’d been awarded through the site – amazing results for such a short amount of time. “We’ve quoted on about 15 and won 2 so far,” Grant says. You can’t complain about those odds!

While Al knew he wanted a stencilled concrete driveway he was unsure as to which pattern would best suit his home’s beautiful sandstone touches, so Grant and his team were able to make some recommendations. After they’d nutted out the finer details, Platinum Concreting Services got to work excavating the site with a bob cat, removing 10 tonnes of gravel.

We arrived on the site the following day to observe the pouring of the concrete. I was amazed to see the massive amount of work involved. A team of 4 men worked tirelessly throughout the morning, pouring and smoothing out 10 cubic metres of concrete.

Getting ready to pour second section

Despite the physically-demanding work (although it was made to look effortless, I’m told that each pull of the roller weighed 80 kilograms) the team bought a sense of humour to the site, teasing me when I called the big mixer delivering the concrete a “vegitator.” “A vegitator? Isn’t that someone who doesn’t move off the couch,” they laughed (for the record the correct term is agitator!)

After the paper stencilling is laid, the driveway is sprinkled with sandstone colourant to help it blend with the home’s sandstone features. The next step involves literally “watching the concrete dry” – there’s nothing else to be done until the concrete reaches 12 MPa (a unit of pressure) which takes around 24 hours. The third and final day is spent saw cutting and sealing the driveway.

Al couldn’t be happier with the with his new concrete driveway – and of course ServiceSeeking.com.au for putting him in touch with Platinum Concreting Services in the first place. Not only will the driveway provide a “smooth ride” for the new baby, it looks right at home alongside his leafy North Shore residence. The new 100sqm driveway can accommodate 6-8 cars, however, Al has plans to use the extra space for his yacht which has spent years locked away in an inaccessible garage.

When asked if he has any further home improvement plans, Al says the “man can’ is next on the hit list. “Now that we’re basically finished with tradesmen traipsing around we’d like to renovate the outside toilet,” he says. And after such a positive experience, he might just post the project on ServiceSeeking.com.au!

Almost there!

Home Makeover: Cement Rendering

Want to have the best dressed house on your street? Rendering is a quick, easy and cost-efficient way of giving your home’s daggy ’80s facade a modern makeover.

When we think about updating our homes it’s normally all about the fun interior reno stuff, with little thought given to the all-important exterior. We’ve all heard the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but we all know that people do anyway, so presenting a home with loads of street appeal is abolutely crucial.

Whether you’re renovating to sell, wanting to add capital or just looking for a nice change, you should consider rendering your home. Giving your abode a lovely refreshed look, a rendered home gives visitors (or potential buyers) a great first impression – that’s hopefully long-lasting.

What’s involved?

To help you understand the rendering process (and so you know what your concreter is up to) we’ve detailed the basic steps involved:

• Clean all surfaces (preferably with a high pressure hose)
• Prepare the cement render mixture (a combination of sand, cement, plaster, water, bycol and colouring)
• Use a trowel to render the surface (aim for 10mm thickness)
• Smooth the surface with a sponge float as it drys (1-2 hours after application)
• Paint

Leave it to the experts

While D.I.Y rendering is possible, there are lots of things that can go wrong. “Trowelling” the technique used to apply render, is a real skill and not something that can be picked up easily by at-home amateurs. Put quite simply, if render isn’t put on flat it will fall off. Fixing a dodgy rendering job can be an extremely costly exercise and to prevent excessive cracking  it sometimes needs to be completely redone.

So, make sure you consider the pros and cons carefully before going down the DIY path – or, for guaranteed peace of mind call in the experts!

List your rendering job now.

How Much Does Concreting Cost?

At an average of $3,855 per job, cement rendering is a relatively inexpensive way of instantly improving your home’s facade – and street appeal. If you’re an owner/builder a concreter is also necessary to lay the foundations of your home, as well as pour your concrete driveway.

The average cost of a concrete slab is $3,796, while it costs an average of $2,868 to pour a driveway. It’s a good idea to have your driveway poured prior to the commencement of building works so building materials can be easily transferred to and from the site. The concrete pump is often not included in the total price and can add an extra $600.

How To Pour A Concrete Driveway

Building a driveway seems simple enough. Surely, it’s just a case of mixing and pouring some concrete? In reality, pouring a concrete driveway can be an extremely delicate – and physically demanding – process with multiple steps. Paul Coplick from Coppo’s Concreting details exactly what’s involved.

1. Application
   Lodge an application with your local council. Once your plans have been approved, work can commence.
2. Excavation
   If the site hasn’t been “prepped”, a bobcat or excavator may be needed to level the site prior to pouring. Pack the excavation with fill such as gravel and sand to allow drainage.
3. Prep area
   Wooden boxing should be set out to hold the concrete into place as it dries.
4. Reinforce
   Steel F72 mesh is rolled out over the area to reinforce the driveway.
5. Concrete
   Whether you’ve chosen exposed, plain, colour or stencil finish, for a standard driveway a 25MPa concrete mix should be poured evenly and be 100mm to 120mm thick.
6. Expansion Joints
   As soon as the driveway is hard enough some expansion joints should be saw cut to prevent driveway from cracking excessively.
7. Cleanup
   This is an essential part of good customer service so this step must not be skipped!

   List your concrete driveway project now.

The Mighty Retaining Wall

Most walls are built with a purpose in mind. The mother of all walls – The Great Wall Of China – was built to protect the nation from the invasion of Mongolian tribes (and not to keep the rabbits out as one popular TV ad suggests), while the other famous wall – that one in Berlin – was erected to stop East Germans from accessing West Germany during the Cold War. Pretty important stuff.

So what’s the purpose of a retaining wall? While obviously on a MUCH smaller scale than the previous examples, a well-executed retaining wall can become your own backyard “wonder”. It’s time to think globally and act locally – your home will thank you for it.

As level building sites become harder and harder to find, retaining walls are needed to level out land for construction. “Cut and fill” – a technique whereby a slope is cut, all material is removed from the area and then used as fill – is a popular way of solving this problem.

However, if the soil is deemed unsuitable you will need to pay to have new “fill” imported and the old stuff removed, making a retaining wall seem like a cheaper and worthwhile alternative. A well-positioned and crafted wall effectively retains soil and helps prevent erosion.

Key components of a “mighty” retaining wall include:

• Structural stability
• Durability
• Provision of drainage

Drainage is an important aspect of a well built retaining wall. Although designed to take soil pressure, high water pressure is a different story. A build up of water behind the wall can cause sliding or rotation.

Concrete is the perfect material choice for your retaining wall. It is able to withstand constant exposure to soil and the elements – both wet and dry conditions – is resistant to termites and does not rot. Of course concrete is not the only suitable retaining wall material; sandstone, limestone and other stone blocks are also extremely popular choices.

Steps to achieving your retaining wall:

1. Check with your local council to find out if planning approval is required, this varies and depends on wall height and drainage provisions. Minor low-rise retaining walls of around 600mm shouldn’t need approval.
2. Familiarise yourself with the soil type and slope of the site, so concreting businesses are able to determine what method of retaining wall will work best for your site.
3. Decide on the desired height and length of your wall.
4. List your retaining wall job on ServiceSeeking.com.au
5. Pick a quote.

Concrete Floor: Recycle And Be Rewarded

Looking to smarten up your home of investment property with a cheap reno job? A couple of tweaks here and there can make a massive difference to the overall look of a home, and can go a long way in increasing your rental return. New flooring is at the top of this list.

If you’re tired of seeing the same old polished timber floor and are after something a little different, then it’s time to think outside the square. Many people don’t realise the solution to their unique-but-inexpensive flooring dilemma is right under their noses – or feet! Once they peel back their stained carpet or ripped lino floor, hey presto, they’ve found their answer – in the form of a concrete floor!

With a good polish and a couple of licks of gloss, a restored concrete floor proves that something old can easily be new again. Perhaps this “back to basics” mentality is the reason homeowners are taking to this trend so eagerly. In addition to the instant edginess and inherent urban grittiness a concrete floor affords a space, it also makes lots of financial sense.

Why would you buy a truckload of new materials, when you already have a perfectly good untapped resource just waiting to be revived? Concrete floor quotes start from as little as $66 per square metre, which doesn’t stack up too badly against timber floors which cost around the same.

And we haven’t even touched on the durability of a concrete floor – which is unsurprisingly, exceptional – after all it is concrete! If sealed correctly a concrete floor is a lot harder to scratch and is more stain resistant than floorboards, making it the perfect option for the wear and tear of family life or the ever-revolving door of a rental property. Most scratches are only in the sealed top layer so can easily be removed with a simple mop.

For various reasons (such as substantial cracking) not every concrete floor qualifies for a makeover, so it’s best to check with an expert before you get too ahead of yourself. But remember, if your existing floor isn’t suitable you can always start from scratch with a brand new concrete slab. The options are endless!

BENEFITS OF A CONCRETE FLOOR

• Looks Good and Versatile – available in a range of colours and finishes
• Durable – more scratch and stain resistant than timber floors
• Non Allergenic – easily cleaned, doesn’t hold dust mites like carpet
• Cost Effective – often low or no material costs, price start from $66 p/sqm

Featured Concreting Business

We spoke to Brett from Concreting QLD about how he uses ServiceSeeking.com.au to win new clients for his concreting business.

What does your business do?

We do all kinds of concreting. We specialise in pattern concrete and do a lot of spray on concreting. We’ve been doing a lot of decorative stuff recently too.

On how many jobs have you quoted?

Close to a hundred.

How many new customers have you won?

We win about half the jobs we quote on. Our conversion rate has been really good; so maybe 40 to 50.

Is ServiceSeeking.com.au successful in winning you work?

The value of the jobs has ranged from $600 to $20000. In total we’ve won in excess of $100 000. The majority of our work has come from ServiceSeeking.com.au recently, so yeah it’s been really successful.

What other types of marketing does your business do?

We have used the Gold Coast Bulletin, the local paper which was ok. It’s been ok for getting that really local work but in terms of dollar value it wasn’t worth it. We also have a subscription to True Local as well.

How do they compare to ServiceSeeking.com.au

Well right now we’ve been concentrating on ServiceSeeking.com.au because that has been the most useful thing in generating work for our business.

Any tips for new businesses?

I think it’s important to give the client as much info as possible. You’ve got to know as much information as possible too before you place a quote. So make sure you ask for info and give the customer a quote that you can stick to. You’ve got to do the right thing by customers; so be upfront and don’t hit them with additional charges. Of course it’s also important to do good work.

Brett’s return on advertising spending is phenomenal! According to these stats, he’s spent about $1,000 in credits (100+ quotes at 10 credits each quote) to win more than $100 grand in new work! That’s $100 in business for every dollar spent with us.