The first question almost everyone asks is what a new driveway is going to cost. It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that no two driveways are priced the same. Two homes on the same street can come in at very different figures, because the job is different under the surface. Rather than quote you a number that means nothing, here is a plain rundown of what actually drives the cost of a concrete driveway, so you know what you are paying for before you ask for a price.
The size and shape of the area
This is the obvious one. A bigger driveway uses more concrete, more steel and more labour, so it costs more. But shape matters too. A long straight run is quicker to form up and pour than the same area broken into curves, garden cutouts and a turning bay. Awkward shapes take longer in the formwork stage, and that time shows up in the price.
How much prep the ground needs
What sits under the slab has a big say in the final figure. A flat, stable block that just needs a tidy up is the cheapest start. A sloped Moreton Bay block, soft or reactive soil, or an area that needs to be cut and filled to get the levels right, all add work before a single bag of cement is opened.
Good prep is not the place to save money. The slab is only as good as the base beneath it, so we do the excavation and compaction properly. It is the part you never see once the job is done, and it is the part that decides whether the driveway is still crack-free in ten years.
Removing the old driveway
If there is already a slab in the way, it has to come out before the new one goes in. Breaking up old concrete, loading it and carting it off is a job in itself, and the thicker or more reinforced the old slab, the more it adds. If you are pouring over bare ground with nothing to remove, you save that step entirely. We handle removal and replacement as one job, so the site is left clean and ready.
The finish you choose
A plain grey slab is the most affordable finish. From there, the cost climbs with the look. A coloured or broomed finish adds a little. A stencilled or stamped pattern adds more. Exposed aggregate sits at the higher end, because washing back the surface and selecting the stone takes extra time and material.
None of these are wrong choices. They are just different price points for a different look, and we will price the finishes you are weighing up so you can see the gap for yourself rather than guess at it.
Reinforcement and slab thickness
A driveway that only sees a couple of family cars does not need the same build as one a loaded trailer or a work truck will use. Heavier use means a thicker slab and more steel reinforcement through it, and both add to the cost. We match the thickness and the steel to how you will actually use the driveway, so you are not paying for an industrial slab you will never load up, and not under-building one that will crack under the weight.
Site access
The last factor catches people by surprise. If the concrete truck can pump or chute straight onto the area, the pour is quick and efficient. If access is tight, the slab is up the back, or the concrete has to be barrowed a long way, that is more labour on the day. A clear, open frontage keeps the cost down. A narrow side run or a steep approach pushes it up.
Getting a real figure for your place
The only way to know what your driveway will cost is to have someone look at the actual site. The size, the ground, the access and the finish all sit in front of us when we measure up, and that is what lets us give you a figure you can trust instead of a ballpark that shifts the moment we arrive.
We have been pouring driveways across North Brisbane and the Moreton Bay Region since 1985, and we are QBCC licensed (1096727). You can see the finishes and options on our concrete driveways page, and the full range of what we do across the region on our North Brisbane concreters page.
Get a free, no-obligation quote and we will come out, measure up, and give you an honest price with the timings to match.
