Earlier this year I visited the homeowner at his amazing property in Tallebudgera Valley. At the time we met to discuss the possibility of replacing his crumbling asphalt driveway with either asphalt again or concrete, which he would possibly engage us to construct.
450m2 is a huge area and a massive outlay, so you want to make sure what you are putting down is going to last and perform in the way you want it to.
So often we visit these types of properties, which are everywhere on the Gold Coast… Dodgy contractors ride in, do a low-quality job that looks good for a year or so, offer a cash price and then they ride off into the sunset, never to answer their phone again! But as the asphalt Gold Coast experts, we've got your back.
There is no doubt, that a well-constructed asphalt driveway will last for a long time, but compared to reinforced concrete, the differences are worlds apart.
After submitting our proposal, many phone calls and discussions were had to put the homeowner's mind at ease and give him confidence that concrete (although a bigger outlay), would be a far better value option in the long run.
THE SCOPE
The existing asphalt driveway had to be removed. There were truckloads of asphalt to take away and dumping is expensive as there are limited places that will accept it. The most cost-effective option was to take away by skip bin.
Re-grading to the correct levels and compaction of the sub-base was needed throughout.
Areas were extended to create better driving conditions upon entry and exiting the property including removal of the kerb to the street to council specs.
THE EXECUTION
Day 1 & 2
A combination of excavator and bobcat was used to lift the existing asphalt and transport it to the front of the property to be placed in skip bins for removal.
New levels were set, and some damaged concrete was replaced beside his shed pad. Concrete kerb was removed at the street.
New concrete was formed and the sub-base was topped up and compacted. Steel reinforcing was then placed, tied and chaired ready for the concrete to be laid.
As the machinery was onsite, some grading and shaping was done to the large drainage swale running through the base of the property. Truckloads of silt and rubble had built up over time and it was the perfect opportunity to have this work completed while we were on-site.
This ended up coming at no additional cost to the owner as we had worked our way through the rest of the works in such a good time... A win for all!
Day 3 & 4
Because of the size of the pour and access for the concrete pump, the concrete was placed in two pours.
The pump was set up halfway up the driveway to reach the very top. With the boom fully extended, several lines were needed to reach the start of the pour.
On day 2 of the pour, the concrete was tied into the neighbour's asphalt driveway entrance and some custom forming and finishing was done to shape into the stormwater pipe running under the driveway.
Both pours went very well as a result of good planning and the right team!
Day 5
All formwork was stripped, all additional expansion cutting was completed and a full site clean was completed.
THE RESULT
All in all the project came up fantastic. 450m2 of asphalt, removed and replaced completely... Monday start, completed by Friday!
The homeowners were absolutely over the moon with their new driveway and we were stoked to be a part of it.
Do you or a friend have a similar project they need help with? We would love to hear from you.
This is rural concrete... DONE RIGHT.
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