Concreters Arcadia

Yes. We build driveways and crossings, shed slabs, hardstand, retaining walls, pool surrounds and outdoor areas for properties in Arcadia and the surrounding district, including Galston, Berrilee, Fiddletown and Dural.

Arcadia is in Hornsby Shire, where council says vehicular crossings may only be built by concrete contractors it has authorised. Ask about this when you get quotes, so the crossing is approved and built to council’s specification.

Yes, and Hornsby Shire is the strictest council in this belt. No work may start without written permission from council, levels are normally issued within five working days, and a vehicular crossing in Hornsby Shire may only be constructed by one of council’s approved Authorised Contractors, who must carry public liability insurance of at least $20 million held for six months.

Concrete of at least 25 MPa at 28 days. A standard residential crossing is 125 mm thick with one layer of SL62 mesh; heavy duty residential is 150 mm with one layer of SL82. Excavation goes to the full depth needed for that thickness, and unsuitable material with a CBR below 5 is replaced with a sub-base of 20 mm fine crushed rock to at least 75 mm. Width is 3.5 to 4.5 metres at the kerbline and 2.5 to 3.5 metres at the boundary, with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%). Council inspects the levels, the formwork and the finished job, with 48 hours notice on the formwork.

Materially. The Hills takes a Vehicular Crossing Request online, asks for the contractor’s details and a copy of their public liability policy at a $10 million minimum, and inspects twice on 24 hours notice. Hornsby wants $20 million held for six months, inspects three times, and restricts who may build the crossing at all. Kenthurst and Annangrove are The Hills; Dural, Middle Dural and Glenorie sit on the boundary and could be either.

It depends on the length, how much excavation and base preparation the ground needs, whether an old surface comes out, the crossing at the road, and the finish. Out here it also depends on the run in, because distance and access change how a pour has to be staged. The accurate number comes from seeing the site, and quotes are free.

The base is what the finished job stands on, and on acreage it is usually where the time goes. Hornsby’s specification is explicit about it: excavation to the full depth required for the thickness, and unsuitable material with a CBR below 5 replaced with a sub-base of 20 mm fine crushed rock to at least 75 mm. Beyond the crossing, a site classification under AS 2870 comes from a geotechnical soil test on your block, not from a suburb map.

Yes. Stable floors, wash bays, feed and tack areas and the hardstand around them are routine work on acreage here. A stable floor has to drain somewhere sensible rather than back toward the building, and the fall on a hardstand matters as much as the slab, because water sitting on it undermines it from the edges.

Yes. Southo Concrete holds NSW contractor licence 398552C and a general construction induction white card, and carries $20 million public and product liability cover plus workers insurance. Certificates of currency are available on request, along with SWMS where a site needs them, and we can complete site inductions as required.

We use high-quality materials and proven construction methods to help ensure our work lasts for 25 years or more. We also use appropriate materials and techniques to control cracking in our slabs, helping to keep it very limited, if not eliminate it altogether. Please note that cracking can be affected by factors outside our control, including ground movement, weather and site conditions.

No. We take on complete jobs — driveways, shed slabs, hardstand, retaining walls, pool surrounds and outdoor areas — where we control the work from excavation through to finish. We don’t do small patch-up repairs.