New and replacement driveways
A new driveway for a new build, or a replacement where the old one has cracked, lifted or sunk. Replacements include removing the old concrete and preparing the base again before we pour.
Get a quote for your drivewayConcrete driveways
Concrete Driveways Hawkesbury & Hills
A cheap driveway and a good one look the same on the day they’re poured. The difference is underneath: the base, the reinforcement and the falls that carry water away. We do all of that properly, then finish it plain, exposed aggregate or coloured, so you get a driveway that still looks right years from now.
Recent job: exposed aggregate driveway, Pitt Town
On this page
- LicensedNSW concreting contractor, lic. 398552C
- $20m insuredPublic and product liability, plus workers insurance
- 13+ yearsHands-on in the concreting trade
- 120+ projectsCompleted across the Hawkesbury and Hills
- 5.0 on Google10+ five-star reviews
Who builds concrete driveways in the Hawkesbury and Hills?
Southo Concrete is a licensed concreting contractor building concrete driveways across the Hawkesbury, the Hills District and surrounding suburbs. We build new driveways, replacements, council crossovers and long acreage driveways, in plain, coloured or exposed aggregate, and we do the excavation and base preparation ourselves before pouring.
- Service
- Concrete driveways: new, replacement, crossovers and long acreage driveways
- Finishes
- Plain, coloured (including charcoal), exposed aggregate, stamped and stencilled
- Includes
- Excavation, base preparation, formwork, reinforcement, pour, finish and joint cutting
- Experience
- 13+ years in the concreting trade, 120+ projects completed
- Areas
- Hills District and Hawkesbury, from Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills to Pitt Town, Kurrajong and the acreage belt
- Approvals
- Crossovers need council approval. We supply the contractor details your application needs
- Quotes
- Free, on site, with a reply within 24 hours. Call 0468 491 882
What’s included in a driveway
Most of the work on a driveway happens before the concrete arrives. This is what we do on every one, and what to check for in any quote you compare.
Excavation and base
The old surface comes out, the ground is dug to depth and levelled, and a compacted base is prepared. On reactive clay soils, which cover much of the Hills District, this is the part that decides how the slab performs.
Soil reference: NSW Government soil landscape mapping for the Cumberland Plain
Formwork and falls
Edges and levels are set, including the fall that carries water off the driveway rather than towards the house or garage.
Reinforcement
Steel is placed to suit the loads the driveway will carry. A driveway that takes a caravan, a boat trailer or a truck is not the same job as one that takes two cars.
The pour and finish
Concrete is placed, screeded and finished in the finish you’ve chosen, whether that’s plain, coloured, stamped, stencilled or washed back to expose the aggregate.
Joints and edges
Control joints are cut so the slab cracks where it’s meant to, and the edges are finished off.
Crossover and clean-up
The crossover between the kerb and your boundary is built to council specification along with the driveway, then the site is cleaned up.
Compare any quote against this list. If a stage isn’t in it, ask what it will cost later.
Call 0468 491 882
Types of driveway we build
Driveways and crossovers
The crossover is the section between the road and your boundary, and it sits on council land. We build it with the driveway so the two match, and supply the contractor details your council application needs.
Residential concreting
Long acreage driveways
Driveways that run from the road to the house on rural blocks, often needing clearing, earthworks and retaining before any concrete goes in. We do those ourselves rather than sending you to an earthmoving contractor first.
Acreage driveways
Decorative driveways
Exposed aggregate, coloured, stamped and stencilled concrete for driveways that are on show from the street. Same preparation underneath, different surface on top.
Decorative concreteDriveway finishes
Every finish goes on the same preparation underneath. What changes is the look, the texture and how it sits with the house.
Plain concrete
A clean, light grey finish that suits most homes and lets the house and garden do the talking.
Broom finish driveway, Kurrajong Heights
Coloured concrete
Colour mixed through the concrete, like the charcoal driveways we’ve built at Grose Wold and Lower Macdonald. A darker finish that sits well against brick and timber.
Burnished charcoal driveway, Grose Wold
Exposed aggregate
The surface is washed back to show the stones in the mix, giving a textured, natural finish.
Exposed aggregate driveway, Winston HillsWhat affects the cost of a driveway?
There’s no single price for a concrete driveway. These are the things that move the number, and the ones we look at when we quote.
- SizeThe area in square metres, and the width, since a double driveway needs more of everything than a single.
- What’s there nowWhether an old driveway has to come out, and whether it can be broken up on site or has to be carted away.
- ExcavationHow much digging and levelling the site needs. A flat, prepared block is very different from a sloping one.
- AccessWhether the truck can reach the pour, or whether a pump or barrows are needed.
- Ground conditionsReactive clay, fill or soft ground changes the base preparation and the reinforcement the slab needs.
- ReinforcementWhat the driveway has to carry. A caravan, boat or truck needs more than two cars.
- FinishPlain, coloured and exposed aggregate are priced differently.
- CrossoverWhether the council crossover is part of the job, and what the council requires there.
- DrainageWhether a channel drain or extra falls are needed to move water away.
Call for a free quote
Tell us the size, the site and the finish you’re after, and we’ll talk you through what the job involves.
Our customer reviews
What customers say about their new driveways.
Recent driveways
Every photo on this page is a Southo job.
Driveway FAQs
Anything else, call 0468 491 882.
How much does a concrete driveway cost?
It depends on the size and width, whether an old driveway has to come out, how much excavation and base preparation the site needs, access for the truck, the reinforcement required, the finish you choose, and whether a council crossover is part of the job. Those factors move the number more than the concrete itself does, so the accurate figure comes from seeing the site. Quotes are free.
What’s the difference between plain, coloured and exposed aggregate?
Plain concrete is a clean, light grey finish. Coloured concrete has colour mixed through it, such as charcoal, for a darker look. Exposed aggregate has the surface washed back to show the stones in the mix, giving a textured finish. All three go on the same preparation underneath.
Do I need council approval for a driveway?
You need council approval for the crossover, the section between the road and your property boundary, because that’s on council land. Councils publish their own driveway specifications and application process, and the application asks for your contractor’s details, so book your concreter before you apply.
Do you do stamped or stencilled driveways?
Yes. Stamped concrete has a pattern pressed into the surface while it’s still wet, and stencilled concrete uses a stencil to lay a pattern, such as a tile or cobblestone look, into the finish. Both go on the same base preparation as a plain driveway.
What does your driveway quote include?
A breakdown of every stage: excavation and base preparation, formwork, reinforcement, the pour and finish, joints and clean-up, plus any removal or crossover work the job needs. Nothing is lumped into one figure, so you can compare it line by line against any other quote you get.
Can you replace an existing driveway?
Yes. We remove the old concrete, prepare the base again and pour the new driveway. The quote breaks the job down stage by stage, removal included, so you can see exactly what you’re paying for.
Why do driveways crack?
Concrete shrinks slightly as it cures and moves with the ground underneath it, so control joints are cut to make it crack in straight lines where they’re placed rather than randomly across the slab. Reactive clay soils, common across the Hills District, move more with moisture, which is why the base preparation and reinforcement matter.
We use appropriate materials and techniques to control cracking in our slabs, helping to keep it very limited, if not eliminate it altogether. Cracking can still be affected by factors outside our control, including ground movement, weather and site conditions.
How long will a concrete driveway last?
We use high-quality materials and proven construction methods to help ensure our work lasts for 25 years or more. How long any driveway lasts depends on what goes in underneath it, which is why the base preparation and reinforcement matter more than the concrete itself.
Do you build long driveways on acreage?
Yes. We build long driveways on rural and acreage blocks, including the clearing, excavation and retaining that usually has to happen first. See rural and acreage concreting.
Which areas do you build driveways in?
Across the Hills District and the Hawkesbury, including Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, Cherrybrook, West Pennant Hills, Pitt Town, Windsor, Kurrajong and the acreage suburbs around Dural, Kenthurst and Galston.
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Accuracy note
Soil and council information on this page is general and was correct at the date checked against the sources named above. Rules change and every site is different — confirm your own situation with Hawkesbury City Council, The Hills Shire Council or a registered certifier. This is not advice for a specific property. Spotted something out of date? Email southoconcrete2@outlook.com.
