Guide rates, per square metre, supplied and laid
Concrete driveway cost in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie
Every figure on this page is built from the same three rates and one add-on that every other page on this site uses. Budget from them, then have the driveway measured for the price that counts.
Exposed aggregate
$130 to $185
per m²Coloured concrete
$115 to $160
per m²Plain concrete
$95 to $130
per m²The rate card
| Work | Per m² |
|---|---|
| Plain concrete driveway | $95 to $130 |
| Coloured concrete driveway | $115 to $160 |
| Exposed aggregate driveway | $130 to $185 |
| Removing the old driveway first | add about $35 |
| Paths | $90 to $130 |
| Shed and garage slabs | $110 to $150 |
| Patios and alfresco | $100 to $180 |
The rates on this site are published so you can budget before anyone visits. Your price is the figure written on the quote once the site has been measured. Rates are for Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and are unconfirmed until the concreter attached to this site confirms them.
Eight driveways, worked
| Job | Area | Rate | Guide range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single driveway, plain | 36 m² | $95 to $130 | $3,420 to $4,680 |
| Single driveway, exposed aggregate | 36 m² | $130 to $185 | $4,680 to $6,660 |
| Double driveway, plain | 60 m² | $95 to $130 | $5,700 to $7,800 |
| Double driveway, coloured | 60 m² | $115 to $160 | $6,900 to $9,600 |
| Double driveway, exposed aggregate | 60 m² | $130 to $185 | $7,800 to $11,100 |
| Double replaced, plain, old slab out | 60 m² | $130 to $165 | $7,800 to $9,900 |
| Double replaced, exposed, old slab out | 60 m² | $165 to $220 | $9,900 to $13,200 |
| Widening strip beside a single, plain | 18 m² | $95 to $130 | $1,710 to $2,340 |
A single driveway around here is usually 30 to 45 m², a double 50 to 80 m². Measure yours from the garage door to the kerb, times the width, and the calculator below does the rest.
What moves a driveway price
- Area. Crew, truck and day cost roughly the same whether the pour is 20 m² or 40 m², which puts small jobs high in the range per square metre. Pouring the side path or the shed slab on the same day brings the rate down.
- Access. If the truck can chute into the formwork, good. If it cannot, a pump or barrows are added after the measure.
- Ground. Clay across the inland suburbs holds water and needs more base than the sand near Merewether or Belmont. A block dropping away from the street needs cutting, filling or a thickened edge.
- Finish. Exposed aggregate sits above coloured and coloured above plain, and within exposed the stone choice stretches the gap.
- The crossing. Between your boundary and the kerb the council sets the thickness, 100 mm minimum in Newcastle and 125 mm in Lake Macquarie, and says which finishes it will take. The Section 138 guide has both.
- What is there now. Breaking out an old driveway adds about $35 per m².
Comparing two quotes
Two straight quotes on one driveway can sit a third apart because each describes a different slab. Have each one state thickness, mesh, concrete strength, base, joint spacing, what the crossing will be and who handles the council application, then read them against the specification. The lowest figure is usually the thinnest slab or the one that leaves the crossing out.
Calculator
Price your own driveway
Length, width, finish, and whether an old slab has to come out. The full calculator page explains what sits behind each number.
Guide range
$3,420 to $4,680
36 m² at $95 to $130 per m², supplied and laid
The rates on this site are published so you can budget before anyone visits. Your price is the figure written on the quote once the site has been measured.
Have it measured and quotedStraight answers
Cost questions
What does a concrete driveway cost per m² in Newcastle?
Exposed aggregate $130 to $185 per square metre supplied and laid, coloured $115 to $160, plain concrete $95 to $130. Taking an existing driveway out first adds around $35 per square metre. The rates on this site are published so you can budget before anyone visits. Your price is the figure written on the quote once the site has been measured.
Why is the price a range rather than one number?
Because six things move a driveway inside its range and none of them shows in a photo: the area, since a crew and a truck cost the same for a small pour as a large one; how close the truck can get; what the ground needs before concrete goes on it; the finish and the stone chosen; the council crossing, which is thicker than the rest; and whether an old slab has to come out.
Is the council application fee in these rates?
No. Lake Macquarie City Council calculates its Minor Public Works fee inside the application and City of Newcastle does not publish a Type 1 fee on the pages this site could read. Neither is part of a per square metre rate unless a quote says it is, so ask.
Is a concrete pump extra?
Where the truck can chute straight into the formwork, no pump is needed. Where it cannot, on a battleaxe lot or a block that drops away from the street, a pump or barrowing is priced into the written quote. Mention access when you enquire and the first figure will be closer to the last.