FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How thick will the concrete be?
2. Do we need steel mesh reinforcement?
3. What are the chances of cracking?
4. Is there any guarantee on the concrete?
5. Do we need soak wells?
6. What sort of finish do we get?
7. Concrete versus brick pavers, what is better?
8. How long will the job take?
9. When can we walk/drive on the concrete?
10. What happens after we accept the online quote?

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1. How thick will the concrete be?
We work with a standard thickness of 100mm for vehicle areas (carports, driveways etc.) and 85mm for foot traffic only areas. If you want to park heavy vehicles on your concrete, 120-150mm is recommended.

2. Do we need steel mesh reinforcement?
Since recently we have decided to use steel mesh in every job. If you do not want it for whatever reason, that is up to you. We will take it off your price, but our standard is that it is included in your quote. We have found through experience that it brings down the number of cracking problems, it just makes your concrete stronger. And especially with decorative concrete, the few dollars extra per m2 is well worth protecting your investment. Please read the next question regarding this.

3. What are the chances of cracking?
We guarantee that your concrete will crack, that is why we put control joints in (cuts) to ‘guide’ the cracks into the designated spots. However, it does not always crack in the right places, and Cockatoo Concrete takes all possible precautions to minimise the chance of cracking in the wrong spots; we compact and water the site thoroughly, we reinforce it with steel mesh (RF53) (unless you specify on the quote that you do not require steel), we lay it at the proper thickness (see Q 1) and we use expandable foam if necessary (usually only on 1 or 2 sides; when the area is enclosed by solid walls etc.). Then we cut the control joints (usually the day after pouring) no further than 2.5m apart, (paths etc. require much smaller intervals) More we cannot do. There are several factors that might cause your concrete to crack, like; the quality of the concrete mix, (the concrete plant takes no responsibility here); the weather and humidity always have an impact, there might be earthmoving, compacting or other heavy machinery action going on nearby, during the curing process (specially in new suburbs). New houses in general are most at risk because they still need to “settle”. Any of these factors or more likely; combination of these factors -not within our control- can cause cracking, which is why concreters cannot and will not give guarantees other than the above.

4. Is there any guarantee on the concrete?
To put it simple and direct; in concreting there are no guarantees. The concrete manufacturers won’t give us any and we therefore don’t give any either. Please refer to the Australian Standards for more info on this issue. The nature of concrete is that it cracks, which should not matter as long as it does in the designated spots. We do however, go to great lengths to minimise the chance of cracking (see FAQ 3) in the wrong places. In addition to this, the customer should also follow our instructions to leave the concrete to cure for at least 8 days (for vehicle use), 1 day for foot traffic.
Regarding colours there are no guarantees either. Again, the concrete plant does not assume responsibility for mix through colours, so we don’t either. If you picked a colour from the chart and the end result is different from what you had in mind, we do not consider that our responsibility. The same applies if you ask for a certain colour to match some feature of your house for instance; we can by no means guarantee that it is going to be successful, although we have gained considerable experience with this and will do our best.

5. Do we need soak wells?
Areas that are fully surrounded by walls (no matter how low) where water has nowhere to go will need a soak well. (On average 1 soak well per 25m2). Areas larger than 25m2 –regardless of surrounding drainage options– just cannot be made to slope naturally (in order to drain the excess water to the sides/gardens etc.) and will also need a soak well (on average 1 per 25m2).

6. What sort of finish do we get?
Standard is a non-skid (trowel) finish (or a smooth finish if you require). The control joints (3-5mm wide) are cut with a grinder the day after the concrete has been laid, (to minimally disturb the look of your concrete), so you will not have the traditional ‘grooves’ made with a grooving tool unless you require that. Also the edges are smoothed with an edging tool but will not create the ‘framed look’ unless you specifically ask for it.

7. Concrete versus brick pavers, what is better?
You are not alone wondering which way to go. Although there is a distinct difference in style (you might just prefer the look of pavers or not), which is personal; there are some hard to beat advantages concrete has over brick paving. Over time pavers move, they might sag here/ push up there, which will create either puddles or bumps. Ants and weeds will easily find their way through pavers, meaning you will be weeding and sweeping and using nasty chemicals - hazardous to pets and small kids - forever. Also, pavers are not sealed so will not be as stain resistant as you can make your concrete.

8. How long will the job take?
This obviously depends on the size of the job but also the weather. Jobs < 35m2 are usually done in 1 day, larger jobs often have a separate day for setting up and pouring concrete, which is ideally (but sometimes not possible) the next day. When there is a chance of showers we cannot take the risk to pour concrete. Sealing is another job that will be postponed if temperatures are below 10º, above 25º or until there is no rain risk. In summer the maximum temperature we work in is 35º.

9. When can we walk/drive on the concrete?
Normal foot traffic areas can be walked on the next day (if it still needs to be sealed, taking care not to make scuff marks). Vehicle areas should be left to cure for at least 8 days.

10. What happens after we accept the online quote?
We can come out to confirm the quote or to discuss some issues or questions you might have. If the job is fairly straight forward, we often only come to have a look at the site close to start day. Of course you are still in your right to cancel the job at that stage, if the original quote is adjusted. You would have been given a rough timeframe, after which depending on work load, the weather and your own agenda, we keep in touch and when we get close to your job we contact you and if necessary go through the details like colours etc. and are hopefully able to give you a more precise start date, for which we have to organise materials etc. We will also send you the quote in the mail and ask you to read and sign the terms / things to consider which is printed on the back of your quote and mail it back to us before we start. Because we have dealt, in the past, with customers who have unrealistic expectations of the product called concrete, we have made a small list of terms and things you should consider. Obviously when things are wrong, especially structurally, we will rectify them but it is important to know that concrete has its limitations and there are many small issues and imperfections that seem problematic to you whereas in our opinion they are standard and change nothing to the quality of the job. It helps if you know what to expect. We require a 50% deposit in cash or by EFT on the start day. The balance is due on the day of completion by cash, EFT or cheque.