Who to hire for a driveway to repave

Short answer

A concreter, paver or landscaper depending on the surface. Whatever the finish, the job is the base: a driveway that has cracked or sunk has almost always failed in the material underneath rather than in the surface, and relaying the surface on the same base repeats it.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a gardener or landscaper.

  • your council

    the work touches the crossover or the footpath. That is council property with its own specification.

  • an arborist

    tree roots caused the damage. Relaying over live roots produces the same result in a few years.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Look at how it failed. Cracking in a grid, sinking in wheel tracks, or lifting in one spot each point at different causes.
  2. Check where water goes. A driveway that sheds water towards the garage is a drainage job as well as a paving one.
  3. Find out whether the crossover is included in what you want done, and ring the council if so.
  4. Locate services, because driveways frequently have water and gas services under them.

What to ask when you book

  • What base preparation is included, and to what depth and compaction?
  • Is reinforcement included, and what?
  • Where are the control joints and why there?
  • Is the crossover included, and has council approval been obtained?
  • How long before I can drive on it?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Area, and removal and disposal of the existing surface.
  • Base preparation depth.
  • Surface: plain concrete, exposed aggregate, pavers, asphalt.
  • Drainage, and any grate or channel.
  • The crossover, which has its own specification and approval.

Is this licensed work?

Building work licensing thresholds can apply. Work on the crossover between the property boundary and the road is generally controlled by the council and often requires their approval and a specific standard.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a driveway to repave
A concreter, paver or landscaper depending on the surface. Whatever the finish, the job is the base: a driveway that has cracked or sunk has almost always failed in the material underneath rather than in the surface, and relaying the surface on the same base repeats it.
Why is my new driveway cracking?
Concrete shrinks as it cures and control joints exist to make it crack where you chose rather than where it wants to. Cracking away from the joints usually points at inadequate base preparation, insufficient or badly placed reinforcement, joints cut too late or spaced too far apart, or loading before it had strength. Asking about joints and base before the pour is how you avoid the conversation afterwards.

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Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.