Concreters in Wembley

Narrow blocks change the job

On a Wembley block the outdoor concrete is usually an alfresco plus the two side runs, and the side runs are the part that gets underestimated. They are long, narrow, hard to get material into, and they are the first place water pools if the falls are not deliberate.

Getting a barrow down a gap that tight, repeatedly, is most of the labour on a job like this. It is worth knowing when you compare quotes, because a price per square metre from a wide open block does not transfer to a boundary path with a metre of clearance.

Exposed aggregate, and why it suits a side path

The job shown here is finished in exposed aggregate from Holcim Geostone in Eucalyptus White. The surface is washed back so the stone sits proud, which gives it grip.

That grip is the whole point on a narrow side path. It is a surface that will be shaded for most of the day, it will stay damp longer than an open driveway after rain, and it is a route people walk rather than drive. A smooth finish in that position is the wrong choice, however good it looks dry.

Under the alfresco the same mix reads quite differently, because it is out of the weather and seen up close, so you notice the stone rather than the texture.

Drainage set in, not sitting on top

The drain in the side path is set flush into the concrete rather than bolted over it. That is a small detail that matters on a narrow run: anything proud of the surface in a gap that tight is something to trip on and something to catch a barrow or a bin wheel.

Falls on a job like this run to the drain rather than to the boundary, because a path between two buildings has nowhere else to send water. Getting that right at the set-out stage is what stops water standing against a wall.

Meeting what is already there

Most Wembley jobs are new work meeting existing structures: a limestone boundary wall, a house slab, a neighbour’s wall a few hundred millimetres away. None of those move.

So the new concrete has to arrive at exactly the right height on all sides at once. That is the part of a narrow-block job that separates a clean result from one with an awkward step in it, and it is decided before anything is poured.

Talk to us about your Wembley job

Alfresco, side paths, or the whole outside of the block, call Regan on 0433 510 118 or send through the details and we will come and have a look.