Concreter in Unley, SA 5061
Concreters in Unley for villa driveways, courtyards, paths and extension slabs
Unley is bluestone villas and sandstone bungalows on plane-tree streets, with a driveway strip the house has outgrown and a backyard being opened up. We pour the drives, courtyards and paths that suit a character home, and the slabs behind them. Free on-site quote.
Council crossover and a new driveway beside our villa, all handled. Sits perfectly against the bluestone.
They ground our existing courtyard slab instead of replacing it and it looks brand new.
Front path and porch steps in oatmeal that suit the bungalow. Even risers, no more trip at the door.
Exposed aggregate driveway beside a bluestone villa, Unley. Inset: the edge at the old kerb.
Why Unley calls us
The concreter Unley calls for a character home
An Unley concreter has to widen a strip driveway without wrecking a heritage frontage, pour a finish that suits bluestone, and work with a council that protects its streets and trees. We've done all three, many times.
We know the villas
Bluestone villas with red brick quoins, sandstone bungalows in Hyde Park and Malvern, cottages in Parkside. We've widened the drives, poured the courtyards and laid the extension slabs on all of them.
Finishes that suit the house
Natural grey or cream exposed aggregate against bluestone, honed on a cream base behind a renovated villa. We bring sealed samples so you can hold them against the wall.
Built for the inner-south clay
Unley sits on reactive clay that moves with the seasons. A compacted base, mesh mid-slab and joints at tight centres keep a driveway flat, and extension slabs are engineered to the block.
City of Unley rules
The verge is council land and needs a crossover permit and their spec, and the heritage streets and regulated trees have their own protection. We lodge it, pour to it and work within the rules.
Recent jobs
Recent jobs around Unley
Concreting jobs across the 5061 and the inner south: villa driveways, courtyards and extension slabs. Use the arrows to flick through, or tap the middle card to see it up close.
Services
Concreting services in Unley
Everything a concreter in Unley gets asked for, from a widened villa driveway to an extension slab. Each one has a page of its own with the detail.
Concrete Driveways in Unley
The narrow strip beside the villa replaced and widened where the frontage allows, with the City of Unley crossover included.
Concrete Driveways
Exposed Aggregate in Unley
Natural grey and cream blends that sit against bluestone and sandstone, hide the plane tree litter and grip in the wet.
Exposed Aggregate
Honed Concrete in Unley
For the renovated villas: a smooth honed courtyard, alfresco or pool deck that runs out from the new kitchen at the back.
Honed Concrete
Concrete Slabs in Unley
Rear extension, studio and garage slabs behind the villas, engineered for the clay and inspected before the pour.
Concrete Slabs
Paths & Walkways in Unley
Side paths between the house and the fence, front paths to the verandah, and steps that match the porch.
Paths & Walkways
Pool Surrounds in Unley
Pale, non-slip surrounds for the plunge pools going into Unley's rear courtyards.
Pool SurroundsWhat you get
One quote. Everything included.
No allowances, no "subject to site conditions", no surprise for the skip bin or the council permit. An Unley quote covers the lot:
- A free on-site measure and quote anywhere in the 5061 and the inner south.
- Sealed finish samples brought to your door, held against the stone.
- Break-out and disposal of the old concrete, pavers or lawn.
- Excavation, a compacted rubble base, formwork set to fall, and mesh on chairs.
- The pump or barrow where the truck can't reach, then pour, finish, saw-cut joints and sealing.
- City of Unley crossover permit and inspection, site swept and hosed, workmanship guarantee.
Fully licensed and covered by public liability insurance. Certificates come through with your quote.
Book a free measure and quote
Verified Google review
“Council crossover and a new driveway beside our villa, all handled for us. They dealt with the paperwork and the inspection so we didn't have to chase anything, the finish sits perfectly against the bluestone, and they didn't touch a root on the plane tree.”
Concreting in Unley
Concreting in Unley: what's different here
One of Adelaide's grandest inner suburbs, bluestone and plane trees a few minutes south of the city, where a concreter has to respect the house, the trees and the council before the truck arrives.
Unley, in short
Unley is three kilometres south of the city, laid out in the 1840s and a council in its own right since 1871. Unley Road runs through the middle with the shops and the Town Hall, King William Road through Hyde Park is the cafe and boutique strip, and Unley Oval, home of the Sturt Football Club, sits between them. Goodwood Road is the western edge, Greenhill Road the northern, and Heywood Park and Unley Park are its green heart. Parkside, Fullarton, Malvern, Hyde Park, Millswood and Goodwood are its neighbours.
It is one of Adelaide's most walkable and most protected suburbs, with heritage and character overlays across most of its residential streets and a council that guards its plane trees closely. We come in along Unley Road or Greenhill Road most weeks.
The houses, and what they need
Unley's houses are the reason people pay to live here: 1880s bluestone villas with red brick quoins and return verandahs, sandstone bungalows through Hyde Park and Malvern, symmetrical cottages in Parkside and Goodwood, and the townhouses that have filled in along the main roads. Almost all the older homes came with a single-car driveway strip down one side that has cracked, lifted on the plane tree roots, and never suited a modern car or two.
So the Unley job list is villa driveways widened to the fence line where the frontage allows, with a finish that suits the stone; side paths between the house and the fence; rear courtyards, alfrescos and pool decks as the villas are opened up at the back; and the slabs for the extensions, studios and plunge pools going in behind them.
The ground under Unley
Unley sits on the Adelaide plains clay, the reactive ground under most of the inner suburbs, with Brownhill and Keswick creeks running through it in pipes and channels. The clay swells through a wet winter and shrinks through a dry summer, and the cracks in a century of villa footings show what it does to anything poured without allowance for it. Every Unley slab we pour gets a compacted rubble base, mesh sitting mid-slab on chairs, and saw-cut joints at tight centres so the movement shows up as a straight line rather than a crack. Extension slabs are engineered to the block's soil class and inspected before the pour, and where a slab meets old footings we put a proper joint between them.
The trees matter here as much as the ground. Unley's plane trees are protected and their roots run under most of the driveways in the suburb. We cut back what the council allows, install a root barrier where it will help, and tell you honestly when the tree will win.
The council, and getting to you
Unley is its own council, the City of Unley, and it takes the streetscape seriously. The strip between your boundary and the road is theirs, so a new or widened crossover needs a permit, has to be poured to their specification, and is inspected; in the heritage and character areas there are also rules about frontages and fences, and regulated trees have their own protection. We prepare and lodge the application, pour to the spec and book the inspection, all inside the quote, and we'll tell you at the measure if an overlay or a tree changes what's possible.
We're in the inner south most weeks, so a measure and quote in Unley is usually within a few days of your call, and a job is usually booked one to three weeks out depending on the weather and the pour schedule.
Unley at a glance
- Council
- City of Unleycrossovers, heritage streets, trees
- Postcode
- 5061Unley, Hyde Park, Malvern, Unley Park
- From the CBD
- About 3 kmsouth, via Unley Road
- Ground
- Reactive claythe Adelaide plains
- Housing
- 1880s to nowbluestone villas to townhouses
- Most common job
- Widened drivewaybeside a villa
- Quote
- Within daysfree, on site
- Start
- 1 to 3 weeksdates on the quote
Where we work
Where around Unley we work
The City of Unley and the inner south around it. If your street is on this list, we've almost certainly poured on it.
- Unley
- Unley Park
- Hyde Park
- Malvern
- Parkside
- Fullarton
- Highgate
- Myrtle Bank
- Millswood
- Goodwood
- Wayville
- Everard Park
- Kings Park
- Forestville
- Black Forest
- Clarence Park
- Kingswood
- Hawthorn
- Westbourne Park
- Glenside
- Frewville
- Glenunga
Nearby suburbs we also service
Built for Unley
Poured for Unley's clay, plane trees and heritage streets
The inner-south clay swells and shrinks with the seasons. A compacted base, mesh mid-slab and joints at tight centres keep a driveway flat, and a proper joint separates a new slab from century-old footings.
Unley's plane trees are protected and their roots lifted most of the old driveways. We cut back what the council allows, put in a barrier where it helps, and tell you honestly when the tree will win.
The City of Unley has its own crossover specification, heritage rules and tree protection. We've worked within all three many times, and we lodge the permit for you.
FAQ
Concreting in Unley, answered
Are you a local concreter in Unley?
We're an Adelaide-wide crew that's in the inner south most weeks, which is the useful kind of local: we know the villa driveways, the plane trees, the clay and the City of Unley's crossover and heritage rules, and we've poured on streets across Unley, Hyde Park and Malvern.
Do you service all of Unley?
Yes: Unley, Unley Park, Hyde Park, Malvern, Parkside, Fullarton, Highgate, Myrtle Bank, Millswood, Goodwood, Wayville, Kings Park, Clarence Park and Kingswood. If you're anywhere in the inner south, call and we'll confirm.
Can you widen the driveway beside my villa?
Usually. Most villa strips have room to widen to the fence line at the front, and often further where the block opens up behind the house. We measure it at the quote and tell you what fits. In a heritage or character area the council may have a say on the frontage, and we'll flag that before you commit.
Which finish suits a bluestone villa?
Natural grey exposed aggregate sits well against bluestone and red brick quoins and hides plane tree litter; cream and sandstone blends suit the sandstone bungalows. For a renovated villa, honed concrete on a cream base runs from the new kitchen out to the courtyard. We bring sealed samples so you can hold them against the stone.
Do I need a City of Unley permit for my driveway?
Only for the crossover, the section between your boundary and the road. That's council land, so it needs a permit and has to be poured to the City of Unley's specification, and they inspect it. In a heritage area there can be extra conditions, and work near a regulated tree can need approval. We prepare the application, lodge it and book the inspection, all inside the quote.
Will the plane trees be a problem?
They can be. Plane tree roots are the reason most Unley driveways failed, and the trees are protected. We plan the excavation to stay clear of the major roots, cut back only what the council allows, install a root barrier where it will help, and pour over a compacted base so the new slab bridges minor movement. If a tree is going to win regardless, we'll tell you.
Do you pour slabs for villa extensions?
Yes. Extension, studio and garage slabs behind the villas are common Unley work. They're engineered to the block's soil class, poured over a vapour barrier with the plumbing set through, jointed against the old footings, and inspected by the certifier before the pour.
My driveway is off a rear lane. Can you get a truck in?
Usually not, and it doesn't matter. We bring a concrete pump or barrow the pour from the nearest point the truck can reach, and we plan it at the quote so there are no surprises on the day.
How soon can you start a job in Unley?
A measure and quote is usually within a few days of your call, and a job is usually booked one to three weeks out. If you have a builder waiting on an extension slab or a pool company on a deck, tell us the date and we'll work to it.
Do you take away the old concrete?
Yes. Breaking out the old driveway, path or slab and carting it away is part of every quote, along with sweeping and hosing the site before we leave.
Ready when you are
Ready to give the villa a driveway that fits the car?
Tell us the street and the job, and Unley's concreters will come out, measure up and bring the samples. A written quote with dates, usually within a couple of days. No pressure and no obligation.