Concreting in Boronia

A suburb of established homes

Boronia grew around the railway and the shops at the junction of Boronia Road, Dorset Road and Chandler Road. Its streets are lined with 1960s to 1980s brick veneer and weatherboard homes on generous blocks, many now being renovated, extended or redeveloped into units.

Replacing original driveways

Original Boronia driveways are often thin, unreinforced and broken by tree roots. We remove them, deal with roots, broken pipes or soft fill underneath, rebuild the base and pour a new reinforced slab with proper joints and falls.

Unit developments

Two- and three-unit developments on original blocks need shared driveways, crossovers, house slabs and paths. We work with builders and developers to plan slab pours, driveway levels and drainage across the site.

Gentle slopes and drainage

Much of Boronia slopes gently toward Dandenong Creek and its tributaries. Water collects at garages and back steps if falls are wrong. We set levels on every job and add trench drains where needed.

Patios and outdoor living

Back yards in Boronia are big enough for a proper alfresco. Honed or coloured concrete under a pergola, with paths linking to the garden, makes the space usable year round.

Council

Boronia is in Knox City Council. Crossovers need council consent, and house and large garage slabs need building permits and engineering.

Getting a quote

Send photos and the address, and we will visit, measure and quote in writing.

Streets around the village and station

Boronia's centre around the station and the village shops is surrounded by residential streets that stretch toward the Dandenong Creek corridor to the west and the foothills to the east. Further east, toward The Basin and Ferntree Gully, the streets start to climb, and driveways become steeper.

Backyards with mature trees

Many Boronia homes have large, established gardens with tall gums and exotic trees. Roots lift old paths and driveways, and leaves stain surfaces. When we replace concrete near trees, we plan around root zones, use root barriers where suitable, and recommend finishes and sealers that resist staining.

Side access for extensions and pools

Renovations, granny flats and pools often need wide side access for machinery. We pour side driveways and paths that allow this, and can time our work around other trades.

Older homes with original concrete

Original concrete at 1960s and 1970s homes is often thin and patched. When we replace it, we lift the old slab, check for broken stormwater pipes or tree roots underneath, rebuild the base and pour a new slab with planned joints. It is a good time to fix drainage and widen the driveway.

Corner blocks and dual frontages

Boronia has many corner blocks and properties with two street frontages. These offer options for side driveways and second crossovers, subject to council approval. We can advise on what is likely to be approved.

Working near the shops and station

Streets close to the village and station can be busy, with limited parking. We plan truck deliveries and pump positions to minimise disruption and keep footpaths safe.

Rentals and investment properties

Boronia has plenty of rental homes. Landlords often want durable, low-maintenance concrete that will not need attention between tenancies. Plain or coloured broom finishes with good drainage suit these properties well.

Narrow side setbacks

Some Boronia homes sit close to the side fence, leaving tight access for machinery. We use small excavators and barrows on these sites and protect fences and walls.

How we build driveways and slabs in Boronia

Foothill ground, rain and councils

Ferntree Gully sits where the Knox plains run up into the Dandenong Ranges. Below the lawns on the lower streets you usually find heavy grey and orange clay that holds water through winter and splits open in a hot February. Higher up toward Upper Ferntree Gully, Upwey and The Basin, the soil is a stony, brown hillside clay over weathered rock, and the slopes send a surprising amount of water downhill every time it rains. Old cut-and-fill from earlier house builds adds another variable. We dig a test hole on every property, take the soft material out, rebuild with compacted crushed rock chosen for what we found, and shape the surface so water always has somewhere to go.

Inside your own boundary, most driveways, paths and patios need no permit. The crossover, kerb and council footpath always do, and that consent comes from Knox City Council for most of our area or the Shire of Yarra Ranges for Upwey and parts of Upper Ferntree Gully, Lysterfield and The Basin fringe. House slabs, large garages and many retaining walls go through a building surveyor with engineering. Bushfire and vegetation overlays affect parts of the hills. Your quote names whatever applies.

What our Ferntree Gully quotes spell out

You will not get a single number scribbled on a business card. Our written quote breaks the job into the pieces that actually drive the outcome: the area in square metres, breaking out and disposing of whatever is there now, how far down we dig, the class and depth of crushed rock, slab thickness and the steel inside it, the finish or stone blend you chose, the joint plan, each drain, pit and length of pipe, step and edge work, sealing, and any Knox or Yarra Ranges paperwork. If the site needs a line pump, a long barrow run or protection for a neighbour's driveway, that is listed too.

We keep square-metre rates off this website on purpose. In the foothills, the work hidden below the finished surface varies hugely between two blocks in the same street: one might be firm and flat, the next steep, wet and full of old fill. Pricing sight unseen means guessing, and a guess ends up either padded or short. After a visit we can price the real job.