How to Prepare Your Property for a New Driveway

A Bowral homeowner's guide to assessing your site, choosing a concrete finish and preparing properly for a new driveway install.

Preparation is where good driveways are made. By the time the concrete truck arrives, every important decision has already been locked in.

Start with drainage. Water is the single biggest killer of driveways in the Highlands, so we map the fall, plan cut-offs, and set the finished height so runoff moves away from the house.

Next is access. Trucks, boom pumps and steel deliveries all need a clear path. Removing fences, trimming trees and identifying utilities early prevents delays that push a two-day pour into a two-week job.

Finally, the finish. Plain, coloured, exposed aggregate or stencilled, each behaves differently underfoot, ages differently, and asks for different maintenance. Choose it before formwork, not after.