FAQs

Concrete can crack in many situations. Though there are many steps taken to prevent any cracking, sometimes it is inevitable.
There are a few different types of cracks.

• Hairline cracks usually very thin and at the surface. Can happen due to specific weather conditions such as wind (which are sometimes unavoidable). These are usually not structural, have only an aesthetic effect, and will not need to be altered.
• Settlement cracks happen when the ground beneath the slab wasn’t compacted properly and part of the concrete sinks. ACT Concrete compacts all material underneath all concrete we pour, so this is very rare.
• Structural cracks wider than a $2 coin, or if you can see the steel mesh in the slab. This part of the slab (or the whole slab) will likely need to be repaired or repoured. This may have happened due to improper base, weather, and many more reasons.

A slight fall can be included on the slab, to make sure the water runs in a specific direction. Further, strip drains, spoon drains, or other methods can be used to prevent water from pooling in places you do not want it!

There are multiple different types of finish you can get on a slab, from a broom finish, trowell finish, or cove finish (and more). All of these finishes alter the aesthetics only, and do not impace how the slab is engineered or used. For more information, feel free to search for these on google.

Depending on the type of concrete that you’re pouring, this may be a requirement. If you plan to build a shed or house ontop of the concrete, then the concrete will need to be specifically designed for these structures. Similarly, if you plan to put anything quite heavy in a specific spot, you will need to make sure the slab is structurally sound in that location (such as a hoist). If you are simply pouring a footpath or driveway, this will generally not need any engineering.

In general, you do not need approval to pour concrete. However, if you are building a structure on the concrete, you will need an approval for this. Most structures will need to have engineering plans, and accompanying slab engineering plans. You will need to pour your concrete as per the plans.
There are some general rules about pouring concrete, in that you can not pour on an easement (to prevent government services from accessing their assets), and you can not pour on government land (the front of your block (aka the verge) does not actually belong to you!)