1. What's your licence number, and whose name is it in?
In NSW a contractor needs a licence for residential work worth more than $5,000 in labour and materials, GST included. Take the number and run it through the Building Commission NSW licence check. It shows the name on the licence, what the licence covers, when it expires, and any suspensions, conditions or public warnings.
The name should be the business that's quoting. If it isn't, ask why.
2. Can you send me a certificate of currency?
That's the proof of public liability insurance. A contractor who has it can email it the same day. No certificate, no job.
3. What exactly is in the price?
A one-line quote can't be compared with anything. You want the area and thickness, the concrete strength, the steel, the base, the finish, the joints, whether a pump's included, and who's taking away what's there now. Our guide to what a concrete driveway costs in Newcastle has the full list and why each line matters.
The NSW Government's own advice is to get more than one written quote. Nothing stops you doing that with a quote that came through us.
4. Who's getting the approvals and checking what's underground?
If the job touches the footpath or the kerb, the council has to approve it first, and somebody has to lodge that. Find out who. Before any digging or breaking out, pipes and cables should be looked up through Before You Dig Australia. Ask whether that's been done, not whether it will be.
5. How much is the deposit, and what do I get before I pay it?
This is where the rules have teeth. The NSW Government's page on contracts for residential building work sets them out by the size of the job.
| Job value | What you are owed |
|---|---|
| Over $5,000 | A written contract, signed and dated by both of you, with the contractor's licence number and a description of the work. A copy of the Consumer Building Guide before you sign |
| Over $20,000 | All of that, plus a cooling-off period of five clear business days, a progress payment schedule, and a certificate of home building compensation cover |
| Any contract | A deposit of no more than 10 percent of the contract price |
On jobs over $20,000 the same page says it's illegal for the contractor to ask for a deposit, or any payment, until that cover is in place and you've been given the certificate. So the order is: certificate, then money.
6. When are the other payments due?
They should line up with work that's actually been done, not with how many days someone's been on site. On the bigger contracts the payment stages have to be written into the contract. Read them.
7. What if it rains, or the job changes halfway?
Both happen. Newcastle gets about 1,120 mm of rain a year by the Bureau of Meteorology's Nobbys figures, most of it between March and June, so ask how a wet week changes the dates. And if the job grows, on a large contract any change has to be in writing and signed by both of you before it's done. A handshake on the driveway isn't a variation.
8. How long do we keep off it?
And who looks after the curing. A good answer has days in it. There's more on that in our guide to how long new concrete takes to cure.
9. Where will it crack?
Not a trick question. Concrete shrinks as it cures and it will crack somewhere. Control joints give it a straight, tidy place to do it. A concreter who can show you where the joints are going has thought about your slab. One who says it won't crack hasn't.
Do these apply to a concreter we send?
Yes, every one. We're not a concreting company. We organise the job and an independent licensed contractor quotes it and does it, so the contract is between you and them. Check them the way you'd check anyone.
If you've got a job in mind, the form below takes about a minute. For a driveway, start with booking a concrete driveway quote. If something's cracked or sunk, concrete repairs in Newcastle is the page. And if old concrete has to go first, tell us about access on the concrete removal page.
Sources
- Building Commission NSW: licence check
- NSW Government: contracts for residential building work
- Before You Dig Australia
- Bureau of Meteorology: climate statistics for Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station
These are independent sites. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Each was checked in November 2026.