How thick should a shed slab be?

As a rule of thumb, 100 mm on compacted base for a domestic shed, and 125 to 150 mm with heavier mesh where you're parking trucks, running a hoist or storing heavy gear. The shed supplier's engineering usually specifies the slab and footings, and we build to that.

Does a house slab need an engineer?

Yes, always. The engineer classifies the site and designs the slab thickness, beams and steel under the residential slabs and footings standard. A certifier inspects the steel before the pour. The same applies to granny flat slabs and suspended slabs.

What does a concrete quote per square metre include?

Typically formwork, mesh, concrete, placing and finishing. Excavation, road base, pumping, edge beams, sealing and engineering may or may not be in — we itemise ours so you can see exactly what's covered.

What do you actually pour?

Driveways, paths, house and shed slabs, suspended slabs, pool surrounds, stairs, retaining walls and outdoor seats — across Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast & Newcastle. Most of the work is decorative: exposed aggregate first, then coloured, plain broomed, and honed or polished finishes.

Which exposed aggregate mixes do you use?

The ones you see on the jobs here: 100% Cowra white with oxide, 100% ivory with arctic oxide, 80% Cowra white / 20% basalt with black oxide, and the darker “ocean floor” blend of 80% limestone / 20% basalt. We'll bring samples so you choose the stone and the oxide against your house colours, not off a screen.

How do I get a quote?

Call, email or use the form and we'll come out, measure the job and talk through finishes on site. Quotes are free. If you've got plans or an engineer's drawing, send them through — for a slab that's what we price from.

Yes. East Edge Concreting Pty Ltd holds NSW Contractor Licence 478830C (class General Concretor) with Cameron as the nominated supervisor. ABN 38 663 400 477. You can verify the licence on the NSW Fair Trading register.

Do you do big slabs and acreage driveways?

Yes — shed slabs and aprons of 340, 410, 490 and 640m² are on the feed, along with a 1,300m² acreage driveway poured in sections and a suspended slab over a garage and wine cellar. Big pours are planned around pump and truck access, and we bring the crew to finish them properly before they go off.

Can you do the surround for a new pool?

That's a specialty. Exposed aggregate or a honed seamless-edge surround — including circle pools with a waterfall edge — with proper falls and drainage away from the water. We also make stainless-steel skimmer and inspection lids so there's no plastic square in the middle of your finish.

Who turns up on the day?

Cameron and his own crew, in the signwritten East Edge trucks. The person who quoted it is on the pour.

How long until we can use it?

You can generally walk on a new slab or driveway the next day and drive on it after about a week, with sealing on exposed aggregate once it has cured — we'll give you the exact timing for your job and the weather when we pour.

Journal

August 2026 · 4 min read · East Edge Concreting

Concrete slabs: house, shed, granny flat and suspended — thickness, mesh and what a m² quote covers

Not every slab is a driveway. House slabs, shed slabs, granny flat slabs and suspended slabs each have their own rules, and the rules mostly come from an engineer, not from us. Here's what each one involves.

Large shed slab freshly finished by East Edge Concreting

Shed slabs and aprons

The most common slab we pour after driveways. It carries the shed frame, whatever you park or store inside, and often a hoist or a boat; the apron is the slab outside the roller door where vehicles turn in.

As a rule of thumb a domestic shed slab is poured 100 mm thick on compacted base with a standard mesh; larger sheds, hoists or truck traffic push that to 125 to 150 mm with heavier mesh and thickened edge beams under the columns. The shed supplier's engineering usually specifies the slab and post footings, and we build to that.

We've poured shed slabs and aprons at 340 m², 410 m², 490 m² and 640 m². At that size the pour is planned around truck cycles and pump position; a slab that big doesn't get poured off a chute.

House and granny flat slabs

A house slab is an engineered structure, not a flat pad. The engineer classifies the site — how reactive the clay is, how much it moves with moisture — and designs the slab under the Australian Standard for residential slabs and footings. That design sets the thickness, the edge and internal beams, the mesh and bar sizes, and whether it's a raft or a waffle pod slab.

Our job is to build exactly what's on the drawing: excavate the beams, lay the vapour barrier, set the steel with the right cover, get the plumber's penetrations in, and pour to level so the frame carpenter has a flat, square base. The certifier inspects the steel before the pour — nothing gets covered until that's signed off.

A granny flat slab is a house slab, just smaller — same engineering, same inspection. We poured one at Cessnock. The thing to watch is access: back-yard sites often mean pumping the concrete over the house and digging with a small machine down a side path. That's in the quote, not a surprise on the day.

Suspended slabs

A suspended slab spans a void rather than sitting on the ground — an upper floor, a slab over a garage, or a deck slab off a house. It's formed on props and formwork, reinforced with bar and mesh to the engineer's design, and stays propped until the concrete reaches the strength the engineer specifies.

Because it carries its own weight in the air, there's no rule of thumb for thickness; every one is designed. Our recent suspended slab was supplied by Hymix and poured by pump in one continuous lift.

Engineering and council

Driveways and paths on private land generally don't need engineering or approval, though the crossover between the kerb and your boundary is council's and needs a permit. House, granny flat and suspended slabs always need an engineer's design and a certifier's inspection before the pour. Sheds sit in the middle: small ones may be exempt development, larger ones need approval, and the slab is usually engineered either way. If you're unsure, ask us before you order the shed.

What a per-square-metre quote covers

Concrete is usually quoted by the square metre, and the number only means something if you know what's inside it. As a rule of thumb, a m² rate covers formwork, mesh, concrete supply, placing and finishing. We itemise ours so you can compare quotes properly. A cheaper m² rate with excavation and pumping left out is not a cheaper slab.

What varies between quotes is what else is in:

Excavation and removal of spoil or the old slab
Road base supply and compaction
Concrete pump hire where a chute can't reach
Thickened edge beams and footings under posts
Sealing for decorative finishes
Engineering, certifier fees and council permits

Common questions

How thick should a shed slab be?: As a rule of thumb, 100 mm on compacted base for a domestic shed, and 125 to 150 mm with heavier mesh where you're parking trucks, running a hoist or storing heavy gear. The shed supplier's engineering usually specifies the slab and footings, and we build to that.
Does a house slab need an engineer?: Yes, always. The engineer classifies the site and designs the slab thickness, beams and steel under the residential slabs and footings standard. A certifier inspects the steel before the pour. The same applies to granny flat slabs and suspended slabs.
What does a concrete quote per square metre include?: Typically formwork, mesh, concrete, placing and finishing. Excavation, road base, pumping, edge beams, sealing and engineering may or may not be in — we itemise ours so you can see exactly what's covered.