Frequently Asked Questions — Brisbane Water Bitumen

It depends on size and access, but rough Central Coast ranges in 2026: a small driveway (around 50–80 m²) starts at about A$3,000. An average residential driveway (100–200 m²) sits in the A$8,000–A$15,000 range. Larger jobs — long rural driveways, multi-vehicle hardstand, acreage — can run A$25,000 and up. Site visit and a fixed-price written quote is free.

A properly laid hot-mix driveway lasts 15–25 years on the Central Coast. With periodic sealing every 5–7 years and patching small failures early, the same surface will often hit 25–30 years before needing a resurface. Sub-base prep is what makes the difference — cheap thin jobs fail in 5–8.

Asphalt is cheaper per square metre, faster to lay, easier to repair, and quieter underfoot. Concrete is harder to crack but expensive to fix once it does, and shows oil stains worse. For long rural driveways and most Central Coast residential blocks, asphalt usually wins on total-cost-of-ownership. See our bitumen vs asphalt guide for the longer version.

Yes — as long as the sub-base is sound. We come out, drill or core test a few spots, check edges and drainage, then either resurface (overlay) or recommend a full rip-up if the base has gone. About 70% of jobs we see qualify for resurface.

50 mm of compacted hot-mix is the right spec for residential driveways — cars, light SUVs, occasional trailers. For heavy-vehicle access (caravans, trucks, rural acreage) we go 75–100 mm with an upgraded sub-base. Anything less than 50 mm and you're buying a problem.

Yes. We take on small pothole and patch jobs from around A$650+GST. Plenty of contractors won't bother with anything under A$5K — we do. Small jobs are how we earn the bigger ones.

Most urgent reactive jobs we can be on-site same day or next day, depending on where you are on the Coast. Ring 0447 039 682, give us the address, we'll tell you straight.

Yes. We use hot-mix asphalt compacted to road density, not cold-pour bag stuff. A proper hot-mix patch lasts as long as the surrounding pavement. If the surrounding pavement is shot, we'll tell you that too.

Water in the sub-base, usually. Cracks let water through, the sub-base softens, traffic load pumps the failure into a hole. Storm season on the Central Coast accelerates everything. See storm pothole damage for what to do after a big rain event.

Yes. BWB runs through to mid-six-figure subdivision pavement packages — roads, kerb & gutter, footpaths, asphalt. Roughly A$50K through A$1.2M+ scope. Drawings and SoW in, written quote out. See civil contracting.

Yes. On preferred-contractor panels for asphalt and civil across the Central Coast. ABN 80 627 620 973. We can supply references on request.

Full pack — SWMS, JSA, ITPs, ITCs, NATA compaction reports, asphalt density cores, certificates of currency for public liability and workers comp. Documented quality system in place. If a tender wants it, we've got it.

Self-perform. BWB owns the paver, the rollers, the trucks. Earthworks, pavement, kerb and seal — same crew throughout. Easier to manage, no finger-pointing if something goes sideways.

Free site visit, usually within a week of you ringing. We measure up, look at sub-base and access, then send a fixed-price written quote — no "from" prices, no surprises. The number on the quote is the number you pay (assuming scope doesn't change).

From accepted quote to crew on-site is usually 2–6 weeks lead, depending on season. The job itself: a typical residential driveway is 1–3 days on-site. Bigger civil packages run weeks to months by design.

Hot-mix asphalt needs dry ground to bond — we won't lay in rain. If weather rolls in we reschedule, no charge. We watch the BoM forecast for your suburb the week of the job and ring you if we need to push.

Not usually. We need access and a working contact phone. For residential driveways we typically arrive 7am, finish same or next day, and ring you when we hand it back.

Walk on it after a few hours. Light vehicles after 24 hours. Heavy vehicles (trailers, caravans, trucks) we ask for 72 hours so the mix fully cures. Avoid parking in the same spot for the first 2–3 weeks — tyres can mark fresh hot-mix on hot days.

Residential: 50% on the day work starts, balance on completion. Commercial & civil: standard net 30 terms on progress claims, or as agreed in the contract. Nothing up-front before we're on-site — that's how dodgy operators work.

12 months workmanship warranty on all jobs as standard. If something fails because of how we laid it, we come back and fix it — no quibbling. (Formal warranty wording is being finalised — ring Glenn for the current document if you need it for a tender.)

Bank transfer (preferred), EFTPOS on-site, or cheque. We're not set up for credit-card surcharges — bank transfer keeps it simple for both of us.

Yes. ABN 80 627 620 973, registered for GST. All quotes are quoted excluding GST, and the tax invoice shows it separately.

BWB is a family-owned asphalt and civil contractor based on the NSW Central Coast since the early 1990s. Plant yard in West Gosford. Glenn Harmond is the current owner-operator. "Brisbane Water" refers to the estuary around Gosford — we're a Central Coast NSW business, not Brisbane Queensland.

Full Central Coast and into the Lower Hunter. From Gosford, Erina, Terrigal, Wamberal in the south through to Wyong, The Entrance, Bateau Bay in the north. See our service areas page for the full suburb list.

Glenn or one of the BWB crew. Not a call centre, not a chatbot, not an answering service. If we're on the paver we'll call you back within the hour.

We own the gear — paver, rollers, trucks, kerb crew. We self-perform. We're insured, GST-registered, council-preferred. We do small jobs from A$650 and civil packages over A$1M out of the same yard with the same crew. That mix is rare on the Coast.