A hardstand is a pavement built for heavy, slow or parked loads such as trucks, plant, containers and stacked stock. We build them in hot-mix asphalt over a deep compacted base, with falls that shed water. We visit the site before we price it, because the load, the ground and the drainage decide the design.
A hardstand is the hard, flat ground a business works from. It might be a truck and plant yard, a depot standing area, a pad for shipping containers and storage, the machinery apron beside a farm shed or a laydown area for a building site. The common thread is weight that sits in one place or turns on the spot, which is much harder on a surface than a car rolling past.
Most hardstands that fail were built too thin or drain badly. The work that matters is under the surface: how deep the base goes, how well it is compacted and where the water runs off. We ask what will park, turn and be loaded on the pad, then size the pavement to that. If the ground needs levelling first, our earthworks crew does it, so one team owns the levels from formation to finished surface.
If your yard sits next to a customer carpark, we can build both in one go. See our commercial carpark work for how that runs. Bigger yards and depots are worth taking further afield, so we also build around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Hornsby.
Base Sized to the Load
The depth of compacted road base is set by the heaviest thing that will park or turn on the pad, not by a standard driveway spec.
Falls and Drainage
Gentle falls shed water to a pit, swale or kerb, so the surface does not hold puddles and the base stays dry.
Compacted in Layers
Base is placed and rolled in layers and checked as we go, so it does not rut under a loaded truck.
Edges That Hold
Kerbing or edge restraints protect the outer edge, where turning wheels do the most damage.
Straight Advice on Materials
Where fuel, oil or very heavy point loads are involved, we will tell you whether asphalt is right or whether part of the pad should be concrete.
Asphalt, crushed rock or concrete
Each surface has a place. Here is how we think about the choice when we visit a yard.
Asphalt
Flexible, quick to lay and easy to patch. It copes well with moving trucks and turning wheels and gives a sealed surface that sheds water. It softens under spilled fuel and under very heavy loads that stand in one spot for a long time.
Crushed Rock
The lowest-cost start and fine for light, occasional use. It ruts under repeated truck traffic, needs regrading and gives you dust and mud. Many yards begin here and move to asphalt once the traffic builds.
Concrete
Rigid and strong under fuel, oil and heavy standing loads such as container legs and outriggers. It costs more to lay, cracks if the base moves and is harder to repair. Often the right answer for a small part of a yard.
How Heavy Is Heavy
Think in axle loads and how long something sits. A fully loaded tipper turning on the spot, a forklift with a pallet or a container stack each stress the pavement differently. Tell us what you run and we size the base to suit.
Many yards work best as a mix: asphalt for the driving areas and concrete where fuel or point loads are concentrated. We will give you an honest view on site, whichever way it falls.
The Process
Every job follows the same standard. No steps skipped, no quality shortcuts.
Free Site Visit
We walk the site, ask what will park and turn on it, and look at the ground, access and where the water goes.
Design and Written Quote
You get a written scope covering the base, falls, drainage and surface, priced after the visit.
Preparation and Base
Strip, trim and level the formation, then place and compact the base in layers.
Lay and Handover
Hot-mix asphalt is laid and rolled, edges are finished and we walk you through when it can take traffic.
Where do we build hardstands?
We work from our yard at Somersby and build hardstands across the Central Coast, including Gosford, Wyong, Tuggerah, Warnervale and Ourimbah, where most of the industrial estates and depots sit. Farm and rural sheds are just as welcome. The same crew quotes the job and lays the asphalt.
Frequently Asked
Questions specific to Hardstands on the Central Coast.
Ask Us Anything →Getting other quotes too? Smart. Take our questions sheet (PDF).
What is a hardstand?
A hardstand is a firm, flat pavement built for parking, storing or working heavy equipment and goods. Truck yards, depot areas, container pads, machinery aprons beside sheds and laydown areas are all hardstands.
Should my hardstand be asphalt or concrete?
For most yards where trucks drive and turn, asphalt is a good fit. It is quicker to lay, easier to repair and drains well. Concrete suits areas that hold fuel or oil, or take very heavy loads sitting in one place. We look at how you will use the site and advise on the mix.
How thick does the base need to be?
It depends on the ground and the loads. A yard for parked light vehicles needs far less than one for loaded tippers. We set the depth after a site visit, and we explain why in the written quote.
Can you build a hardstand beside a farm or rural shed?
Yes. We build machinery pads and shed aprons on rural blocks across the Central Coast. Access, falls away from the shed and where the water leaves the pad are the first things we look at.
Do you build hardstands outside the Central Coast?
Large yards, depots and industrial projects, yes. We travel for those to Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Hornsby. Smaller hardstands we keep to the Central Coast, close to our Somersby yard.
Does a hardstand need council approval?
It can, depending on the site, the size and how stormwater leaves it. We cannot give planning advice, so check with council early. We can give you a clear written scope of the works to take to council.
- Base built to a driveway spec, then loaded by tippers and forklifts
- Falls set by eye, so water sits in the same low spot every rain
- Base laid in one thick lift and never properly compacted
- No edge restraint, so turning wheels break the asphalt at the boundary
- Asphalt used where fuel is handled, then softened by spills
- Quote given over the phone without anyone seeing the ground
Ruts, potholes and ponding within a couple of seasons, and a yard half out of use while it is fixed.
Glenn and his team were terrific. Such a difficult job made to look easy.
Garry Parnell
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Hardstands
Free site visit. Prompt written quote. No obligation. Central Coast NSW.