Fausto Biviano — Licensed Concreter (New South Wales)
Licence Details
| Licence Number | R69462 |
|---|---|
| Licence Class | General Concretor |
| Status | Expired |
| Issue Date | 7 August 1981 |
| Expiry Date | 6 August 2024 |
| Source | NSW_FT |
This data is sourced from public government registers and may not reflect real-time changes. Always confirm licence details with NSW Fair Trading directly. Full disclaimer.
What a Concreter Licence Means in New South Wales
Concreters specialise in placing, finishing, and curing concrete for residential and commercial projects across Australia. Their work includes driveways, footpaths, patios, slabs, retaining walls, pool surrounds, and decorative concrete features. Concrete work demands precision timing — from formwork construction and steel reinforcement placement through to pouring, screeding, floating, and applying the chosen finish before the mix sets. Australian concreters work with plain concrete, coloured concrete, exposed aggregate, stamped (stencilled) patterns, and polished concrete for interior floors. Homeowners most commonly need a concreter for driveway replacements, garage slabs, outdoor entertaining areas, and house slab preparation before a build. Because concrete is permanent and extremely costly to rectify, getting the job right first time is critical.
Hiring a licensed concreter means you are protected by the state's regulatory framework. Licensed tradespersons must comply with industry standards, maintain appropriate insurance, and can be held accountable through the licensing body's complaint and disciplinary processes.
Hiring a Licensed Concreter in NSW
Before hiring any concreter in New South Wales, use this five-point checklist to protect yourself and ensure you're working with a properly licensed and insured professional.
- Confirm they will install reinforcement to engineering specifications — Concrete driveways and slabs require steel reinforcement (typically SL72 or SL82 mesh) placed on bar chairs at the correct height within the pour. Ask what reinforcement is specified and whether it complies with AS 2870 for residential slabs. Unreinforced concrete cracks quickly under Australian conditions.
- Ask about their concrete supply and pour scheduling — Concrete must be placed within 90 minutes of batching. Ask whether the concreter uses a reputable local batch plant, how many trucks they have scheduled, and whether they have enough crew to place and finish the concrete before it begins to set — especially on large pours or hot days.
- Check they hold a QBCC or equivalent concreting licence — In Queensland, concreting work over $3,300 (inc. GST) requires a QBCC licence under the Concreting class. NSW requires a licence for work over $5,000. Verify the licence on the state register. Unlicensed concreters cannot be held accountable through the state's dispute resolution process.
- Ask about control joint placement and spacing — Control joints (saw cuts or tooled grooves) are essential to manage where concrete cracks as it shrinks during curing. Joints should be placed at intervals no greater than 25–30 times the slab thickness. A concreter who does not discuss joint placement is likely to leave you with random, unsightly cracking.
- Confirm their curing method and how long to keep off the concrete — Concrete reaches only about 70 per cent of its design strength at 7 days and full strength at 28 days. Ask whether the concreter will apply a curing compound, wet-cure with hessian, or use plastic sheeting, and how long you should keep vehicles and heavy loads off the surface.
Red Flags to Watch For
- No reinforcement mesh or bar chairs visible before the pour — Concrete without reinforcement is structurally inadequate for driveways, slabs, and paths that bear vehicle or structural loads. If the concreter has set up formwork but there is no steel mesh on bar chairs before the truck arrives, the finished slab is likely to crack extensively. Mesh sitting on the ground instead of on chairs is equally ineffective.
- Pours concrete directly onto unprepared ground — Concrete requires a compacted subbase — typically crushed rock or road base — to distribute loads and prevent settlement cracking. Pouring concrete directly onto topsoil, clay, or fill that has not been compacted is a recipe for slab failure. The concreter should excavate to a stable base and compact before pouring.
- No control joints cut or tooled into the slab — Without control joints, concrete will crack randomly as it shrinks during curing. A concreter who finishes a large slab without cutting or tooling control joints at regular intervals either lacks the knowledge or is rushing the job. Random cracking in plain concrete is unsightly and in decorative concrete it ruins the finish.
Typical Concreter Costs in New South Wales
| Hourly Rate | $70 – $115 |
|---|---|
| Callout Fee | $85 – $160 |
| Concrete driveway (per sqm) | $50 – $105 |
| Concrete slab for shed (20sqm) | $2100 – $5250 |
| Concrete path or footpath | $840 – $2625 |
Your Rights — Complaints & Disputes in New South Wales
NSW Fair Trading
How to Lodge a Complaint
- 1 Write to the tradesperson describing the problem and requesting a solution within a reasonable time (14–21 days)
- 2 If unresolved, lodge a complaint with NSW Fair Trading online or by calling 13 32 20
- 3 Fair Trading will assess your complaint and may contact the tradesperson on your behalf