Concreting in Caldermeade

Dairy flats beside the highway

Caldermeade is the stretch of rural country between Monomeith and Lang Lang, on the edge of the old Koo Wee Rup swamp. It is mostly flat, open dairy and beef land, cut by drains and dotted with farmhouses, machinery sheds and lifestyle blocks. Many people know the area from driving along the South Gippsland Highway, but the farms stretch well back from the road.

For us, Caldermeade is right next door. It is only a few minutes from our base in Lang Lang, and we work here regularly.

Ground on the edge of the swamp

The soils in Caldermeade range from sandy loam on slightly higher ground toward Lang Lang, to heavier grey clay and peaty soil on the lower, drained swamp land toward Monomeith and Koo Wee Rup. Some areas have a high water table, especially in winter. We check the ground on every site visit, because the base depth and preparation depend on what is there.

On soft or peaty ground, we remove the organic material and build up a compacted crushed-rock base, sometimes with geotextile fabric underneath. On firmer sandy loam, we still compact the ground and base carefully. On all sites, we design falls so water drains away, because the flat ground will not do it for you.

Dairy and farm concrete

Dairy farms need a lot of concrete, and it has to work hard. We pour dairy yards, feed pads, laneway entries, calf shed floors, trough pads, machinery shed floors, silage bunker floors and farm entrances. Each job is designed around the loads, the stock and the water. Yards and feed pads need falls toward the effluent system, a grooved or deep broom finish for footing, and enough strength for tractors and feed-out equipment. If your processor, an engineer or an effluent designer has specified requirements, we build to them.

Sheds and hardstands

Machinery sheds, hay sheds and workshops are a big part of farm life in Caldermeade. We pour shed floors with thickened edges where the frame needs them, door aprons that move water away from the entrance, and hardstands beside the shed for parking trucks, trailers and equipment. On low-lying sites we raise the floor above the surrounding ground and plan drainage around the shed.

Driveways and entrances

Farm entrances off the highway and side roads take a beating from trucks and machinery. A concrete entrance, with a culvert under the crossing if there is a table drain, stops the gateway from turning to mud and keeps gravel from being dragged onto the road. Further in, concreting the area around the house and sheds and any turning bay used by milk tankers or trucks makes a big difference. We size the slab for heavy vehicles and plan the turning circles.

Homes and outdoor areas

Caldermeade's farmhouses and lifestyle homes need driveways, paths, patios and sometimes new house slabs. We pour patios and alfresco areas with falls away from the house, paths to the shed, clothesline and garden, and driveways with finishes that hide mud and dust. For new homes, we pour to the engineer's slab design, with particular attention to the soil report and site drainage.

Highway frontages and council

Caldermeade is in Cardinia Shire. Properties fronting the South Gippsland Highway may need consent from the state road authority for a new or altered entrance, while side-road entrances generally need Cardinia Shire consent. Sheds, house slabs and other buildings need a building permit. The quote spells out any consent or permit your property will need.

Milk tanker access

Dairy farms need a solid, all-weather route for the milk tanker from the road to the vat. Tanker drivers need room to turn, firm ground under the wheels and a level standing area near the dairy. We pour concrete turning areas and standing pads sized for the tanker's weight and turning circle, with falls that shed water away from the dairy. A concrete section here also stops the tanker from cutting up the gravel and dragging mud onto the highway.

Calf sheds and hay shed aprons

Calf sheds need a floor that drains and can be cleaned, and hay sheds need a dry apron so bales are not stacked in mud. On low-lying Caldermeade farms, we raise these floors and aprons above the surrounding ground and design falls so water moves away from the shed. A concrete floor in a hay shed, or at least a firm apron along the open side, reduces waste and makes loading easier.

Lifestyle blocks along the highway

Between the farms, there are lifestyle blocks with newer homes, horse paddocks and large sheds. Typical jobs include long driveway sections, shed slabs, horse stables and wash bays, patios and paths. On these blocks, the main challenge is usually drainage on flat ground, and we plan falls and levels carefully.

Timing farm work

We plan farm jobs around the busy times of the dairy year, such as calving and silage, and around the weather. On wet ground, it is better to wait for the soil to dry out than to bog machinery and build a base on soft clay. We talk through timing with you on the visit.

Feed pads and troughs on the flats

On flat dairy country, feed pads and trough areas quickly become muddy and pugged in winter. A concrete feed pad keeps cows out of the mud while they eat, reduces feed waste and makes cleaning easier. We design the pad with falls to the effluent system, a grooved finish for footing, and a strong edge where tractors deliver feed. Concrete pads around troughs in the paddocks prevent the ground around them turning into a bog. These jobs can be done in stages to suit the farm budget and calendar.

House surrounds on farmhouses

Older farmhouses often have little or no concrete around them, so mud and water sit against the walls in winter. A concrete apron or path around the house, set with a fall away from the walls, keeps the footings drier, gives a clean place to walk and stops the garden washing against the weatherboards. We can pour it in sections and tie it into the back step, the laundry door and the path to the shed.

Close to home

Caldermeade is next door to our Lang Lang base, so a quick look at a gateway, a trough pad or a cracked shed apron is easy to fit in. Ring us and we can usually call in within days.

Council and permit notes for Caldermeade

Caldermeade falls under Cardinia Shire. Driveways, paths and patios inside the property line generally go ahead without a council permit. Anything between the boundary and the road, such as the crossover, nature strip or public footpath, is council or road authority land and normally needs consent first. Houses, extensions, garages, larger sheds and some retaining walls need a building permit and engineering. We list whatever applies to your job in the written quote.

Booking a visit in Caldermeade

Tap to Call, or fill in the form with photos of the job, the frontage and the access. We drive out from Lang Lang, test the ground, take levels and then email an itemised quote covering preparation, slab, finish and any council work. You will not find rates on this website, because the ground and access change from block to block.