Best Concrete & Driveway Contractors in Nelson
We assessed 11 concrete & driveway contractors in Nelson and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 22 September 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Whether it is a new driveway, a patio, paving or a concrete repair, concrete work is hard to fix once it has cured, so the preparation underneath matters as much as the pour. Ask how they prepare and compact the base, whether reinforcing mesh or steel is included, and what they do to control cracking and finish. Get a written quote that specifies thickness, square metre rate, and whether removal of the old surface is included.
Top 5 Concrete & Driveway Contractors in Nelson
The top 5 concrete & driveway contractors in Nelson are #1 Straight Edge Concrete, #2 Concrete Unlimited, #3 Kiwi Excavations, #4 H and H Concrete, and #5 Nelson Concrete, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you hire.
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1
Straight Edge Concrete Limited
★ 5.0 28 reviews Top5 Score 1435★ 28Straight Edge Concrete takes on driveways, coloured patios, garage floors and concrete pads across the Nelson region, with Luke working through the planning stage to keep jobs within agreed budgets. Quotes come in accurately, crews arrive on schedule, and sites are left clean when the work is done.
location_on 32 Matipo Terrace, Toi Toi, Nelson
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2
Concrete Unlimited
★ 5.0 23 reviews Top5 Score 1405★ 23Concrete Unlimited coordinates driveways, walkways, paths and concrete surrounds for pools and outdoor areas, with Ryan and the team actively contributing ideas that lift the final result. Even awkward jobs, like sloped sections with deteriorated surfaces, get treated as straightforward, and completions within two days are reported on driveway work.
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3
Kiwi Excavations
★ 4.6 28 reviews Top5 Score 1325★ 24 4★ 2 1★ 2Kiwi Excavations takes on concrete paths, steps, and parking areas alongside site preparation and retaining work, with Matt visiting in person to scope jobs before quoting. Owners who return for repeat work mention being brought back specifically because the team gave frank advice on what their budget could realistically achieve the first time around.
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4
H and H Concrete Limited
★ 4.6 17 reviews Top5 Score 1285★ 14 4★ 2 1★ 1H and H Concrete turns uncertain briefs into finished driveways, paths, exposed aggregate surfaces and paved areas, with the team contributing design ideas that clients say they would not have arrived at alone. Crew members like Carl, Lenny and Steve have been specific enough in their advice to talk clients away from one product choice and into a better one, and past work has held up well enough to bring the same owners back 15 years later.
location_on 60 Beatty Street, Annesbrook, Richmond
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5
Nelson Concrete
★ 4.9 9 reviews Top5 Score 1275★ 8 4★ 1Nelson Concrete lays residential driveways, commercial driveways and concrete patios, with clients noting itemised quotes that break down costs honestly before work begins. Progress photos shared during construction give owners visibility into each stage, and the team has accommodated mid-job changes without friction.
location_on 2 Merrin Way, Annesbrook, Nelson
Before you hire a concrete contractor in Nelson
Drawn from 115 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What does concrete and driveway work typically cost in New Zealand? expand_more
Plain concrete driveways cost between $100 and $200 per square metre installed in New Zealand. Exposed aggregate or coloured finishes push that range to $150 and $300 per square metre or more.
A single-car driveway of 30 to 40 square metres runs roughly $3,000 to $8,000, while a double driveway can reach $10,000 to $15,000. Site access, excavation depth, reinforcing, and removal of the old surface all move the final number significantly.
When does concrete work need a building consent or engineering? expand_more
A plain residential driveway slab at ground level sits outside the definition of building work under the Building Act 2004 and does not require a building consent in most cases. Any retaining wall over 1.5 metres high does require consent, and if the driveway is tied to a new dwelling already needing consent, the slab is captured in that same process.
Some councils also restrict how much of a site can be covered by impermeable surfaces, so a large concrete area could trigger a resource consent check around stormwater. Contact your local council before work starts, because getting this wrong creates disclosure problems at resale and can require costly remediation.
How do I know the base and reinforcing have been done properly? expand_more
A compacted gravel sub-base of at least 100mm is the single biggest factor in preventing cracking and sinking, so ask to inspect it before the pour and look for a firm, level surface with no soft spots. Reinforcing mesh or steel should be lifted off the base on chairs or supports so it sits mid-slab, not resting on the ground where it provides almost no structural benefit. Control joints cut or formed into the slab at regular intervals give the concrete a planned place to move, reducing random surface cracking, and several Nelson reviewers specifically praised contractors who left clean, tidy results, which is a reasonable indicator of care taken throughout the job.
What are the warning signs of a concrete contractor you shouldn't hire? expand_more
- –A quote given verbally with no written breakdown of thickness, reinforcing, and finish should be treated as a red flag before you commit to anything.
- –Contractors who cannot explain how they will prepare the sub-base or manage drainage are likely to skip steps that only become visible as cracking or sinking later.
- –Requests for a large upfront deposit, well above the standard 10 to 20 percent common in NZ trades, can leave you exposed if work is delayed or incomplete.
- –One review from this group noted that decisions and requests were overlooked and that owner interactions felt disrespectful, which signals poor communication practices worth screening for early.
- –No discussion of control joints or curing time suggests the contractor is focused on speed rather than long-term performance.
- –Contractors who are hard to reach during a job rarely become easier to reach when a defect appears six months later.
What should you ask before hiring a concrete contractor? expand_more
- –Ask whether the quote is fixed price and confirm it itemises excavation depth, sub-base material, slab thickness, reinforcing specification, and the exact finish type.
- –Clarify who is responsible for breaking out and removing the old surface, because this is a significant cost that some quotes quietly exclude.
- –Ask how they handle cracking control, specifically whether they use formed or cut control joints and at what spacing.
- –Confirm the full timeline including how many days the concrete must cure before vehicles or foot traffic can use it, as premature loading causes surface damage.
- –Ask whether they carry public liability insurance and can provide evidence of it, which is standard practice for reputable NZ trades.
- –Find out what their process is if cracking or sinking appears within the first 12 months, and get any workmanship guarantee in writing before work begins.
Also recommended concrete & driveway contractors in Nelson
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
The Concrete Cutter (2014) Limited
★ 5.0 8 reviews Top5 Score 1275★ 8The Concrete Cutter gets called in when timing is tight, turning around concrete cutting jobs including floor grinding, tilt slab penetrations and drain cutting with speed that other contractors cannot match. Their preparation stands out: they send someone to scope the site the day before, then call ahead on the morning to confirm power access, cutting distance and the right saw for the job.
location_on 12/4 Venice Place, Stoke, Nelson
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7
Custom Driveways
★ 5.0 7 reviews Top5 Score 1255★ 7Custom Driveways delivers aggregate driveways and paths with Warren keeping clients informed at every stage from first contact through to completion. Sealing is included as part of the finish, and pricing has been described as competitive by multiple clients who went on to recommend the business to neighbours.
location_on 94 Emano Street, Toi Toi, Nelson
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8
Riverside Repiling & Concrete Services
★ 5.0 5 reviews Top5 Score 1215★ 5Riverside Repiling & Concrete gets garage floors re-laid, steps poured, and sports court slabs finished on time and within the quoted budget, with Josh leading jobs from start to completion. Clients who book once come back for additional work, and the team leaves sites tidy enough that returning customers name it as a reason they call again.
location_on 9 Middlebank Drive, Richmond, Nelson
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9
Concrete Pump Services Nelson (2002)
★ 4.8 5 reviews Top5 Score 1195★ 4 4★ 1We generate summaries once a business has enough reviews for a reliable sample.
location_on 580 Hill Street South, Hope
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10
CONCRETEMAX Limited
★ 5.0 3 reviews Top5 Score 1155★ 3We generate summaries once a business has enough reviews for a reliable sample.
About this ranking
What the 10 concrete & driveway contractors listed above hold, at the 22 September 2026 check.
Across the 10 locations we assess concrete & driveway contractors in, the 96 businesses listed have a median rating of 5.0, and one-star reviews are 3.1% of their total.
How are the top concrete & driveway contractors in Nelson chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for concrete & driveway contractors in Nelson. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for concrete & driveway contractors in Nelson. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.