The alfresco on a new home is sized by the floor plan, not by how anyone lives. It fits a barbecue and two chairs. The first long lunch proves it, and the most common patio job across Fletcher, Maryland and Cameron Park is pushing that slab out by three or four metres so a table fits with room to walk behind the chairs. On older homes in Lambton, Kotara and Charlestown the job is more often a first patio where there has only ever been lawn.
Levels decide everything
A patio has to meet the back door at the right height, fall away from the house and end somewhere sensible at the lawn. On a sloping block that can mean a thickened edge or a small retaining edge on the low side, and it is the detail that separates a quote that works from one that has not looked. Stormwater is settled at the same time: where the water goes when it leaves the slab, and whether a grate or a pit is needed at the door.
Finishes underfoot
Outdoor living areas are walked on barefoot and sat on for hours, so the finish matters more than on a driveway. Exposed aggregate in a smaller stone is comfortable, hides spills and ties to a matching driveway. Coloured concrete gives a quieter, flatter look. Plain broom finish is the budget answer and takes outdoor tiles later if plans change. Around a pool, ask for a finish that grips when wet.
What the ground does
Clay towards the west of the region moves with the seasons, and a patio that is tied rigidly to the house without a joint will show it. Sand near the coast and the lake needs confining at the slab edge. The specification covers base, mesh and jointing.
Patios and alfresco slabs run $100 to $180 per m². Pair one with paths or a shed slab to share the mobilisation, check the cost guide and the Section 138 guide if a driveway is part of the plan, then request a measure.
Published rates are a guide for budgeting. The price for your job is the one on the written quote after a site measure.