Measured and Quoted on Site
Not off a photo. We come out, look at the ground and the access, and price the actual job.
Patios & Alfrescos
Concrete Patios and Alfrescos in Launceston
A concrete patio is the one Launceston slab you sit on rather than drive on, so it gets judged barefoot, under furniture and in the heat of February. That changes which finish is right, and it changes where the water has to go.
How We Work
The Ground Gets Done Before the Concrete Does
Excavation, a compacted base and reinforcement to spec, the half that decides how long it lasts.
One Price, and We Take the Mess with Us
One written price for the whole job, not a rate per square metre, and the site is left clean.
What They Look Like
Concrete Patio Ideas That Work in a Tasmanian Backyard
Half of what gets pinned online was poured somewhere that never sees a frost. These are the shapes and finishes that behave here, on the blocks and in the weather we actually have.
The Alfresco Under the Roofline
Sheltered, so it can take a honed or polished finish.
The Open Entertaining Slab
Out in the weather, so grip matters more than looks.
Wrapping the Corner of the House
One pour, two doors. Architecture rather than a slab.
A Round Pad Away from the House
A fire pit circle joined by a path. Worth the extra day.
Stepped Down to the Lawn
One wide bullnosed step beats a wall and a drop.
The Long Narrow Strip
The sunny side, wide enough for a table against the wall.
The Other Two Options
Concrete or Decking? An Honest Comparison
We pour concrete, so read this knowing that. It is still the honest version, because the wrong surface for your yard is a complaint we would rather not have.
Concrete
Longest life, least fuss, hardest to change
- Up front
- Middle of the three
- Every year
- A hose and a broom
- Lifespan
- Decades, if the base is right
- Underfoot
- Cool in shade, hot in full sun
- If you change your mind
- It comes out with a breaker
Timber Decking
Warmest underfoot, most maintenance
- Up front
- Usually the dearest
- Every year
- Clean, oil or stain
- Lifespan
- Ten to twenty, boards replaced along the way
- Underfoot
- Warm and soft, splinters when it ages
- If you change your mind
- Unscrews and lifts
Pavers
Easiest to lift, most joints to weed
- Up front
- Often the cheapest to start
- Every year
- Weeding, re-sanding, re-levelling
- Lifespan
- Long, if the base does not move
- Underfoot
- Even, until one lifts
- If you change your mind
- Lift them and reuse them
Asked and Answered
The Four Things People Ask About, and How We Handle Them
These are the four we get asked about most, usually near the end of a quote when someone has been thinking about them for a while. Here they are up front instead, with what we actually do about each.
Keeping It Cool Underfoot
Lighter mixes, exposed aggregate and any shade at all keep a patio comfortable through a Tasmanian January. It is the dark slabs in full afternoon sun that get uncomfortable, so we will tell you which part of your yard has that problem before you pick a colour.
Warm Enough to Use in Winter
Under a roofline a concrete patio is usable on a July morning, which is why an alfresco reads so differently from an open slab. We will walk the yard with you and tell you which one your space wants before anything is priced.
Cracks Go Where We Put Them
Every slab moves. The job is deciding where, with control joints cut early at spacings that suit the shape. A patio with no joints is a patio waiting to crack across the middle of itself.
Decided Before the Concrete Is Ordered
You cannot unscrew a slab, so the decisions get made up front rather than after. That is the whole reason the measure is free and unhurried: we set out the shape, the levels and the falls on site with you, and you see it before anyone commits to anything.
Tell us about the yard and we will tell you which of those four actually applies to it, and what we would do.
The Junction
The Five Things That Have to Be Right Where It Meets the House
A patio meets the house along its longest edge, and that join is where the care goes. These five are set before the concrete is ordered and none of them shows in a photograph afterwards, which is exactly why we will walk you through them at the measure.
Below the Damp Course
The slab finishes below the damp-proof course so it cannot bridge it. Bridge it and the wall wicks moisture, and you find out inside.
Clear of the Weep Holes
The open perpends at the bottom course drain the cavity. A patio poured over them traps water exactly where the wall is trying to get rid of it.
Falling Away, Always
Every millimetre of fall runs away from the wall. A patio that falls back at the house delivers a season of rain to the one place it must not go.
Separated, Not Attached
An expansion joint runs the full length where slab meets wall. The house and the patio move at different rates and on different days.
Meeting the Door Threshold
Sliding doors need the slab low enough to keep water out and high enough to step onto comfortably. That is a measured number, not a guess on the day.
Finishes
What Each Finish Is Like Underfoot and Under Furniture
A driveway is judged from a car. A patio is judged barefoot, with a chair being dragged across it and a glass being put down on it. Different test entirely.
Exposed Aggregate
Cottesloe Exposed and the rest of the range
BarefootGrippy wet or dry, and the stone stays cooler than a solid colour
FurnitureChairs scrape a little; felt pads help
CleaningHides leaf stain and spilled wine better than anything else
Where it belongsThe safe choice for an open, uncovered patio
Fine Broom
Plain grey, or any oxide colour you like
BarefootGood grip, slightly coarse on bare feet
FurnitureFurniture sits flat and slides without catching
CleaningSweeps clean, shows nothing
Where it belongsPractical, and the one that costs the least
Honed
Coral Creme Honed and the rest of the range
BarefootSmooth and calm, and slippery when it is wet
FurnitureThe best surface for furniture and the nicest to look at
CleaningShows marks; wants sealing
Where it belongsUnder a roofline, where it stays dry
Coloured Through the Mix
Latte, Sandstone, Charcoal and thirty more
BarefootDepends on the shade, a dark colour holds heat
FurnitureSame as the finish it is paired with
CleaningA chip shows the same colour, not grey
Where it belongsAnywhere the concrete has to match the house
Know which finish you want? Tell us, and we will price that one rather than a range.
Drainage
Why a Patio Needs a Fall You Cannot See
A patio looks flat and is not. It is built to shed a Tasmanian downpour without anybody noticing the slope, and getting that wrong is the difference between an outdoor room and a puddle with furniture on it.
One in a Hundred, Minimum
Ten millimetres of drop per metre. Under a covered alfresco you can ease it; out in the open you cannot.
Away from the House, Always
Fall runs to the garden, the lawn or a grate, never back toward the wall or the door threshold.
A Grate Where It Has Nowhere to Go
A patio boxed in by a wall, a fence and a level lawn needs a strip drain. It is a line on the quote rather than a surprise in the first storm.
Table Legs Find the Errors
A chair that rocks and a table that will not sit level are how a bad patio announces itself. Screeding to the boxing is what stops it.
What It Costs
What Does a Concrete Patio Cost in Launceston?
Three sizes we pour regularly. The ranges are wide because they cover a plain slab at one end and a decorative finish at the other.
Patio, 20m²$1,600 – $3,000A small entertaining area off the back door. Slab only, level site.Patio, 30m²$2,400 – $5,850Table, chairs and a barbecue. Range covers plain through decorative.Alfresco, 40m²$3,600 – $7,800A full outdoor room under the roofline. Range covers plain through decorative.These are indicative ranges only. Final pricing depends on site conditions and finish requirements, which is what the free measure settles.
Get Your Job MeasuredWhat It Depends On
What Moves a Patio Quote Up or Down
The ranges above cover a plain slab at one end and a decorative finish at the other. These are the things that decide where in between your patio sits, and we settle every one of them on site.
Getting to the Back Yard
A patio behind a house is the classic access problem. Reachable by truck is one price; barrowed through a side gate or pumped over the roof is another.
Size, and How Much of It Is Edge
A simple rectangle is cheaper per square metre than the same area cut into curves and returns, because the boxing takes longer than the pour.
What Is There Now
Old pavers, a rotten deck or a slab that has to come out. Breaking out, carting and tipping is real money and it is the line most quotes leave vague.
The Ground and the Fall
A flat, firm yard is straightforward. A slope means cut and fill, and possibly a step or a low retaining edge, which is separate work.
Where the Water Goes
A patio that can shed into a garden bed is simple. One that needs a strip drain and a connection is a different job and gets priced as one.
The Finish
Plain broom is the base. Exposed aggregate, colour through the mix, honing and sealing each add cost, and on a patio the finish is the part you live with.
Before You Ring
Work Out Your Patio in Square Metres
Measure the length and the width of the area you want covered. It will not give you a price, but it tells you the area, and it is most of what we need before we come out and look at the levels.
Patio size
Two numbers and we can talk
Area
Concrete, roughly
Based on a 100mm slab with thickened edges. It is a starting point for the conversation, not a quote.
Have those two numbers when you ring and we can tell you whether it is a one day pour, how the fall has to run away from the house, and what each finish does to the number.
The Next Step
Get a Price for Your Patio
Send the rough size and where it sits, and we will come out and measure it properly. The measure and the written price are free either way.
What Happens After You Send It
- We come out and measure it, free, and look at the ground and the access.
- You get one written price for the whole job, not a rate per square metre.
- If you go ahead, you get a start date and the same crew from quote to pour.
Would rather talk it through? (03) 6724 3698, or send the details through the contact page.
Patios Across Launceston
- Kings Meadows
- Newstead
- Norwood
- Prospect
- Riverside
- Trevallyn
- West Launceston
- East Launceston
- South Launceston
- Youngtown
- St Leonards
- Mowbray
Plus the wider Launceston area. See every suburb we cover.
Common Questions
Patio Questions We Get Asked in Launceston
Is a concrete patio cheaper than a deck?
Usually yes over the life of it, and often at the start too. Concrete sits in the middle on the day it is poured, but it does not want oiling, staining or board replacement, so the gap widens every year. A deck is dearer to build and dearer to keep.
What are the downsides of a concrete patio?
Four things come up, and every one of them is designed around rather than lived with. Heat is handled by a lighter mix, exposed aggregate and shade. Winter barely registers under a roofline. Cracking is controlled by cutting joints early in the right places. And because a slab cannot be undone, we set out the shape, levels and falls on site with you before anything is ordered.
How thick should a concrete patio be?
A hundred millimetres through the field for a residential patio, on a compacted base with mesh on chairs in the top third. Thicker where a vehicle could ever cross it. The base under the slab matters as much as the number.
Can you pour a patio right against the house?
Yes, and it is the normal thing to do, but the level is what matters. It has to finish below the damp course, leave the weep holes clear, fall away from the wall and be separated from the house with an expansion joint.
Which finish is best for a patio?
Exposed aggregate for an open patio, because it grips when wet and stays cooler underfoot. Honed for a covered alfresco, where it stays dry and looks calm. A fine broom is the practical, least expensive option and it does nothing wrong.
How long before we can use it?
About a day for foot traffic and a week before furniture goes on, longer through a cold Launceston week because concrete gains strength slowly below ten degrees. Full strength is twenty-eight days.
Free Measure, Fixed Price
Find Out What Your Job Costs
One call and we come out, measure the real thing and put a price in writing. It costs nothing and there is no salesman in it.
One call. We measure it and put a fixed price in writing. Costs nothing.
- We come and measure itOn site, tape out, so the price is for your job and not a guess off a photo.
- A fixed written priceOne number you can hold us to. Not a range, not a rate, not an estimate.
- The crew who quotes it pours itThe bloke standing in your driveway is the bloke who does the work. Who you are dealing with.
- Measured on site, not guessed
- Fixed written price, not a range
- The crew who quotes it pours it
Would rather type it out? Send the details instead