Level with the house, drained away from it, finished to suit
An alfresco slab spends its life a step from your back door, so two things decide whether it works: the height it sits at, and where the water goes.
Set it too high and rain finds its way into the house. Set it without fall and you get a puddle in the middle every winter. We set the levels off the house, pour to fall, and finish it so it reads as part of the property rather than a grey rectangle stuck on the back.
Everything that goes into the price
- Excavation and removal of the existing surface
- Spoil carted away
- Compacted crushed rock base
- Formwork set below the house and to fall
- Reinforcement on chairs, specified to the job
- Concrete placed, screeded and finished
- Control joints cut and edges dressed
- Curing compound applied, site cleaned
Where alfresco slabs go wrong
Height against the house
The slab finishes below the damp course and below door thresholds. This is not negotiable and it is the mistake we are called out to fix most often.
Fall away from the building
Enough to shed water, not so much that the outdoor setting rocks.
Matching what is there
If the driveway is exposed aggregate, the same finish on the alfresco ties the property together.
Room for what goes on it
Tell us where the table, the barbecue and any future pergola posts are going. Post footings are far easier to set before the pour than to core out after it.
The ones we get asked most
Can you pour under an existing pergola or verandah?
Usually yes. Roof height and post positions change how we get concrete in — sometimes a line pump or barrow run — and that goes on the quote.
What is the difference between a patio and an alfresco slab?
Nothing structural. Alfresco generally means the area under the roofline of the house; a patio is usually open. They are built the same way.
Can I tile over it later?
Yes, if you tell us now. We will set the finished level lower to allow for the tile and adhesive, and leave the surface suited to tiling rather than sealed.
Does it need reinforcement if nothing heavy goes on it?
Yes. Reinforcement controls cracking as much as it carries load. Every slab we pour is reinforced, specified to what it has to do.
Get a price on your alfresco
Send the size and a photo of the back of the house.
