Alfresco & patio slabs
The covered or partly covered area off the back of the house. Usually the highest-finish concrete on a property because it is seen up close, every day, in good light.
Outdoor entertaining areas
Concrete Outdoor Entertaining Areas — Hawkesbury & Hills District
An outdoor area gets used when it’s the right size, sits at the right level and drains properly. We work that out with you, prepare the ground and pour a surface that feels like part of the house.
- Licensed NSW concreting contractor
- Public liability & home warranty insured
- 13+ years on the tools
- ABN 55 852 128 340
What is the best base for an outdoor entertaining area?
A properly prepared concrete slab, whatever goes on top. Pavers, tiles and decking all fail from the ground up, and the most common cause is a base that moved. Getting the slab, the falls and the drainage right first is what decides whether the area still looks right in ten years.
- WhereHills District, Hawkesbury and surrounds
- WhatAlfresco slabs, courtyards, BBQ areas, patios and outdoor rooms
- Who does itExcavation, base, formwork, pour and finish by one crew
- Often poured withPool surrounds, paths and driveways in the same visit
The complete package
What Goes Into An Entertaining Area
This is concrete people sit on, walk on barefoot and look at every day. It gets judged harder than anything else on a property except a pool surround.
Levels against the house
The finished surface has to sit correctly against the house — below the damp course, clear of weep holes, and low enough at the threshold that water cannot get inside.
Excavation and base
Boxed out and stripped to firm ground, then a compacted base. Ground next to a house is often backfill from the original build and has to be treated as such.
Falls and drainage
Fall set away from the house across the whole area, with strip drains where the levels alone cannot carry the water away.
Formwork and edges
Forms set to the shape, including curves, steps and the transition to lawn, garden or pool area.
Reinforcement and pour
Mesh on chairs at cover, poured continuously wherever the layout allows so there are no cold joints through a surface this visible.
Finish, cut and seal
Finished to the chosen texture, control joints cut on a planned layout, and sealed where the finish calls for it.
Types
Outdoor Areas We Pour
Most of this work goes in as part of a larger outdoor project rather than on its own, and it is cheaper and better that way.
Courtyards
Enclosed and side courtyards, often on awkward access where the pour has to be barrowed or pumped through the house side.
BBQ & kitchen areas
Slabs and bases for outdoor kitchens and BBQ builds, with the service penetrations for gas, water and power set before the pour.
Fire pit & seating areas
Freestanding entertaining areas away from the house, common on acreage where the best spot is not attached to the building.
Pool-side areas
Poured continuously with the pool surround so levels, colour and joints carry across — see pool surrounds.
Under-roof extensions
Slabs poured for a patio roof, pergola or outdoor room, including footings and post fixings set in the pour.
Get these right
The Details That Decide It
Entertaining areas go wrong in a handful of predictable ways, and every one of them is decided before the concrete truck arrives.
Height against the house
An outdoor slab poured too high bridges the damp course and puts water into your wall. It is the most expensive mistake on this list and the hardest to undo.
Fall away from the building
Water has to move away from the house across the entire area. A dead-flat alfresco holds water against the wall every time it rains.
Weep holes left clear
Brickwork weep holes have to stay open. Concreting over them blocks the cavity’s drainage and creates a damp problem inside.
Services before the pour
Gas, water, power and drainage for an outdoor kitchen set in place beforehand. Cutting them in afterwards means breaking out the surface you just paid for.
Post fixings in the pour
If a pergola or patio roof is coming, the fixings go in at the pour. Drilling into a finished slab later is both weaker and visible.
Colour and heat
Dark surfaces get hot. An area meant for bare feet in summer should be chosen with that in mind rather than from a photo.
Pricing
What Affects The Cost Of An Entertaining Area
Smaller area than a driveway, but more finishing work per square metre, more edge detail and usually harder access.
- AreaTotal square metres. Small areas carry the same setup cost as large ones, so they cost more per metre.
- FinishPlain, exposed aggregate, coloured, honed or stamped — see decorative concrete for the options and what suits where.
- AccessBackyards on established Hills blocks often cannot be reached by truck, which means pumping or barrowing and more time.
- Ground conditionBackfill against a house is disturbed and usually needs more preparation than undisturbed ground.
- Levels and drainageHow much has to be cut to get the slab low enough against the house, and whether strip drains are needed.
- Steps and level changesSteps down to lawn or up to a threshold add formwork well out of proportion to their size.
- Services and fixingsPenetrations for an outdoor kitchen, and footings or fixings for a roof or pergola.
- Doing it with other workPoured alongside a driveway or pool surround, an entertaining area costs considerably less than a separate visit.
Recent work
Outdoor Areas We’ve Poured
Why Southo
Why Owners Use Us For Outdoor Areas
Levels against the house checked first
Damp course, weep holes and thresholds looked at before anything is formed. It is the mistake that costs the most to fix.
Finish quality on show
This is the concrete you look at every day. Edges, surface consistency and joint layout are where our residential reputation comes from.
Poured with everything else
Alfresco, pool surround, paths and driveway in one program, so colour and levels actually match.
Access solved, not avoided
Pumping and barrowing into tight backyards is routine. It changes the price, not whether we take the job.
Services set beforehand
Gas, water, power and post fixings in place before the pour rather than cut in afterwards.
Licensed and insured
Licensed NSW concreting contractor with public liability and home warranty insurance. Details supplied on request.
Somewhere to actually sit outside.
Send us a photo of the area and rough measurements and we’ll come and look at the levels.
Reviews
Our Customer Reviews
Service area
Where We Pour Outdoor Areas
Based in the Hawkesbury, working across the Hills, Sydney and the Central Coast.
Questions
Outdoor Entertaining Area FAQs
Concrete or pavers?
Pavers still need a base, and a poor base is what makes them lift and rock. A single poured surface has no joints to weed, nothing to move independently, and a wider range of finishes. If you want the paver look, stencilled concrete gets close in one continuous pour.
How close to the house can it go?
Right up to it, provided the finished level sits below the damp course and keeps the weep holes clear. That constraint often means cutting down rather than building up, which is worth knowing before you plan the levels.
Can you pour under an existing pergola?
Usually. Limited headroom makes the pour and the finishing harder, and it may need to be barrowed rather than chuted, but it is common work.
What finish should I choose?
For an area used barefoot, lighter colours and a texture that does not get slippery. Honed looks superb up close and suits covered areas best. We will talk through what suits the spot rather than what photographs well.
Can you match my existing driveway or pool surround?
Closely in most cases, not exactly. Batches vary and concrete weathers. If matching matters, pouring both together is the only way to get it right.
Do you handle the roof or pergola too?
We pour the slab and set the footings and fixings for it. The structure itself is a carpenter or builder’s trade and we coordinate with whoever you use.
How long before we can use it?
Foot traffic within a few days usually, longer for furniture and full use, and sealed finishes need extra time. We give you the dates on the day we pour.
Southo
Concrete
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