When designing a patio it is important to consider the following:
- What will the patio area mainly be used for?
- Do I need a concrete slab or timber deck for the area?
- What style pergola do I need to cover the area?
- What is my budget?
- Should I build my pergola myself?(DIY)
- Does the patio, deck or pergola require council approval (D.A or CDC)?
What will the patio area mainly be used for?
Patios are used for many different purposes but in general are used for entertaining guests, barbeques and a peaceful place to read the paper or have a cup of coffee.
It is important to think about your own lifestyle and how often the area will be used for each purpose to allocate a suitable sized patio for your home.
If you are entertaining guest regularly a larger and flashier patio will most likely fit your lifestyle. Maybe you are retired and will only be using the area for your daily meals and for a bit of quiet time, making a smaller sized patio for two people more appropriate.
You can go big or small, modern or federation, quiet or loud. So always think about the space you require for your new patio area before wasting money on a patio that doesn’t meet your lifestyle requirements.
Half Price Patios are always keen to build you the right patio space that fits you.
Do I need a concrete slab or timber deck for the area?
When building your patio you may or may not have an appropriate pavement. If you already have something that is a bonus, if you don’t it is no problem. Half Price Patios offer concreted patios, timber and aluminium decks or even pavers. We can even resurface your existing concrete to give you a new looking finish.
Timber decks are generally a dearer option opposed to concrete, although timber decks are a healthier choice for our environment as producing timber products use less energy than other materials and are beneficial to our environment by storing carbon from the our atmosphere.
Hardwood timber decks are also very stylish and modern; commonly used on home improvement T.V shows like “The Block”, “House rules” and “Grand designs Australia”. Timber can offer appealing contrasts when used with metal products like pergolas or handrails. Timber decks are being used regularly in Australia these days as it is a natural product that benefits the environment plus Australia naturally offers a range of its own hardwood products. Half Price Patios are believers in using Aussie materials to do our part in sustaining Australia’s economy and environment. It is important to support Australian resources and labour.
What style pergola do I need to cover the area?
Pergolas for patio areas come in all types of shapes and sizes. Picking the correct style can either make or break your patio area.
Things to think about when deciding what pergola fits your patio best:
1. How much height do I have to work with?
If your house offers enough height to your fascia or brick wall that is great, the pergola can simply be attached to the fascia or brick wall. On the other hand if your fascia or brick wall does not offer enough height you may be best off looking into alternative fixing methods like fixing above your roof (fly-over style), or even installing a gable to give you that extra height. Installing your pergola as a fly-over is an affective and practical option if you want to keep it simple, it won’t offer as much height as a gable although will certainly give you that extra half a meter you were hoping for to make all the difference to the feel of your patio area. We recommend having a comfortable minimum height of 2.4m to the underside of the patio roof sheet, although obviously the higher you can go the better. Going higher means more circulation, ventilation and cross flow, keeping you cooler in the summer.
When considering your pergola height, keep in mind the following pergola styles (see our pergola gallery page for pergola and patio designs and images):
Flat pergola patio
Gable pergola patio
Flat-Gable-Flat pergola patio
Gable-Flat pergola patio
Domed or Curved pergola patio
Transparent pergola patio
Insulated pergola patio
2. What sheet profile do I like?
Half Price Patios offers a wide range of sheet types, just to list a few:
– Stramit Sunset
– Stramit Monoclad
– Stratco Smooth dek
– Stratco Cool dek
– Stratco Outback
– Lysaught Trimdek
– Versiclad Spacemaker
– Versiclad Versalink
– Versiclad Corrolink
– Versiclad Ceilink
– Bondor solarspan
We also offer custom style villa board ceilings, although these can be a less affordable style as these types of ceilings require structural timber or steel frames and purlins.
The most commonly used roof sheets used are the Stramit Monoclad and Stramit Sunset as they are both affordable and look great. These sheets can also be mixed up with polycarbonate and/or fibreglass sheeting. The Sunset sheet has an amazing flat look to it once installed; it is very attractive and modern. Monoclad on the other hand is a very practical sheet, it offers outstanding quality and is very diverse in its applications. All of the sheets we offer are Bluescope Colorbond and come in a very wide range of colours.
Cooldek, Spacemaker and Versalink all offer insulated panel styled finishes. They have great insulation properties and can be increased in sheet depth to upgrade its insulation values. While offering great insulation they also offer a sleek modern look that can be accompanied with down-lights and ceiling fans. Insulated panels are a great style of sheet that is becoming commonly more fashionable.
3. What colours should I choose for my new pergola?
Colours are a key factor in setting the mood of your patio pergola. A common way of choosing the correct colours for your pergola is to compare to the colours of your existing home. You can look at the fascia, bricks and window frame colours to help you decide. You can use existing colours to blend or contrast. It is your unique design so have fun with it.
Half Price Patios is all for out there designs that make a statement. Every patio area is unique and the colours you choose will either add or take away from the character of your home.
Half Price Patios offers the whole Bluescope Colorbond colour range for most products, and if that’s not enough we also offer custom powder coating of the full Dulux colour range:
Colorbond Classic Cream
Colorbond Domain
Colorbond Paperbark
Colorbond Surfmist
Colorbond Sandbank
Colorbond Wheat
Colorbond Manor Red
Colorbond Shale Grey
Colorbond Dune
Colorbond Evening Haze
Colorbond Bushland
Colorbond Woodland Grey
Colorbond Jasper
Colorbond Estate
Colorbond Loft
Colorbond Monument
Colorbond Night Sky
Colorbond Windspray
Colorbond Torres Blue
Colorbond Blue Ridge
Colorbond Ironstone
Colorbond Deep Ocean
Colorbond Summershade
Colorbond Pale Eucalypt
Colorbond Wilderness
Colorbond Plantation
Colorbond Cottage Green
4. Do I need professional help deciding the style and design?
Keep in mind when building your patio pergola you only get one chance, so do it right the first time by seeking professional advice from a Half Price Patios. Our consultants are very experienced and are up to date with all the new pergola and patios products, designs and finishes.
At Half Price Patios we love to help with design ideas from the simple to the most unique custom pergolas and decks. We offer a free quote and consultation and truly offer an impeccable service.
Half Price Patios offer a wide range of different pergola styles and we don’t shy away from creating custom designs brining to life odd shaped areas. Our consultants are updated frequently on new products and in touch with stunning custom designs. We use state of the art programs to simulate the design of your pergola to give you a complete understanding of what you are getting before diving in.
What is my budget?
Determining your budget before starting can be the most critical aspect of designing a pergola patio area. Half Price Patios can offer free quotes to help you establish your budget. These quotes can be made in person with a Half Price Patios consultant at your home or even via email and over the phone.
Half Price Patios is happy to help, we want our customers to be happy and recommend us to their friends, family and colleagues. We are always honest and helpful plus our prices are very reasonable. We strive to use the highest quality Australian materials while keeping our price lower than any of our competitors.
Half Price Patios believes that we are the best patio company in NSW. We offer the highest quality pergola products at literally half the retail price. We have many options and will make sure your pergola, patio or deck will keep within your desired budget.
Should I build my pergola myself? (DIY)
If you are a bit of a handyman you might consider building your pergola DIY. Half Price Patios has an online store for DIY pergolas that come in all different shapes and sizes, Half Price Patios even offers custom size DIY pergolas our DIY online store. Designs we offer are:
DIY Flat (skillion) pergola or carport
DIY Gable pergola or carport
DIY Gable-Flat pergola or carport
DIY Flat-Gable-Flat pergola or carport
We also offer these pergola styles with the following connection/attachment types:
Pergola or carport attaching to wall or fascia
Pergola or carport attaching above the roof (Fly-over)
Freestanding pergola or carport
Our DIY pergola online store offers a broad range of pergolas and carports but does not stop there. We also offer DIY aluminium slat panels (commonly used for brick in-fills) and DIY aluminium slat gates. The DIY kits come with all items required to install and finish your DIY pergola, carport or slat project.
Does the patio, deck or pergola require council approval (DA or CDC)?
Most pergolas, decks and patios can be classed as an “exempt development”. If your pergola, deck or patio meets the criteria of an exempt development then works can proceed without the approval of your local council or state government. For a quick link to the exempt development criteria click the link below:
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Portals/0/BuildingInNSW/EC/EC_POLICY_2_2_BALCONIES.pdf
If your pergola, deck or patio does not meet the criteria of an exempt development, it is then important to abide by the local or state government authority’s requirements. Every local council in New South Wales has its own development control plan (DCP) for pergolas, decks and patios. State government also offers its own approval process which overrides local government’s (council) criteria.
It is a must to check your design against council requirements or state government requirements before designing your pergola, deck or patio. Knowing the criteria eliminates the unknowns during the design stage and eases council’s Development Application (DA) or state governments Complying Development Certificate process (CDC).
Choosing to go through a DA or CDC is your own personal choice; Council is broader in its criteria and have the ability to be flexible on the design criteria. Complying development is strict on its criteria although is usually a quicker and more straight-forward approval process.
For a quick link to the NSW state environmental planning policy (SEPP) for pergolas, decks and patios click the link below:
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/en-us/buildinginnsw/exemptandcomplyingdevelopment.aspx
For a quick link to your local government’s development control plans (DCP) and DA requirements click on your local council below:
The Council of the City of Botany Bay
The Council of the Shire of Hornsby
The Council of the Municipality of Hunters Hill
The Council of the Municipality of Kiama
Liverpool Plains Shire Council
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
