Paving In Springvale

Supplied and laid with base preparation included, concrete pavers average $80 to $130 per square metre, clay $110 to $160, bluestone $150 to $220, and porcelain or travertine $180 to $260. A 40 square metre patio in concrete pavers therefore averages $4,000 to $7,000. Labour-only rates are sometimes quoted around $45 to $70 per square metre if you supply the pavers yourself. The variables that matter most are base depth, spoil removal, whether it is sand-set or laid on a slab, and how many cuts the design requires. Every job is unique, so your written quote follows a site measure.

It depends on the paver and the use. Sand-set over compacted crushed rock is the standard flexible method and it suits concrete and clay pavers, driveways and large areas, because it tolerates minor ground movement and individual pavers can be lifted and relaid. A mortar bed over a concrete slab is the rigid method and it is what we use for bluestone, porcelain, travertine and anything around a pool, where a dead-flat, fully bonded result matters. Rigid installations cost more because you are paying for a slab as well as the paving, but they will not settle.

Excavate to depth, then compact a minimum 100 millimetres of class 3 crushed rock for a patio or path, or 150 millimetres and up where vehicles will drive on it, compacted in layers rather than one lift. Then screed 25 to 30 millimetres of bedding sand to a consistent depth using screed rails, with falls of about 1 in 100 away from the house. A concrete edge restraint is haunched around the perimeter before or as the field goes down. Skipping the edge restraint is the single most common shortcut and it is why so many paved areas spread and open up at the joints.

Standard concrete pavers in a simple rectangular layout are the cheapest properly laid option, averaging $80 to $130 per square metre supplied and laid. Below that, poured concrete with a broom finish at an average of $85 to $120 per square metre is comparable and often cheaper on large areas because there are no individual units to lay. Loose materials such as crushed rock or decomposed granite are cheaper again but they migrate, need topping up and are not really a paved surface. The cheapest genuine saving is in design rather than material: a simple rectangle with minimal cutting costs noticeably less to lay than a curved layout in the same paver. Every job is unique, so we confirm the figure in writing after measuring.

Sinking is nearly always inadequate base compaction or too little crushed rock under the bedding sand, so the field consolidates under load over the first couple of winters. Spreading and opening joints mean there was no proper edge restraint holding the field in. Weeds and ants in the joints come from plain sand joints washing out, which is why we use a polymeric jointing sand that binds. Water pooling on the surface means the falls were not set, and on clay soils that water then softens the base and accelerates everything else. All four are fixable at the base stage and expensive to fix afterwards.

Yes, provided the slab is structurally sound, is not badly cracked or moving, and the extra height does not create a problem at doors, steps or the damp course. Laying over a sound slab is usually cheaper because the slab replaces the crushed rock base, and we would generally use a mortar bed rather than sand in that situation. Where the slab is cracked, drummy or holding water, overlaying it just transfers the problem to the new surface and it is better to break it out. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in after looking at it.