What Does a Patio Cost in Perth?

This is the first question almost everyone asks, and most patio companies in Perth will not answer it until someone is standing in your backyard. That is frustrating when you are still working out whether a patio fits the budget at all. 

So here is the honest version. We cannot publish a single price, because a patio is not a product off a shelf. What we can do is explain exactly what moves the number, so you can judge roughly where your project sits before anyone visits. 

Six things account for nearly all of the variation between one quote and the next. 

1. The span

The distance the roof has to cover without a post in the middle is the single biggest cost driver. Wider spans need heavier steel, and the jump is not linear. Going from a modest cover to a span wide enough to seat twelve people changes the structural requirement, not just the quantity of material. 

2. The roof design

A flat patio uses the least material and the simplest roof structure, which makes it the most cost effective design we build. A skillion sits slightly above it. A gable carries a pitch across the span and uses more material again. A pyramid hip roof is the most involved, because the roof falls away on four planes. 

3. The roof material

Colorbond is the standard and sits in the middle. Solarspan, the insulated panel built on a Bondor core with a Colorbond top-skin, costs more per square metre and is worth it on a west facing space. Polycarbonate lets light through where an area would otherwise sit dark. Our roof materials guide compares all three on heat, light and noise. 

4. Ground conditions

What is under the surface decides the footings. Sand, clay, fill and limestone all behave differently, and a block that slopes or has services running through it takes more preparation. This is the part nobody can quote accurately from a photograph. 

5. How it connects to your house

Attaching to an existing roof is more involved than a freestanding structure. The height available at the fascia, the pitch of the existing roof and the guttering all affect the work. We use a box gutter by default, though every house is different and the guttering a job needs is determined by what we are attaching to. 

6. Approvals

Most patios in Perth need building approval, and we prepare and lodge it as part of the job rather than charging it as an extra. Where planning approval also applies, that stage is assessed separately by the shire and takes longer. 

You do not pay for a patio in one hit. The structure is as follows: 

• A deposit of 6.5% starts the approval process. 

• Progress Payment 1 is due on lodgement to council. 

• Progress Payment 2 when approvals are received. 

• Progress Payment 3 when materials are on site. 

• The final payment on practical completion. 

That means the large payments only fall due once the project is approved and the materials exist. Interest free finance of up to 18 months is available, and we accept cheque, cash and most major credit cards. Terms and conditions apply, and the full breakdown is on our payments page. 

20+ yearsBuilding patios across Perth

2 weeksTypical building approval

8-12 weeksInstall after approval

6 yearsStructural warranty

A phone estimate is a guess, and guesses are usually wrong in the direction that suits whoever is guessing. Three of the six cost drivers above cannot be assessed without standing on the block: the ground conditions, the connection to the house, and whether planning approval applies. 

Our quote is free, on site, and itemised. You get a full inclusions list, a real timeline, and a straight answer on which design we would put on your block and why. There is no obligation attached to it.

When you compare three quotes, make sure all three cover the same scope. A lower number usually means something has been left out rather than that someone is cheaper. The common omissions are the building approval, the engineered specifications, the guttering and the final clean. 

Ask who lodges the approval, what the structural warranty is, what the workmanship warranty is and how long it runs, and whether the steel is Australian made. As a registered builder we provide a 6-year structural warranty, and workmanship is separately warranted for 12 months following installation against leaks, rattles and sags. On top of that sits our patio promise. 

Frequently Asked Questions