Paving Applecross

Our rate is $180 a square metre to supply and lay on a prepared base, and it's the same everywhere we work. What moves the final figure is the material you pick, whether there's old paving or concrete to remove first, how much cutting the shape needs, and how easy the area is to get to.

A straightforward pool surround or alfresco is usually two to four days on site, and a driveway three to five. Lifting an old surface first adds a day. Curved coping and crazy paving both take longer because of the cutting, and we'll give you a timeframe before we start.

Yes, and plenty of what we lay goes around salt pools. Salt is harder on porous stone and on the joints than chlorine is, so we grout solid rather than sand and we'd point you at travertine or porcelain. Laid that way, a salt pool surround holds up well.

Often, yes, and it's usually the cheaper option. The slab has to be sound, it has to drain, and the finished height has to work with your doors, the pool shell and the fence. We check all three before we quote it.

Often, yes, and it's one of the best things porcelain does. Plenty of ranges have an indoor tile and a matching 20mm outdoor paver in the same colour. Getting the levels and the threshold right takes planning, so it's worth raising before either surface goes down.