Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Jul 21, 2011 1:38 pm Hi! We are building a new home in Pakenham that is going to have an alfresco area under roofline. Now the builders have said we do not need a slab poured for the Alresco in our area, but they can do one for roughly $1500, that is only shallow so it can be decked or tiled over. But at the moment it is just going to be dirt. What are out best options for flooring, both cost and looks wise? Should we get the slab done by the builder for this? We have to get our driveway concreted ourselves post-handover, so we considered getting them to concrete the alfresco, otherwise I have been told Paving it will look good too, but I don't want to have weeds growing through it down the track. Any advise will be appreciated! Re: Alfresco Floor - over dirt 2Jul 21, 2011 1:45 pm If you 100% know you want decking, and you'll get it done straight away, I wouldn't bother. But if you want paving, or it could be a little while before you get anything done, I'd go the concrete. I personally would only ever pave over a concrete slab. No weeds, no movement. And if it might be a while before you get anything done out there, concrete sure beats mud. We had our alfresco concreted by the builder, I liked that it was poured with the rest of the slab and fully integrated to the house. It was also cheaper psm than to do it afterward. I wish we'd extended the concreted area. I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Alfresco Floor - over dirt 3Jul 21, 2011 1:47 pm Hi Wateman, we went with the alfresco being poured at the same time as the slab. We figured that if we can't get the alfresco deck done immediately after handover due to other priorities, we'd still have an area where we could stick a barbie and have a useful space without the mud and dust issues. Some chippy's I've spoken to would prefer to build a deck in dirt with the posts going in rather than doing a subfloor on slab. If you go with tiles, you may want to put down a slab anyway to make sure you don't get weeds down the track. Just look at what you feel you want to do with the space afterwards and see if it makes sense to do some of that pre-work now or better left as an individual job later. SK Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34120 Handover 23 Dec 11 Squatting 21 Dec 11 Fixed 12 Oct 11 Plastered 31 Aug 2011 Framed 7 June 2011 Site Start 7 Feb 2011 Land Titled 18 Jan 2010 Land Deposit 25 Jun 2009 Re: Alfresco Floor - over dirt 4Jul 21, 2011 2:44 pm If you can afford the concrete slab would be handy untill you can get the deck done. Really depends though, if you are going to build a deck instead of tiling. Even if you are going to tile though and plan on pouring a slab later it would be better to pour it now as there will be less movement. Re: Alfresco Floor - over dirt 5Jul 21, 2011 4:47 pm I'm also for the slab, and done by the builder. Faster, easier, cheaper. It doesn't have to be "thin" and if you put it into contract, it has to be what you want. And I would tile it later, or even pave the slab if you prefer the look. Is the area totally flat and stable? Or does it slope? How big do you want it to be? My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Alfresco Floor - over dirt 6Aug 08, 2011 7:27 am We also have our alfresco poured by the builder as we will be paving. www.tinas-cakery.com Building a Monte Carlo with Fowler Homes. Our Build Thread --> https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=49218 Re: Alfresco Floor - over dirt 7Aug 08, 2011 9:39 am If you are decking, I would put a trailer load of gravel or crusher fines down till you did the decking. Then deck straight over that. No point concreting if you are decking over. If you are tiling and the concrete was not laid at the same time as the slab, then get it done after house is complete, but look in the yellow pages or your local rag for concreters as the builders normally charge a much, MUCH higher rate (read that as DOUBLE !!) Pro's and cons of both. Decking looks great when new, cool underfoot, and fits most modern designs. Needs coating every 12 months to maintain that look, scratched easy, and things fall between the cracks. Concrete and tiles. Cold underfoot in winter and creates heat in summer, but can look great with the right choice of tiles and once down never needs re coating. Re: Alfresco Floor - over dirt 8Aug 11, 2011 4:22 pm I have a question for the guys who did concrete as part of the slab. Was this poured flat? say like the garage floor, or did it have a slop on it. We paid for our alfresco to be part of the slab, but the build forgot/supplied the wrong plans to the slab guys?? thanks. 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