Patio Replacements in Perth

Movement is the clearest one. A post that has shifted, a beam that visibly sags, or a roof plane that no longer sits true usually means the footings or the connections have failed.

Corrosion at post bases is the second. Once the steel at ground level has lost real thickness, the load path into the footing is compromised regardless of how good the roof looks.

Chronic leaking is the third. A patio that has leaked at the same flashing through three attempted repairs generally has a geometry problem, not a sealant problem.

Then there is age against code. Patios built decades ago were designed to different wind provisions, and some were never engineered at all.

Fibre cement roofing installed before the late 1980s may contain asbestos. Corrugated fibre cement sheet and the heavier profiled sheets both appear on older Perth patios and carports.

It must not be broken, drilled, water blasted or handled casually. Damaged asbestos cement releases fibres, and WA has specific rules about who may remove it and how.

Removal of more than a small quantity of non-friable asbestos requires a licensed removalist, with the waste taken to a facility approved to receive it. Neighbours must be considered and the area controlled during works.

If we suspect asbestos at the site measure, we say so before quoting. It changes the cost, the sequence and the paperwork, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.

Demolition is planned around the house. Where the old patio was flashed into the roof, removing it opens that flashing line, and it has to be closed the same day.

Sequencing matters in winter. We take off only what can be reinstated or made watertight before the weather turns, rather than stripping everything and hoping for a dry week.

Steel, Colorbond and concrete all go to recycling where practical. Mixed demolition waste to landfill is the expensive and lazy option.

The old footings are the last consideration. Sometimes they come out, sometimes they stay buried below the new surface, and occasionally they can be reused if the engineer accepts them.

A sound slab is worth keeping and often the biggest saving in a replacement. Thickness, reinforcement, cracking and fall all get checked before that decision is made.

Falls are the usual problem. A slab that drains toward the house, or that ponds in one corner, has been a nuisance for years and replacement is the chance to fix it.

New posts can bolt down to an adequate slab with chemical anchors. Where the slab is thin or unreinforced, we core through and pour engineered pads beneath, reinstating the surface around each post.

Where the new patio is bigger than the old one, the slab extension has to be jointed properly to the existing so the two do not move independently.

A replacement is engineered to AS/NZS 1170.2 for the wind classification at your address, which for Perth metro means Region A with the site classification assessed on the ground.

That is often a real step up from the original. Older structures were built with fewer fixings, lighter brackets and smaller footings than current requirements produce.

The difference shows in the details rather than the appearance. More sheet fixings, engineered tie-downs at the purlins, and bigger pads under the posts.

Coastal suburbs feel this most. An exposed site near the ocean can classify well above a sheltered inland block a few kilometres away.

Replacement removes the constraint of the old footprint. If the original patio was too shallow, too narrow or in the wrong corner of the yard, now is when that gets fixed.

Height is the one people most want changed. A new structure can be wall-mounted higher, or raised above the eave, to recover head height the original design gave away.

Any change in size or position is reassessed against setbacks, site coverage and overshadowing. Bigger is not automatically approvable, and we check before designing it.

Moving from attached to freestanding is also an option worth considering, particularly where the existing roof connection was the source of the problems.