Alfresco makeover with crazy paving

[jesseydiamond]

This stunning alfresco renovation includes crazy paving, a tiled feature wall and an upcycled table and chairs.

• The project
• Before and after
• More inspiration for outdoor areas

The project

I knew that I wanted to do crazy paving in our alfresco area as I wanted a finish that we could put straight over the existing concrete. We didn’t have to demolish any of it, which saved us time and money.

I pondered on the feature wall for a while before I settled on the battens and tiles. I was looking at using Porta timber but it was going to fall outside our budget. We used another pre-primed outdoor timber instead. We installed outdoor fibre cement sheeting to give the wall a flat surface for us to lay the tiles and put the battens up.

I opted to paint our outdoor setting instead of buying a new one. Even though it was seven years old, it was still in good condition. The refresh saved us a ton of money. I selected material to make new cushion covers and it looks completely different.

So happy with how it all turned out. I absolutely love the Porter's Paints colours on the garage door and our outdoor setting.

Before and after

More inspiration for outdoor areas

Workshop member craftyhopper created a serving area using Acacia Project Panels and a tiled splashback to make her outdoor entertaining space more practical.

For more great ideas, check out our Top 10 most popular outdoor projects.

[traceybrooke]

I so love the crazy pave project and its exactly what i would like to do to our outdoor area and pool surrounds. We have a brick house which we are not going to paint. Wondering if anyone has crazy paving and a brick house. Wondering if it would look too busy. 

[Jason]

Hi @traceybrooke,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's great to have you join us and we trust you'll get loads of help and inspiration for all your projects.

We live in an area that has lots of 50s brick homes and many feature crazy paved front verandahs as well as garden beds and retaining walls. I reckon they look fantastic. In order to get more specific advice from other community members though, you might like to hit the Start a discussion button, share some photos of your house and provide more detail of your plans.

This guide should also be helpful if you decide to proceed - How to lay crazy paving. 

Looking forward to seeing what you can achieve.

Jason

[KatieC]

Amazing job @jesseydiamond I love the subtle matching and how the white rafters make everything really come together. 

@traceybrooke Absolutely go for it! I would suggest tan or blue tones to compliment a brick home (assuming red). The darker the color of stone, the busier it will look due to the grout "popping" but none-the-less still stunning. However, having lighter tones will keep busyness down and the interest up!

Let us know if you would like some help on your journey. 

Katie