Insulated Patio in Terrigal - 8m × 4m

The brief

The owners had been staring at an empty paved area off the back of the house for two summers. Western afternoon sun made the space unusable from about 1pm onwards in summer, and the existing single-skin shade sail had collapsed in a southerly buster the previous winter.

They wanted something that would:

• Block the heat enough to use the space through summer
• Stand up to coastal salt air without rusting in three years
• Look like it had always been part of the house, not bolted on

What we built

A 32sqm insulated patio (8m × 4m) attached to the rear of the home, finished in Surfmist Colorbond Ultra. Roof pitched at 5° to match the existing eaveline, with internal box gutters discharging into the existing stormwater system.

Marine-grade fixings throughout. SolarSpan insulated panels with a 75mm foam core - rated for the coastal exposure and acoustically dampened so rain noise doesn't kill the conversation underneath.

Materials

• Roof: SolarSpan 75mm insulated panels, Surfmist
• Beam and post: 150mm × 50mm steel, powder-coated to match the roof
• Fixings: 316-grade stainless throughout (marine spec)
• Gutter: Internal Colorbond box gutter, integrated with existing stormwater

Build timeline

• Day 1: Site setup, footings, post brackets
• Day 2: Posts and beam set
• Day 3: Roof framing
• Day 4: Insulated panels installed
• Day 5: Gutters, downpipes, finishing
• Day 6: Clean-up, walk-through, sign-off

What the owners said

The first thing they noticed was the temperature drop - the back of the house dropped about four degrees in the late afternoon. The second thing was how clean the finishing was around the existing fascia. The third was that it just looked like it had always been there.

They've already had us back to quote a deck off the front edge.