Frequently asked questions

This is a tricky one! And that is simply because these terms are all used differently in different areas. Typically, it can easily be summed up as;

A Patio is a slab, pad, deck or area typically used to entertain - it can be covered or open, attached to a house or freestanding, and typically houses an outdoor setting or lounge.

A Pergola is the structure that might provide shade to a patio - it can be attached to a house, it can be a part of the building structure (i.e., a shared roof) or it can be freestanding. In some areas, a pergola refers to a structure without a roof (you may have seen these as open structures that hold vines and foliage for shade), although in Australia it is common to refer to roofed structures as pergolas as well. 

A verandah (or veranda) is typically used to describe the 'transition' area of a home that separates indoors from outdoors - these are typically longer, narrower shelters and are often part of the buildings structure. While sometimes housing a small table, chairs or lounge, verandahs aren't typically used for entertaining and tend to function more as protection from the weather while entering and exiting your home. 

Whatever you choose to call it - get in touch with us and we can help bring it to life. 

Whether you're a BBQ boss or more of an alfresco cooking apprentice, you'll find using and maintaining our Outdoor Kitchens a breeze! No messy charcoal or unreliable lighting methods, our outdoor kitchens and cooktops are a breeze to start, use and clean. Plus, they can be connected to your homes gas lines (by an expert, of course) so you also never have to worry about the last minute run for another expensive gas bottle. Our kitchen benches are super easy to clean, and won't rust like their stainless steel counterparts, and fully enclosed cabinetry means your cupboards won't fill up with dust and bugs the same way your traditional BBQ cabinet does. Easier to use, easier to clean and even better tasting food that keeps that iconic barbecue flavour? What's not to love!

Absolutely! We can create decked benches and seats, and privacy screens! We can build steps, and also build decking into irregular shapes, around retaining or moss rocks. Whether you're wanting a small accent to compliment your deck, or a complete deck and bench seat look, we can help you out! Get in touch today to see if we can bring your dream to life.

One of the best things about Modwood Composite Decking is that it requires almost no maintenance! Built by certified decking contractors, there's no sanding, oiling, painting, staining or splinters - simply sweep with a broom to remove dust, or hose with your garden hose. To manage a really grubby deck, a little dish soap or a mild surfactant and a high pressure washer will have it looking new in no time! Simply ensure you rinse well after cleaning to avoid any remaining cleaning product residue leaving the surface slippery. 

Long gone is the neon green astroturf that dominated the 80's - our high quality synthetic grass looks realistic because it is designed to have the natural irregularities you see in real turf, rather than the uniformity of green carpet. Dense, heavy in weight and with great drainage, our lawns won't wrinkle, crease or lift. They boast multiple earthy shades of green, as well as a fine, curly brown thatching for a truly realistic look. So instead of wondering whether your lawn is real or fake - you'll have your neighbours wondering how your lawn looks so good when they've never even seen you mow it!

Keeping your wooden decking clean and well maintained will extend its lifespan and ensure your outdoor space looks beautiful for longer.

Keeping your deck clean is the first step of maintaining your deck. After a good clean, and a rinse to ensure there is no residue of cleaning products remaining on the surface. Allow the decking to dry completely before sparingly applying a coat of the decking oil of your choice; you can apply by wiping on with a clean, microfibre cloth or a decking oil applicator. Allow the oil to dry before applying a second coat if necessary. 

When it comes to Pergolas and Verandahs, Australian Outdoor Living has you covered.

We can match a design to any style of home, making it look like it was part of the original design. To achieve this, we offer five different designs – the Gable, the Gazebo, the Flat, the Retreat and the Open; each of which is available in a wide range of colours and finishes to perfectly suit your home and taste. 

Our experienced design consultants can walk your through all of our design options and beautiful finishes, ensuring you’ll end up with an outdoor structure perfect for your family and budget.

The installation time for our Outdoor Structures can vary depending on a number of factors; Including council approvals, the size of your project, the availability of materials and the weather - with most installations typically taking 10-12 weeks from initial consultation through to completion.

As all of our Outdoor Structures are custom made to perfectly suit your home and style, it is impossible to give an accurate price guide. Variables such as the size and style of your structure, as well as the ease of access to your space, can all affect the overall cost of your new structure. 

A design consultant can guide you through our range of options to help determine the best outcome for home, budget and lifestyle -and offer you a quote accurate to your personal project.

Keeping your Timber Deck clean and well-maintained is an important part of ensuring the longevity of your decking. There are two ways to clean a timber deck- You can use warm, soapy water, a soft broom and some good old fashioned elbow grease, or you can use a power washer to cut through dirt and build up.

Australian Outdoor Living uses only FSC certified, sustainably sourced timbers. 

We currently offer five different types of timber: Merbau, Kapur, ACQ clear pine, Forest Red and Spotted Gum; each with their own unique appearance and qualities.  We also offer a unique, recycled wood composite decking called ModWood, which is even more environmentally friendly.

Our timber decking frames are built using pine that has been treated to withstand insects, moisture and wood rot. Our experienced design consultants will be happy to recommend the perfect timber to suit your home, lifestyle and needs. You can also head over to our Handy Info to learn about the benefits of each, as well as find out which one might be best for your home.

The time required for building a deck can vary, depending on a number of factors.

If your deck is less than 500mm off the ground, council approval isn’t required, and most installations typically take just 3-4 weeks from initial consultation through to completion.

However, if your deck needs to be taller than 500mm, we will require council approval- In this case installations can take up to 8-10 weeks from initial consultation through to completion.

As all of our Outdoor Structures are custom made to perfectly suit your home and style, it is impossible to give an accurate price guide. Variables such as the size and style of your decking, as well as the ease of access to your space, can all affect the overall cost of your new structure. 

A design consultant can guide you through our range of options to help determine the best outcome for home, budget and lifestyle -and offer you a quote accurate to your personal project. For more information or to book your FREE, in-home design consultation.

The installation time for our Outdoor kitchens can vary depending on a number of factors; Including the size of your project, the availability of materials and the weather - with most installations typically taking 4-6 weeks from initial consultation through to completion

While we provide a full warranty and service function for our Outdoor Kitchens, we don’t provide a general repair service for Outdoor Kitchens or cooktops that are not from Australian Outdoor Living. For more information or to request a copy of our Outdoor Kitchens warranty document.

As Outdoor Kitchens require specific ventilation and must meet specific requirements for safe use, we have opted to supply only a complete Outdoor Kitchen package in order to ensure the safety of our customers and their families. For this reason, we are unable to supply or install our cooktops on their own. If you have any more questions, please feel free to get in touch with one of our friendly design consultants.

Our goal at Australian Outdoor Living is to create an Outdoor Kitchen that perfectly suits your outdoor space and your family’s needs. If this means that you would like an Outdoor Kitchen built without a Cooktop we are more than happy to assist you with this. However, the cooktops used within our Outdoor Kitchens have been designed to meet Australia’s stringent safety requirements including the rare but critical flame failure system and suitability for use in low ventilation areas. As we cannot guarantee the safety of other BBQ or cooktop products, we are unable to install customer supplied cooktops or BBQs. If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

It is impossible to fully prevent all weeds from growing through good quality artificial lawn. Premium turf has a perforated backing to allow for drainage - which little weeds love to poke through! Whilst most weeds and weed seeds are removed during the ‘dig out’ portion of the installation, there will often be a stray that decides to sneak through your synthetic lawn. We recommend spraying the area with weed killer, available from any local hardware store. Alternatively, you can simply pull them out when they appear.

Outdoor Blinds are a versatile solution for entertaining areas that are exposed to the harsh Australian elements. Providing protection from wind, sun, rain, dust and even insects, Outdoor Blinds help to create a comfortable outdoor space any time of year. When installed around a Pergola or Alfresco, Outdoor Blinds create more usable living space for your home. They help to protect your outdoor furniture and can be used to create a safe space for little ones and pets to spend time outside while reducing their exposure to harsh UV rays. 

Keep your blinds dust free by regularly wiping both sides of the material using a soft, damp cloth and warm water to avoid the build up of dust and dirt. Spot clean any foreign matter such as mud, bird droppings and tree sap as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of permanent marks to your alfresco blinds. Our PVC cafe blinds can be hosed down or cleaned with a damp cloth. See our Handy Info page for more information about maintaining your blinds. 

Outdoor Blinds can provide considerable protection from wind and rain, though none are completely waterproof. Our materials are designed and manufactured to withstand even the wettest tropical Australian climates, and will maintain their appearance and integrity throughout even the wettest seasons.

Whilst our blinds will reduce the amount of water that can come into your entertaining space, our Bella Vista and Bella Opaque fabrics are woven, meaning that tiny spaces between the fibres of the fabric will allow small amounts of water through, as well as a slight breeze on windy days. Even on those winter days, our blinds typically offer enough protection from rain to continue comfortably utilising your outdoor space.

Our SmartTrack frames enclose the edges of your blind panel, reducing the water that can enter through those spaces. Combined with this, our Bella Opaque range of blinds has a dense weave, providing considerable protection from wet weather - Our Bella Vista range offers less protection but allows you to maintain your view. 

Our PVC blind materials are the most resistant to water, making them perfect to install in commercial cafe and bistro settings; however, these are not suitable for installation within our SmartTrack system.

Since our blinds are custom-designed to suit your outdoor space, we can span incredible widths! As a general rule, the largest size we can manufacture under warranty is five metres wide, with a three metre drop, making our alfresco blinds perfect for commercial and bistro areas! Upon inspecting your area, our design consultants will be able to let you know if a larger size is possible.

The installation time for our Outdoor Blinds can vary depending on a number of factors; Including the size of your project, the availability of materials and the weather - with most installations typically taking 4-6 weeks from initial consultation through to completion. For a more specific timeline for your project, please get in touch!

As our Roller Shutters are custom made to perfectly suit your home and style, it is difficult to give an accurate price guide. Variables such as quantity, size, and operation options will all affect the overall cost of your new shutters. A design consultant can guide you through our range of options to help determine the best outcome for home, budget and lifestyle -and offer you an accurate, obligation-free quote. For more information or to book your FREE, in-home design consultation, get in touch today!

At 8mm thick, our Roller Shutters are the thickest on the market!

Insulated with a premium polyurethane composite, our window shutters have been proven to reduce noise by up to 50%, heat and cold transfer by up to 90%, and light by up to 100%. 

There are plenty of ways to minimise the odours coming from your Artificial Grass. Aiming to remove pet waste from your lawn as often as possible and rinsing regularly with a hose will help to reduce smells before they become a problem. 

The main problem with this type of smell is that animal urine generally consists of particles that many cleaning products aren’t able to break down. Unfortunately, it’s these particles that release the unpleasant odours.
It’s important that any products you use don’t contain harsh or hazardous ingredients. Not only can this damage your synthetic lawn, causing smells to become more ingrained in the future - but can also irritate your pets sensitive paws, nose and skin! 

Typically a generous sprinkling of baking soda over the turf, followed by a thorough hose a few days later will be all you need. For tougher odours, a white vinegar/water spray, or a disinfectant cleaner like Trigene can help.

The main difference between steel and timber Pergolas and Verandahs is the way they look. Timber has a much more traditional look and feel, while steel is often more modern and contributes to a more contemporary aesthetic. On top of this, steel is more durable and weather-resistant than timber, but a lot of people prefer the traditional look and feel of a timber Pergola or Verandah. 

Australian Outdoor Living can only offer steel Pergolas and Verandahs in selected states – please check with your local branch to find out if we can offer steel in your location.

Whilst our cabinets and drawers have a fixed height and depth, there are a selection of cabinet widths available to create a streamlined wall to wall installation that best fits your outdoor area.

The installation time for our Roller Shutters can vary depending on a number of factors; including the size of your project, the availability of materials and the weather - with most installations typically taking 4-6 weeks from initial consultation through to completion. For a more specific timeline for your project, please feel free to get in touch!

There are many different factors which can affect the cost of Artificial Grass – the type of lawn you choose, the labour required to install it and the quality of the ground on which it is being installed to name a few – which is why the best, and most accurate, way for us to quote is for us to visit on site and measure up your chosen area.

This is why we offer a FREE, no obligation, design, measure and quote service. 

One of our friendly design consultants will pop around to your place and help you to choose the lawn solution to suit your space, style and budget. Our consultants carry samples for you to touch and feel, will take detailed measurements, and will help you talk through the goals you have for your space to come up with the most cost effective solution for your home.

We offer generous guarantees on our Outdoor Blinds, including:

• 12 Month warranty on Parts and Labour
• 3 Year warranty for UV Clear and tinted PVC materials
• 5 Year warranty for UV Bella Vista materials.

Please note that our guarantees are subject to warranty criteria. Please find more information about our Outdoor Blinds warranties here or get in touch with one of our friendly consultants!

Yes! We offer flexible finance options on all of our products. We believe that everyone should have the ability to love their life outdoors. Because of this, we offer finance options on our entire range.

Our finance offers change from month to month, but you can be assured that our friendly team will do everything they can to find a finance solution that suits you.

Nope! We like to make sure that your home improvement process is as smooth as possible, so we take care of everything! All you have to do is sit back, relax and wait for your custom-designed Australian Outdoor Living product to be installed. We’ll look after all the nitty-gritty parts such as council approval and site preparation. We’ll even clean up after we’re done, so you can go about enjoying your new product as soon as possible.