Concrete path being laid beside a home in Melbourne's inner north

Concrete Paths and Patios Melbourne

Concrete paths, patios and pool surrounds for homes across Melbourne's inner north, poured and finished to suit your yard by a local concreter working from a Coburg base.

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Small jobs welcome, across Melbourne's inner north.

The Job Too Small for Most Concreters

You already know the path that needs doing. The side run that heaved and cracked years ago and now catches every toe. The mud track worn between the back door and the clothesline. The patio that was only ever pavers on sand, going wavy where the ground shifted. None of it is a big job, and that is the problem: ring three concreters about a single path and you will be lucky if one calls back, because a half-day pour doesn't move the needle for an outfit chasing driveways. This page exists for exactly those jobs. A local concreter measures the run, prices it in writing and pours it onto a proper base, no job knocked back for being half a day's work.

Concrete Paths, Patios and Pool Surrounds | What the Job Includes

Path, patio and pool-surround work covers the outdoor pours around the house:

Side, front and garden paths that stay flat instead of heaving and tripping you.
Backyard patios and alfresco slabs run off the existing house slab, level with the door.
Pool surrounds and the deck around the coping, laid for grip where feet land wet.

Every pour gets the parts that decide whether it lasts: excavation and a compacted base under the slab, formwork bent to your layout including curves, steel mesh through any wide span, and a fall set away from the house so water sheds instead of pooling. Expansion cuts go where movement should, so any future crack follows the joint rather than the middle of the patio. The result is a path that doesn't pond and a patio the outdoor setting sits flat on.

Plain, coloured or exposed aggregate

A plain grey broom finish is the budget default, and for plenty of jobs it is the right call: dragging a broom across the surface leaves fine grip and costs the least. Where a path or patio is on show, the finish can lift it. Coloured concrete runs oxide through the mix so a patio ties into the house tones, and exposed aggregate concrete swaps the flat surface for washed stone that grips well and hides dirt. Around water the choice is mostly about grip: exposed aggregate pool surrounds and broomed finishes are the usual picks because both stay sure underfoot when wet, and lighter tones read cooler on bare feet. None of that is a slip rating, just the steer a local concreter talks through for your spot.

Residential paths, patios and pool surrounds

Path and patio work here is for homeowners and residential investors, from a single side path through to a full backyard patio, plus pool surrounds on existing residential pools. Council footpaths and civil pathway work are out, and so are commercial hardstands and body-corporate common-property jobs. It stays house-scale on purpose. The inner north is full of blocks where the only way to the backyard is a narrow gap between the house and the fence, and small-format pours suit that: concrete goes down the side by barrow or pump line where a truck can't fit, routine on terrace and semi blocks. Mention the access when you enquire and it gets quoted in, not sprung on anyone come pour day.

How a path or patio job runs

01

Measure-up on site.

A local concreter walks the run with you and marks the layout, so curves, widths and levels are agreed before it is priced.
02

A written quote, per job.

Priced for the job in front of you, not guessed off a lineal-metre rate that ignores access and dig depth.
03

Dig-out and base.

The line is excavated and a compacted base goes in, the layer that keeps the path flat for years.
04

Form, mesh, pour and finish.

Boxing set to the layout, mesh where the span needs it, then the pour and chosen finish. Most paths and patios pour in a day.
05

Cuts and cure.

Expansion cuts go in, and foot traffic stays off while it cures, on the concreter's timing for your finish.

What a concrete path or patio costs

A plain concrete path sits at the lower end of Melbourne's typical $65 to $150 per square metre range, while a patio in exposed aggregate or colour climbs toward the top, going by published Australian concreting cost guides, compiled July 2026. Read those as typical Melbourne prices incl. GST, not a quote. One honest quirk of small jobs: the rate per square metre often runs higher than a big driveway, because setup, delivery and finishing cost much the same whether the pour is eight square metres or eighty. What moves your number is access, dig depth, finish and curves. The concrete cost per square metre guide breaks the rates down by finish, and if you are pouring the driveway and front path together, the concrete driveway cost guide covers combined concrete driveways and paths.

Concrete Path and Patio Questions

How much does a concrete path cost in Melbourne?

A concrete path in Melbourne is priced per square metre, and small paths often work out dearer per metre than a big slab, because the setup and concrete delivery cost much the same on a little job as a large one. Plain broom is the cheapest finish, exposed aggregate and colour the dearest. The concrete cost per square metre guide carries the current Melbourne rates by finish.

How wide should a concrete path be?

A concrete path is commonly poured around 900 mm to 1.2 metres for a main path where people pass, and 600 to 900 mm for a garden or side path, as common practice rather than a fixed rule. The practical test is what has to fit down it: a wheelie bin with a person beside it, or a mower through the side gate.

What is the best concrete finish for a pool surround?

The best finish for a pool surround is usually exposed aggregate or a broom finish, because both hold grip underfoot when wet. Exposed aggregate adds stone texture and hides splash marks, while a broomed finish is the budget option with similar grip. Lighter tones read cooler on bare feet in summer. Treat that as general guidance on grip and comfort, not a slip rating.

Can you pour a patio against an existing house slab?

Yes. A local concreter sets an isolation joint between the new patio and the dwelling, so the two slabs move independently instead of cracking each other, and runs the fall away from the house so water sheds off the patio rather than back toward the wall. The finished patio usually sits a little below the internal floor to keep weather out.

Can a new path match the colour of my existing concrete?

A new path can get close to existing concrete but never a perfect match, and it is fair to know upfront. Fresh concrete cures lighter than it finishes, and your old path carries years of weathering the new pour has not. The honest options are to repour a full panel so there is no half-and-half join, or to pick a deliberate contrast so the new work reads as its own.