The honest trade-offs, including the ones the brochures skip.
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Louvred, retractable or fixed: which roof for a Bayside yard
Bayside & the Mornington Peninsula
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Word of Mouth Service Award · 2023–2026
An outdoor room for all twelve months.
Alfresco rooms, louvred roofs, decks and outdoor kitchens across Bayside and the Mornington Peninsula. Designed to your block, priced once, built by our own crew.
Book a free site visit(03) 5550 4410
5.0
(41)4.9
(143)
Registered builderFixed-price contracts15-year structural warranty
Member since 2015
Housing Industry Association member
Registered Master Landscaper
Who we are
Outdoor rooms, engineered for a Melbourne year
Fairhaven builds alfresco rooms, pergolas, louvred roofs, decks and outdoor kitchens across Bayside and the Mornington Peninsula. We started in 2015 as two carpenters and a ute. The crew is eight now, and still ours rather than subcontracted.
Every project is designed to the block it sits on: where the sun lands in February, where the wind comes from in August, how the water leaves the slab. Then we draw it, price it once, and build it.
- Alfresco rooms with heating, lighting and blinds built in
- Motorised louvred and retractable roof systems
- Decks, outdoor kitchens and pool surrounds that tie the yard together
Built for the weather you get
Louvred and retractable roofs that close when the southerly comes through, and open again in ten seconds when it passes.
Adds a room, and the value with it
An outdoor room costs a fraction of an extension and is the first thing buyers photograph. We build them to look like part of the house.
Permits, engineering and neighbours handled
We lodge the permit, arrange the engineering and talk to the neighbours about the boundary. You choose the finishes.
Get in touch
Start with a site visit, not a brochure
An hour on your block tells us more than any catalogue. We look at the sun, the slab and the fall of the yard, and leave you with an honest idea of what it would cost.
No deposit, no pressure, and a drawing within a fortnight if you want to go further.
Book a free site visit→What we do
The work, in four parts
Alfresco rooms & pergolas →
Louvred & retractable roofs →
Decks & outdoor kitchens →
Pool surrounds →
Meet Sam
Sam Kellaway
Founder and registered builder
I was a carpenter on house extensions for ten years before Fairhaven, and most of what I learned was that people wanted the outside room more than the inside one. We build nothing else now. I still do every site visit myself, because the hour on the block is where the design happens.
Credentials
- Registered Domestic Builder DB-U 61233
- Master Builders Victoria member since 2015
- Eleven years building outdoor rooms across Bayside and the Peninsula
Our guarantee
Fifteen years on the structure. In writing, before you sign.
Every frame, footing and fixing we install is covered for fifteen years, and the roof systems carry the manufacturer's warranty on top of that. If anything moves, we come back.
How a project runs
Three steps from site visit to first dinner outside
- Site visit and brief
We measure, look at where the sun and the wind come from, and talk about how you actually want to use the space. Free, and about an hour.
- Design and a fixed price
A drawing you can picture yourself in, engineering where it is needed, and one price that includes the permit.
- Build, usually inside a month
Our own crew, a start date we keep, and the site swept every afternoon. Most rooms are finished in three to four weeks.
Recent projects
Bayside and the Peninsula, the last eighteen months
Reviews
From the people using these rooms
5.0
4.9
We had the louvred roof and deck done in March. What sold us was Sam turning up with a compass app and working out where the afternoon sun would hit in summer before he'd even talked about price. Three weeks on site, permit took longer than the build. We've eaten outside every night since.
Proper builders. Fixed price quote was the same number on the final invoice, which after our kitchen reno experience felt like a miracle. Crew were polite, tidied up every day, and the roof closes in about 8 seconds when the weather turns.
Outdoor kitchen and pergola over our existing pool deck. Sam told us straight that two of the old deck footings wouldn't take the load and priced replacing them rather than just building over it. Appreciated the honesty. Finished result is better than the drawing.
Only small gripe was the permit took 7 weeks with Kingston council which wasn't their fault and they kept us posted the whole time. Build itself was 16 days. Neighbours have already asked for the number.
We got three quotes. Fairhaven weren't the cheapest but they were the only ones who came out to the house before quoting and the only ones who included the permit and engineering in the price. Ended up cheaper overall. Roof, deck, lighting, heaters, blinds. Love it.
Retractable roof over a north facing deck that was unusable from December to Feb. Now it's the best room in the house. Sam's crew were on site 7am sharp every day and gone by 4 with everything swept. Recommend.
Had them back for a second job (pool surround and outdoor shower) after they did our alfresco in 2024. Same crew, same standard. That says it all really.
Where we work
Outdoor living builders in Mentone and the suburbs around it
Mentone
Beaumaris
Brighton
Hampton
Mordialloc
Frankston South
Mount Eliza
Mornington
Questions
Before you book a site visit
Do I need a permit for an alfresco or pergola?
Almost always, once it is attached to the house or over ten square metres. We lodge it, and the fee is inside the fixed price. Unattached pergolas under the size limit sometimes do not need one, and we will tell you if yours is one of those.
How long does a build take?
Most rooms take three to four weeks on site once the permit is issued. Permits take four to eight weeks depending on the council. From first site visit to first dinner outside, plan on three months.
Can you build in winter?
Yes, and it is the best time to book. The crew is quieter, the permit queue is shorter, and the room is ready for the first warm weekend in October.
Can you work with my existing deck or slab?
Usually. We check the footings and the fall first. If the deck will not carry a roof safely we will say so and price the fix rather than build on top of it.
What does an alfresco room cost?
A simple fixed roof over an existing deck starts around $18,000. A full louvred-roof room with lighting, heating and blinds is typically $45,000 to $80,000. Outdoor kitchens and pool surrounds are quoted per project. Every number is fixed before we start.
What is covered by the warranty?
The structure, footings and fixings for fifteen years. Motorised roof systems carry the manufacturer's warranty, usually ten years on the frame and five on the motors, and we handle any claim for you.
From the blog
Advice, from people who do this every day
What an alfresco room actually costs in 2026
Real numbers from our last twenty projects, from a simple deck roof to a full outdoor kitchen.
Read more →
Do you need a permit for a pergola in Victoria?
Usually yes, sometimes no, and the setback rules that decide it.
Read more →Ready when you are.
Call (03) 5550 4410 or send a message — we reply the same day.
Book a free site visit(03) 5550 4410
Fairhaven Outdoor Living3/41 Nepean Highway, Mentone VIC 3194Registered Building Practitioner DB-U 61233
Call(03) 5550 4410Mon–Fri 7am–4:30pm · Sat by appointment
ReadBlog & advice
AreasMentone · Beaumaris · Brighton · Hampton · Mordialloc
AccreditedMaster Builders · HIA · Landscaping Victoria
Reviews
4.9
5.0
4.9
5.0