Crazy Paving Brisbane | Designed & Laid by Simply Intreeging

A sandstone crazy paving path curving between boulders and garden beds, under a timber and iron pergola

The craft

What crazy paving actually is

Crazy paving is natural stone laid in irregular pieces rather than a repeating grid. The stone arrives as random flags, and each piece is chosen, trimmed and fitted against its neighbours on site. The result reads as one continuous surface, closer to a dry creek bed than a tiled floor.

That is why it takes more labour than any modular paver. The quality lives in the joint widths and in how the pieces are chosen: no slivers at the edges, no long straight joints, no obvious repeat.

In Brisbane it suits the way people use a garden: outdoors most of the year, often barefoot, often around water. It sits as comfortably beside an old Queenslander as beside a new build, and natural stone weathers into its surroundings rather than dating.

Sandstone, bluestone, travertine and quartzite
Pool surrounds, paths and fire pit circles
Terraces, courtyards and garden steps
Designed and laid by Duncan

Paving and pathway ideas Enquire about crazy paving

Materials

Choosing the stone

The stone sets the colour, the feel underfoot and a good part of the cost. Stone samples come to the on-site consultation, so you choose from the real material rather than a photograph of it.

01

Sandstone

Warm creams, honeys and soft browns, and the classic crazy paving stone in south-east Queensland. Easy to cut and comfortable underfoot, but porous, so it is usually sealed.

02

Bluestone

A dense, dark basalt with a crisp, contemporary finish that wears very hard. Being dark, it holds heat in full afternoon sun, worth weighing where people walk barefoot.

03

Travertine

The usual answer for pool surrounds, and it can be laid crazy as well as in a pattern. Cool underfoot and not slippery when wet; its natural holes can be left open or filled.

04

Quartzite

Very hard, with a split face that often carries a slight sparkle, in silvers, golds and greys. One of the most durable stones you can lay, though harder to cut.

Where it works

Where crazy paving works best

It earns its labour wherever a surface has to curve or wrap. It also suits courtyards, terraces and garden steps.

01

Pool surrounds

Textured stone grips where feet are wet, and an irregular edge sits well against a free-form pool. The coping and the falls away from the water are what matter.

02

Paths

Crazy paving lets a path curve without the awkward cut pieces a modular paver leaves on every bend.

03

Fire pit circles

A circle is the hardest shape to pave with rectangles and the easiest with irregular stone. With a curved stone bench, it turns a fire pit into a room.

04

Driveways

Possible, but a different build: thicker stone on a reinforced concrete base designed for vehicle loads, costed as a driveway from the start.

Design

Why no two look alike

Every Simply Intreeging garden is designed from scratch, and crazy paving is the clearest example of why that matters. Duncan holds a Certificate in Commercial Art and treats a paved area the way he treats the rest of a garden: as a composition, not a quantity of square metres.

The layout starts with the edges, where the paving meets the house, lawn, wall or pool, because those lines are what you see. Larger pieces then anchor the edges and thresholds, smaller ones fill the field, and the joints run in every direction. Because every piece is fitted on site, the same stone laid twice never gives the same surface, and it is laid by the person who designed it.

Falls and drainage are resolved at design stage, so water runs away from the house and thresholds land flush. The whole process is set out in how Duncan designs a garden.

Budget

What affects the cost

There is no list price, because no two areas are the same job. What there is, is a straight answer about what drives the number, and a costed concept in writing before you commit.

01

Area and shape

Curves, circles and paving that wraps around planting mean more cuts per metre than a rectangle.

02

The stone

Material cost varies by stone, and the harder stones take longer to cut.

03

The base

Whether a sound slab exists, or a new base must be built, is often the biggest swing.

04

Access

Stone is heavy. Where every piece goes through a side gate by hand, labour climbs.

05

Edges, steps and coping

Coping, step treads and borders are detail work, and detail is where the hours go.

06

Removal and sealing

Removing an old surface, and sealing where the stone needs it, both add to the job.

Tell Duncan the budget you are comfortable with and the concept gets designed to it. The work can be staged: plenty of gardens start as one path or one terrace.

Start with a consultation

The work

Crazy paving, built

Every crazy paving photograph on this site, from gardens designed and built by Duncan across Brisbane and Moreton Bay.

Crazy paving stepping down a front path beside a curved stacked stone retaining wall, with lavender along the bed — Crazy paved steps and stacked stone retaining

Dark bluestone crazy paving laid right to the pool edge, wet after rain — Bluestone crazy paving to the pool

A crazy paved fire pit circle wrapped by a curved sandstone bench seat and tropical planting — Crazy paved fire pit circle

A sunken outdoor lounge floored in sandstone crazy paving, with a built-in wrap-around bench and tangerine cushions — Sunken lounge in sandstone crazy paving

A crazy paved seating circle with a curved stone bench and blue cushions, set above a canal — Crazy paved circle above the canal

Rectangular pads of dark crazy paving stepping through a planted bed beside a rendered wall with decorative screens — Crazy paved stepping pads

Sandstone crazy paving across a terrace and down steps, held by matching natural stone retaining — Sandstone crazy paved terrace and steps

Crazy paved garden stairs climbing between planting, lit by bollard lights — Lit crazy paved garden stairs

Crazy paving finishing against a sawn stone step and a smooth paved landing — Crazy paving to a sawn stone step

A crazy paved entry courtyard leading up to a stone pillar and steel gate — Crazy paved entry courtyard

More ideasPaving and pathway ideas, BrisbaneSee the gallery

Water feature and fire pit ideas, Brisbane

Questions

Crazy paving — answered

Natural stone laid in irregular pieces, each chosen and cut to fit its neighbours on site, rather than a repeating grid of pavers. Every joint is bespoke, which is why it looks handmade and takes longer to lay.

It depends on the spot. Sandstone is the warm, traditional choice. Travertine stays cool underfoot, which suits pools. Bluestone looks crisp but holds heat in full sun. Quartzite is the hardest wearing. Samples come to the on-site consultation.

Yes, with the right stone and detailing. Textured stone grips under wet feet, lighter stones stay cooler in summer, and the falls carry water away from the pool.

Often, if the slab is sound, sits at the right level and falls the right way. A cracked slab, or one that would lift the finish above a door threshold, is better removed first.

There is no list price, because no two areas are the same job. After an on-site consultation you receive a concept with costings and a time frame in writing, and you decide from there.

Porous stones such as sandstone usually are, because they mark more easily unsealed. Denser stones need it less. It is decided at design stage, stone by stone.

Where

Featured areas

Based in Dayboro and designing gardens across Brisbane and Moreton Bay — every one different, wherever it is.

Every area covered

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Start here

Got a space that isn’t working?

Dayboro, Samford, Moreton Bay and across Brisbane’s inner north — Ashgrove, Grange, Nundah and surrounds.

Book a consultation 0431 024 000

Call or text

0431 024 000

Duncan answers his own phone.

Email

simplyintreeging@live.com

Photos of the space help.

Crazy paving in Brisbane.

What crazy paving actually is