G'day — I'm Gavin
I'm a Brisbane-based Australian with a trades background and a lifelong habit of backing myself to have a go. I built outdoorcalc.com.au because I got frustrated with calculator tools that were either American (wrong units, wrong products, wrong context) or so stripped-back they were basically useless.
If you've ever stood in a Bunnings aisle trying to work out how many 25L bags of mulch you need for a garden bed, or Googled "cubic metres of concrete for a shed base" and ended up on a site that quotes everything in cubic yards — you know exactly what I mean.
Trades background
I'm a qualified tradesperson — a Fitter and Turner by trade — which means I spent years working with precision measurements, material quantities and engineering tolerances before most people have finished their first coffee. That background shapes how I think about calculations: get the inputs right, understand the tolerances, build in the right margin, and don't guess when you can measure.
Beyond the formal trade, I've always had a give-it-a-go attitude. That doesn't mean I've done every outdoor project personally — nobody has. What it means is that when I approach a problem, I do it properly: research the right way to do it, understand the materials involved, work out the quantities accurately, and don't cut corners on the planning. That approach is what's behind every calculator on this site. The maths is verified, the AU-specific data is sourced from real suppliers, and the practical tips are based on how this stuff actually works — not just what sounds right.
Why these calculators are different
Every calculator on this site is built around how Australians actually buy materials:
- Metric first, always. Cubic metres, kilograms, linear metres. Never cubic yards or pounds.
- Australian products and suppliers. Bag sizes, timber dimensions, turf varieties and concrete mixes that you'll actually find at Bunnings, your local landscape yard or a Boral supplier — not a Home Depot in Ohio.
- Real waste margins. Every calculator includes an appropriate waste or compaction margin based on how Australian tradies and landscapers actually work. No calculator here tells you to order exactly what the geometry says — because that's how you run short on a Saturday afternoon.
- Honest explanations. Each calculator includes a plain-English explanation of the maths, the materials, and the practical things worth knowing before you order. I've written these myself based on real experience — not scraped from somewhere else.
Who this site is for
outdoorcalc.com.au is for anyone with a project on the go and the willingness to back themselves. You don't have to be a tradesperson. You don't need prior experience. You just need to be the kind of person who'd rather measure twice and order once than guess and make three trips to the hardware store.
Whether you're a first-time homeowner laying turf for the first time, a weekend warrior building a deck, or someone who's done this a hundred times and just wants a quick sanity-check on the numbers — these calculators are built for you.
The sister site
If you're working on an indoor project, head over to indoorcalc.com.au — the same approach applied to paint, floor tiles, wallpaper, air conditioning sizing, grout and more. Same philosophy: free, metric, Australian, built by someone who's actually used these materials.
Get in touch
Found an error in a calculation? Got a calculator you'd like to see built? I'm genuinely interested in hearing from real users. The best calculators get built because someone pointed out something was missing or wrong.
Reach me at hello@outdoorcalc.com.au
Gavin Power · Brisbane, Queensland, Australia · outdoorcalc.com.au