Wow!! I Loved doing this project. Working with an experienced contractor, and I want to plug him here, James River Construction. Not only do they go out of their way to satisfy the homeowner, the owner of the company is great too.

But as always the project does not come down to just the contractors. The homeowners had an idea of what they wanted the final product to look like. I sat down with her and discussed what she was looking for and of course colors and details. Everything was pre planned before we started. The lay-out, colors, textures, stamping and saw cutting was all figured out before the first bit of concrete hit the ground.

We formed the porch and steps first. We used a chipped edge molding finish. The porch had a broomed border as the steps were finished the same way. Inside the border we used a slate texture (many to choose from). We than proceeded to pour the patio and sidewalk using the same colors and textures. Upon completing we saw cut the lines you see here. The saw cutting accomplishes two things. A design criteria and control joints. If you read my blog from January 2012, you will understand this concept a little better. Upon completion we sealed everything  and in the sealer we mixed a traction control product.

As you can see from the picture, it is a beautiful porch and steps. One thing works with the other. The design of the porch and all the finishes the homeowner chose and the craftmanship of all the workers comes into play. Please allow us to be a part of your next project. Give us a call or better yet, send me an email from my contact information and I will get right back with you.

I hate to start a post for the new year with this question. Do you guarantee my concrete not to crack? The quick answer is “no”. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but to my knowledge no one has figured it out yet. Believe it or not there are several types of cracks. Shrinkage, settlement and movement cracks are the most common. When I look at concrete and see a crack I can generally tell why it is cracked. Oh, by the way, I borrowed this picture off the web. I had to, cuz my concrete does not crack. Just kidding!

What we try to do is eliminate random cracking. We cut the slab in strategic areas as to weaken the concrete, so hopefully it will crack at the that point. It  works rather well. This is what we call a control crack. This is different than an expansion crack. If your project is large enough we will install expansion joints (cracks) and in between the expansion joints we install control joints (cracks). We have installed many projects and so far in eleven years we have not had any call backs or repairs for any types of cracks. I always discuss with my customers as to what we do trying to eliminate random cracking.

I hope this blog enlightens you a little bit to concrete cracking. There are many articles on the web, so I don’t believe I need to break it all down here.  Don’t despair, and do not let it discourage you from your concrete project. The first step is already figured out, we recognize it. We will design your project using our knowledge and understanding to eliminate or reduce cracking.

 Concrete is a wonderful thing. It’s beautiful and gives you a solid base for many years. Whether it’s a driveway, patio or sidewalk. Concreteis still the best product to use. Nine times out of ten  concrete will be less expensive then pavers. And when concrete is  done correctly, (like we do),  itwill not sink, separate and grow grass and weeds like pavers. Give us a call and let me help you with designing your project.

We stamped this driveway in Richmond Virginia in Henrico County. First we tore out the existing asphalt and then graded to four inches. The concrete is colored with a charcoal integral color. The release agent is a darker charcoal and of course the stamp is cobblestone. Finally we sealed it with a 30% solid solvent based sealer. We formed the far edge at a slightly higher elevation than the driveway to compensate for the homeowners flower bed.

Does everything need to be stamped? In my opinion broomed concrete looks very nice also and one good thing about broomed, it cost less. First you don’t need the color or the stamps. That saves some bucks right there. Don’t get me wrong, I love stamped concrete, but I love this too. If broomed concrete is layed out correctly and finished properly as you see here, it makes for a very nice deck or patio. We do plenty of broomed driveways and walks also. Generally they do not make for a good picture like this, but as you can see concrete is just a small part of the big picture here. Put in some landscaping with plants and rocks here and there and along with broomed concrete you will have a very nice project.

Stamped concrete and patios go together like bacon and eggs. You can choose your color, your stamp, and borders if you like. Patios can get a little complex on hillsides. Retaining walls and steps can add costs to your patio. What we did here, is try and keep it as simple as possible without wasting space and dollars. At the top we built a small wall to retain the earth. Then for the upper patio we kept it “small, but usable, for a grill and a couple of chairs. The remainder and the larger portion of the patio is one step down. The size is big enough for a table and chairs, outdoor couch, umbrellas and even a fire pit. Working with the homeowner and getting what they want is my goal for every job we do. Give us a call or send me an email . You can even comment here, to this blog if you like. I would like to help get you started on your project.<.p>

I try to take good pictures for my blogs. Keep in mind, I enjoy photography and shooting, but I have to shoot 10 to get 1. This patio was done about 3 months ago. The homeowner chose the Ashlar Slate pattern. The pattern and color really fit in well with their house and lay out. One thing that comes to mind when looking at the picture again, is the drainage. Waaaay back in that corner we had to get the water out. There was not a lot of grade to play with, but my guys are very accurate to make sure the drainage worked. So we have another customer that is happy with a beautiful patio and last but not least no drainage issues.

This is a follow up to my blog from last month (Read it here) where I took a close up picture of the cobblestone patio. As you can see this is a two color stamp job. The secondary color is the color you can see in the crevices and indentations that the cobblestone stamp creates.

I like the stamps that we use, they have realistic textures and are top notch. There are a ton of stamps on the market. You could actually make them in your garage or back yard. With a little research on the internet you can get the “recipe” to make stamps. W use quality products in all of our stamp projects, from the color to the stamps and the sealers.

The old saying definitely applies here, “you get what you pay for.” Please give us a call for a free estimate.