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.

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>

London cobble apron with a broomed driveway body. The color is Hayfield with brown accents. The broomed driveway is done in hayfield also.

What I like about this driveway is that it goes very nice with the house. The color, style and finish. It’s not too much yet seems like just enough.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me. Allow me to help you design your your project.

You may not be able to make it out in the picture on the left. It’s a mess. That is why we have jobs. We know how to fix and repair concrete. We tore out all the loose material on top of the original steps and look at the mess. On the right you can see what we did. We used a lot of elbow grease and rebar. Colored the concrete with a light gray and stamped the top with a slate texture and broomed border. We used a blue release and from what the owner tells me it’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see the final product and share it with you.

Broom Concrete makes for a nice driveway. The broom finish fulfills a lot of the requirements you might want for your project. It looks nice, it has a nice texture and it gives you enough texture for traction and foot traffic. We just recently poured this job.  What happens in a lot of instances with new homes as is the case here,  the existing stone driveway that was put in by the home contractor was too low. A lot of times house contractors put in just enough stone to get by with. When we come in to pour the concrete we want to make sure the driveway installation is correct as you will have it for many years. So in some cases we have to ignore the existing yard elevation and make sure your driveway is functional for many years to come. In this photo some top soil and grass seed will be added at the edges of the driveway and in a years time everything looks natural. Let me give you an example. When we arrived at this job, the garage elevation is already established at the house and of course the street elevation is already determined. If we would have ”followed” the existing grades the driveway would be very steep. What I try to do is give the homeowner a fairly level area where they park  the cars, near the garage. I do this basically for two reasons. This gives you a  level area to get in and out of you car and also allows you to maintain your car with comfort ie. washing and waxing. I hope this helps you a little in understanding some of things we consider when doing your driveway.

You would never know looking at it now. I should of taken a picture of the old driveway that was here. We tear out a lot of driveways. Some are asphalt and some are concrete. Then we pour them back how you want it. This customer wanted a medallion centered on the garage door. We poured the driveway using a light colored gray concrete and a deep charcoal color for the medallion. We textured and scored the medallion. It  has a textured/look of an old millstone if you have ever seen one of those. Our customer wanted a broom finish on the remainder of the driveway, as you see here. If you have an old driveway that needs replacing or a gravel driveway and want it poured with new concrete please give me a call for a free estimate.