better outdoor living at home spring


Concrete Can Be an Attractive Choice


We want to share a project of ours to show you another option in selecting a material to use for a walk or patio. This was a unique project for us in regard to the technique that was used to achieve the intricate design.    

This is a residential project we did for a homeowner who wanted a courtyard design for the front outdoor entrance to their home.

View from front door. The entire design pattern was saw cut into the concrete. The walk to the right extends to the driveway.

This was a newly built home (approx. 21 years ago) when we did this project. The house was built, but there was nothing else on the lot except dirt, so we were starting with a clean slate, so to speak.

Same view as above during winter season.

The main feature of the courtyard was the walk, which was to be constructed of concrete. As you can see in the photos, we didn’t want it to be just a plain concrete walk. And since the courtyard design was going to be very ordered and geometrical, we wanted to incorporate into the walk a design pattern which would reflect the character of the space.

 

Technique

The design pattern (see photos) we did for the homeowner was saw cut into the brand new concrete with a diamond saw blade by a very skilled contractor. He did an absolutely beautiful job, and followed our design plan to the letter. The saw cuts, also, served as the control joints for the concrete.  Scoring concrete with this technique must be done when the concrete is a day old.

As we mentioned, it has been about 21 years since this walk was built, and these photos taken about one year ago show that the walk looks as good now as it did when it was new.

 

View from the driveway.

There are many types of design finishes for concrete in addition to the saw cut method, such as stamping, coloring, and exposed aggregate. These finishes make concrete an attractive material choice for many residential projects, such as walks, driveways, and patios.

If you decide to use concrete with a saw cut or hand scored pattern, be sure to use a very skilled contractor. It’s a good idea to ask contractors if you can see samples of their work before you hire them to do your project.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...



(example: DIY projects, decks, steps, outdoor decor)



Copyright © 2009 - 2017 Better Outdoor Living at Home / Begin with a Sunny Outlook All Rights Reserved
All designs, images, and content on this website are the copyrighted property of Better Outdoor Living at Home/begin with a Sunny Outlook