Concrete Patio Design & Construction
Our clients over the years have often provided engineered drawings or artistic designs for us to work from. Other times we stand in a homeowners yard and do a lot of talking and finger pointing, homeowners picturing the final product, and us calculating the steps it will take to bring a dream to life.
This project in Calgary started from these vague, cocktail napkin beginnings. A walkout basement mud pit and eight foot hill turned into a patio that any homeowner would be envious of.
Using a laser transit we calculated the height differential of the tallest section of hill to the lowest ground 85' away and started breaking down the math. It became clear the area would require two 4' retaining walls (curved!) and two staircases inlayed to access the 2015 sqft stamped concrete patio.
Footings were poured at exacting heights and we began the process of forming the curved retaining walls, the lower wall to have a measured inlay for a custom BBQ (which we ran buried natural gas to).
Pour days are always stressful. Also, drones DO NOT fly well next to boom pump remote controls FYI. Our drone crashed this day, haha, live and learn.
The walls were backfilled with perforated weeping tile and 40mm drainage rock for water control. Here in Calgary excess water freezing in the winter is one of the leading causes of concrete failure.
You can see in the picture above the access sidewalks and staircase(s) have been installed. Our back of the napkin math is spot on, as always.
We overlaid the retaining walls with colored vertical concrete and stamped a slate finish on it. Preparation for the flatwork, backfill of the walls with decorative lava rock, and finishing came soon after.
Our team at Freehold Concrete were very pleased how this project came together. We are always ready to take on the next project for our customers regardless of the size (we do little jobs too)! Visit our website at www.calgaryconcrete.com to learn more about our crew and see our gallery of work.
