Yard Damage

Tim Demarest • Mar 15, 2023

Yard damage

One of the least appealing aspects of having concrete work done at your home is that it often requires an existing lawn to sustain some damage.  Unfortunately, yard damage of some sort is inevitable when working with existing yards.  Some damage is to be expected just due to the sheer weight of the materials involved.


Most of this damage takes place during the excavation phase, rather than when the concrete is poured. Concrete removal and installation require machinery like a Bobcat, and both track and wheeled units can tear up grass.   Since concrete trucks are heavy, we very rarely try to drive them into a yard.


Let’s look at a patio project that is around 400 square feet. A 400 square foot patio requires around 5 cubic yards at 4” of thickness. If there is an existing concrete patio to remove, each existing cubic yard of concrete weighs around 4000 pounds. This means we are transporting over 20,000 pounds of concrete from the patio location to our dump trailer at the road. After forming and grading, we pour a new 5 yards of concrete at 4050 pounds per yard. By the time we are done with the project, we have moved 20 tons of material across the yard.


The same idea applies to constructing a patio where grass or landscaping currently exist. This existing sod and topsoil, which weigh around 2200 lbs. per cubic yard, will need to be dug out and moved, then that same amount of weight in sand for the base will need to be brought back in, followed by the 5 yards of concrete.


Besides sheer weight, factors like location and weather conditions can also affect the extent of yard damage. Clay soil ruts easily when it is wet, but during a summer dry spell it can be almost as hard as concrete.  When dry, it's almost unnoticeable when we drive across it. Sandy soil typically will not damage quite as easily when the yard is wet, but the sod rips out more easily than grass growing in clay-based soil.


Areas of the yard will show more damage where there are pinch points (small areas that we must travel through, like side yards between adjoining houses or through a gate) or areas where we need to turn machinery more sharply.


We do our best to avoid lawn damage through practical means like turning sharply as little as possible or driving in a pattern that distributes the weight over a large area rather than creating ruts by driving over the same areas. We do not use plywood to drive on, as it is easily destroyed by heavy machinery. Plywood is significantly more expensive than it used to be, and grass grows back, while plywood will not.


We do not bring in topsoil or seed ourselves. We happily provide our customers with the name of several landscape professionals will provide a quote, or they can contact one on their own.


Fixing damage to unforeseen objects in the ground is also common. While gas lines, sewer drains, and electrical service are located at a depth that is generally much deeper than we need to be concerned with, items like sprinklers, drain downspouts, pool plumbing, and dog fences aren't marked by Miss Dig services.  Cable lines are marked, but usually they are so tight and close to the surface that they must be removed and rerouted.


We can usually reroute underground sprinkling ourselves on site if electrical lines are not involved. We also frequently fix and reroute downspouts and drain tiles. We have temporarily fixed cable lines as well. However, permanent cable lines fixes will need to be performed by the cable company. Sprinkler head fixes and more significant repairs involving valve boxes and electrical components will require a sprinkler company.


I am often asked “Should I have the sprinklers moved before you install concrete?”. You can, but in my experience, the results and costs are usually more if it is done ahead of time. The labor is usually less for the sprinkling company if we have already pulled up the sprinklers, and they have less trips involved. Also, placement of sprinklers in usually within a few inches of the concrete, making it difficult for the sprinkler company to install and aim the sprinkler heads.



Why Experience Matters

By Tim Demarest • 15 Mar, 2023
Many concrete companies advertise stamped concrete services. But the simple fact is that if they don't spend a lot of time doing something, it's very hard to truly become an expert at it. Stamped concrete is a highly specialized service that has a huge learning curve and there are many nuances that only stamped concrete companies that have completed hundreds of stamped concrete projects will know.

Scheduling in a Concrete World

By Tim Demarest • 15 Mar, 2023
Weather is the single most important factor that influences our schedule. We usually don’t pour if there is a good chance of rain. It’s not that we hate getting wet, it’s the fact that rain can damage freshly placed concrete and necessitate an immediate replacement.

Scope of Work

By Tim Demarest • 15 Mar, 2023
The scope of work is listed to make it clear what the contractor will do on your project per the estimate. It is important to read and understand what will be done so that both the client and the contractor have the same expectations. Many times, what a customer expects and what a contractor does are not the same thing. I

Stamped Concrete vs pavers

By Tim Demarest • 15 Mar, 2023
One question many people ask is which product is best- pavers or stamped concrete? This is because the two are viewed as competing products-to homeowners and to contractors. Both are made from the same material-concrete. Since most concrete companies don’t install pavers and most paver installation companies don’t do stamped concrete
Flooring with Chairs — Rockford, MI — Rockford Stamped Concrete

Concrete Sealer Issues

02 Mar, 2023
I have received quite a few calls over the years with regards to sealer issues. A few have been our own, most have not. The usual question is “Why is my sealer white?” This issue is almost invariably linked to moisture issues. While sealers are meant to be used outside, they are also meant to go on in thin layers. The reason for this is that thin layers allow the sealer to be “breathable” which means it allows the moisture to escape from both the concrete slab and the ground below it.
Reinforcement — Rockford, MI — Rockford Stamped Concrete

Reinforcement

24 Feb, 2023
One of the factors in the cost and durability of your concrete is the use of reinforcement. Reinforcement products are extra products added to the concrete, though they are not visible once the concrete is poured. Reinforcement is not a requirement for concrete, but it is beneficial to the concrete product in terms of adding strength and longevity. There are several different types of reinforcement, and they are used in different applications. The primary type of reinforcement we use is wire mesh reinforcement. Wire mesh is a grid of 6-inch welded wire squares (think of a fence) that is placed the concrete. This mesh holds the slabs of concrete together and increases the tensile strength of the concrete. It is used a lot in commercial construction but not much in residential concrete construction. Most homebuilders do not use wire mesh in their flatwork. Another type of reinforcement commonly used is called fiber mesh. Fiber mesh is small fiberglass hairs that are added to the concrete mix. There are different types of fiber mesh used for residential and commercial applications. Residential fiber mesh tends to almost be invisible to the eye and you have to look at it very closely to see it. Each unit resembles a small piece of spiderweb. Commercial fiber mesh is coarser and looks like chopped up horsehair. These fibers are much longer and larger diameter than residential fiber. Another type of reinforcement is rebar reinforcement. Rebar is a bar of round steel that comes in various lengths and diameters. We use rebar reinforcement in several different applications. We use short pieces to reinforce corners. We also drill short pieces of rebar to attach flatwork to the foundation. This keeps the concrete from sinking down or pulling away from the house. We also use rebar to attach a sidewalk to a porch. A third common use is connecting sets of steps. Rebar helps to hold the steps together and creates additional tensile strength.
Powder vs Liquid Release — Rockford, MI — Rockford Stamped Concrete

Powder vs Liquid Release

24 Feb, 2023
Stamped concrete release is the secondary color we use during the stamping process. The release keeps the stamps from sticking to the concrete. There are two different types of release. The release used by most contractors is liquid release. Liquid release is also called bubble gum release because it is scented to smell like bubble gum. This product is a clear liquid solvent that is applied to the surface of concrete with a pump sprayer. After concrete is stamped, the solvent will evaporate. The following day the stamped surface will be washed and antiqued using a solution from a pump sprayer. This antiquing is sprayed on the concrete surface and gravity causes it to settle into the joints and areas of lower relief. The second type of release that is used is a powder release. You can think of this product as a colored flour or dust. This dust is spread over the surface of the concrete in a thin layer. Then the stamps are placed and stamped into that dust. There are pros and cons to using both types of release. Liquid release allows the contractor to see and fix the surface impression made by the stamping tool more easily than powder release. With powder release, it is harder to see the depth of the impression that is made, and improper application of powder release can lead to streaks and divots. At Rockford Stamped Concrete, we feel that the benefits of powder release outweigh those of a liquid release. With liquid release, it really takes well trained eye and multiple attempts to make it the product look good. Liquid antiquing can leave dark puddles that are often compared to dirty water. It does not tend to leave the natural and even appearance we achieve with powder release.
Online Concrete Cost Guides — Rockford, MI — Rockford Stamped Concrete

Online Concrete Cost Guides

24 Feb, 2023
One of the first steps we take when researching home construction or home improvement projects is figuring out the different options available and researching the costs of those options. There are cost guides available at various sites online. While I can't say how these online guides work for other trades, they are not an accurate predictor of cost for concrete, or even for products that are considered concrete competition, like asphalt, pavers, or natural stone. Part of these inaccuracies start with pricing of concrete as a material. Several online guides list the cost of a cubic yard of concrete between $90 and $100. This pricing isn’t even close. A more accurate estimate would be in the $150 to $175 /cubic yard range…. and that's for contractor pricing. Pricing also depends on the number of qualified contractors in an area, supply versus demand, the area of country you live in, and the quality of the work that you receive. Quality work always costs more than substandard work. One site I found online stated the average cost of stamped concrete is $8 to $28 a square foot. Really? How is this even an average? The high end is more than three times the lower end. That’s not a very helpful pricing guide for a homeowner. I can tell you that pricing in our area is closer to the middle of this range than either end. Even then, there’s still a large range, and many factors are involved in that price. Please see our Concrete Cost and Economics of Scale blog topics for more info on those factors. In my opinion, the best place to look for pricing is not some online guide that you find but rather from a friend or neighbor that had similar work done recently or in an online forum. Forums like Reddit or Quora provide a much more accurate idea of what the concrete will cost for you to do. If that price works for your budget, get at least three estimates from experienced contractors and make your choice from there.
Overlay Cost — Rockford, MI — Rockford Stamped Concrete

Overlay Cost

24 Feb, 2023
Are overlays less expensive than concrete? One of the common misconceptions I see online is that concrete overlays are less expensive than replacing concrete. This is usually untrue except for a select few instances. There are very few places where an overlay makes sense. In the vast majority of cases, we recommend tearing out the old concrete and replacing it with new concrete. The times an overlay makes sense usually have to do with the mess created with a replacement or damage that could happen to structure or infrastructure. In my opinion, the three instances where an overlay might make sense would be an interior floor, a pool deck or a porch. While a stamped concrete overlay on an interior floor makes practical sense in that it saves the mess of tearing out the existing floor, it doesn’t usually work from a financial standpoint. Stamped concrete overlays cost quite a bit more than most flooring materials, even high-end travertine tile or wood flooring. Most people just choose those other products. Occasionally we will do an overlay on a porch because it eliminates the need to structurally support the porch while concrete is torn out. The prep work for an overlay is also less labor intensive than setting porch forms. I have also seen instances where part of a building structure is placed on 4" concrete rather than a foundation. This can happen in older cottages or unapproved additions. In these cases, removing concrete flatwork will cause a wall to sink or exterior masonry to detach from the wall. Pool decks are an area where overlays make the most sense. It can be very expensive to tear out a pool deck, because there are many things that require caution and make tear out a time-consuming process. The coping can easily be bent when removing the concrete. The bonding wire that runs around the pool connecting metal panels, handrails, ladder brackets and diving board jigs can be yanked out. It’s also easy to wreck a skimmer box or drop concrete into the pool and gouge the interior of the pool. Most pools have a fence around them, so getting in and tearing the pool deck out becomes a task that usually requires hours of jackhammering or total fence removal. The most popular type of overlay that we use around pools is called a spray overlay. A spray overlay is a cement product that gets sprayed over the existing concrete using an air compressor and hopper gun. After spraying, the overlay is knocked down with a trowel. This product has a few different names depending on who makes it. Common trade names are spray deck, sun deck or kool deck. A great feature about using this material is that the texture makes the pool deck feel cooler on your feet than the standard brushed concrete beneath it. The material is also very easy to use over existing substrates. It is thin (about the thickness of a credit card) so it will not create a high build above the existing pool coping. It is easy to make into borders and designs and is available in many different colors. We use this same spray overlay to cover up unsightly retaining walls or porch faces. Spay overlays are less expensive than a pool deck replacement.
Most Common Concrete Design — Rockford, MI — Rockford Stamped Concrete

Most common stamped concrete patterns

24 Feb, 2023
What type of stamped concrete pattern is the most popular? Stamped concrete patterns follow trends, and it seems like there is a new favorite every year. The most popular patterns are not necessarily the right ones for your home. What really matters is what you like and how it will blend with your home. Too much of one thing can feel excessive. Varying textures is a good idea in most landscaping layouts, so if you have a ground level wooden deck adjacent to where you would like a new patio, a wood pattern would probably not be the best choice. The same can be said for brick. If you have a brick home, consider a pattern other than brick. Also consider the scale of the pattern and the area it will be used. A larger size patio or pool deck will look better with a larger pattern, while a smaller sized area (like a sidewalk) will probably look better with a pattern that is slightly smaller in scale. If you like the squareness of an ashlar pattern, consider using the ashlar stone (TM 100) or grand ashlar pattern for a large patio. If you want the same look with a walkway, consider using ashlar cut slate instead. While grand ashlar and ashlar cut slate are almost identical when it comes to texture and layout, the individual stones in the grand ashlar pattern are larger than the stones in ashlar cut slate. Stamped textures are a good choice for both large and small areas. In large areas, we often use decorative saw cuts or bands to add visual interest. Using a radius cobblestone or compass somewhere in textured areas is also a good way to customize your concrete project. Our most popular stamped concrete patterns throughout the last decade have been flagstone, ashlar stone (TM 100), and heavy stone texture. Flagstone is a timeless pattern because it has been used for patios and walks for many years. The flagstone pattern has a random and angular look. Ashlar stone provides a traditional clean and classic look. Heavy stone texture provides the endless visual interest of a stone surface without using individual stones.
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