Outdoor Spaces

Pebble-Flex Synthetic Rubber Surfacing System. When it comes to putting a soft, springy surface on top of a craggy concrete floor, Pebble-Flex is where the rubber hits the road.

CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp. sent us a story about an enormous waterscape at Cypress Breeze Plantation, a private gated development in north Florida. The job was done by Muud Concrete Design (Multiple Use Unlimited Design), a Los Angeles outfit formed by artisans Adrian Gascon and Neil Hughes.

These days, homeowners who fall for waterfalls may be able to get exactly what they have in mind. Thanks to decorative concrete, options are almost limitless.

The Decorative Concrete Council, a specialty council of the American Society of Concrete Contractors, recognized the winners of its ninth annual Decorative Concrete Awards competition Jan. 17 at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas.

Decorative concrete lends color, resonance and beauty to the African Cemetery Memorial, completed last year at Higgs Beach in Key West, Fla.

If you’re going the makeover route, why not make it extreme. Or at least dramatic.

Either description can be applied to the three-pronged game plan devised to vastly revamp the hardscapes surrounding a sprawling, exclusive residential property on the Central California coast.

Step-by-step instructions and useful tips from people in the industry who have experimented enough to know what works.

Have you ever asked potential customers to dress like pirates to make a sale? Outdoor-concrete expert Scott Cohen did — and it worked.

Imagine this: You own an estate in the California hills overlooking Monterey Bay. You are a lover of art and natural beauty. You want a swimming pool complex with a large concrete deck and pool house. You want it to accentuate the surrounding landscape and incorporate the feel of the bay, but you’re not sure how you want to achieve that. Who do you call?

Contractors are increasingly using shotcrete for making artificial rock. The equipment is expensive, but the results are spectacular.

Although aesthetics are certainly a key component in any decorative concrete project, that doesn’t mean function should take a back seat. When a Joplin, Mo., homeowner was experiencing drainage and erosion problems, Jim Snodgrass installed a series of walls and stairways that not only controlled water flow, but was visually pleasing to the rest of the high-end subdivision.

As for Hileman’s original vision of using actual coco logs in construction, remember “termites” and realize it is nice to fool Mother Nature — and human guests — in the name of maintenance.

Located in the East Bay District of Olympia — Washington’s capital city — the East Bay Public Plaza celebrates a theme of water stewardship with interactive water features that re-create natural shoreline, streambed and wetland areas.

Whether you're working on a decorative wall in a backyard or the exterior walls of a 15-story building, consider stencils for vertical surfaces.

When it comes to delivering difficult designs — like this circular plaza that highlights the entrance to the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills — you’ve got to have a plan. And we’re not talking just a quick sketch but a detailed drawing that clarifies precisely what joints and finishes are to be placed where.

Rick Lobdell of Concrete Mystique Engraving in Nashville, Tennessee, is an artist, not a decorative concrete contractor. Still, in his career he has become known as a guy who can take concrete and turn it into an artistic canvas. He did just that for the Perkins home in Franklin, Tennessee.

The project was a lot simpler than the one Baltz ended up with. “I was first approached to do some hardscape and subbase for a network of brick or paver stone terraces,” he recalls. “The connecting walkways were going to be asphalt.” He can’t hide the disdain in his voice when he makes that last statement.

Let’s say you’re part of a design and construction team that has settled on a stunning look for a high-profile exterior concrete project — the entry to a corporate office, a monument to fallen heroes or maybe a creatively upgraded pedestrian walkway for a downtown shopping district.