Project Gallery

Backyard Renovation

“Fences make good neighbors” Sure, we all love our neighbors but that doesn’t mean the backyard can’t be somewhere for some solitude or family parties. There’s nothing wrong with putting up a privacy fence…. Your neighbor may thank you! This customer was looking to re-vamp their backyard quarters so that they may entertain more and have a space to grill and chill. We removed the rotting wooden deck and helped with a broader concept out of concrete. Personally I’m a fan of ‘regular’ concrete. It doesn’t have to be stamped or colored for me to think it’s something special. Plain, clean concrete leaves for an array of decor and furniture to set the stage. We gave this patio a light sponge finish and chose to saw cut the joints to give it a tight, clean look. We used a SpecChem Deco matte finish Protective Exterior Sealer. In my opinion the ‘wet look’ is “out”. Wet look may be good for a picture but shiny concrete can be blinding. I showed the customer a few ideas on privacy fence and they went with a classic pressure treated timber frame with a stepping horizontal pattern. Sure, vinyl fence is nice but I feel like a wooden fence can blend in with the surroundings and give a more natural feel, just like ‘regular’ concrete can be a simple, clean surface. We did the final grading and seeding and let the homeowner take care of watering the new grass. He was very pleased with the way the grass grew as we used screened top soil and fertilizer before seeding and matting the areas.

Shotcrete Plunge Pool

Our customer wanted to turn his backyard into getaway that made him feel like “he wasn’t in Pennsylvania”. He had already spent years on the area customizing it with vegetation, aggregates, custom benches, deck and seating areas. The only thing missing was a pool. With limited space in the backyard in northern Philadelphia he introduced us to the #plungepool.  A plunge pool is a little bit bigger than your average hot tub. This pool measured 8’x 12’. We aided in the design with some concept drawings under his command. This pool has a set of steps that double as seats and the bench has a jet at lower back height. We excavated, formed, plumbed and shot the pool. He had a crew plaster it and afterwards Mike put the finishing touches on to make his backyard their own little escape..