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“Cantilevered stair treads are always an eye-catching sensation in architectural circles,” says FuTung Cheng, founder of the website concreteexchange.com. “The very idea of a single point of support at one end of a plank, managing the enormous weight of a person walking on a stair tread, is dramatic.
You don’t have to be born into the family business to be good at it, but in Emil Gera’s case, it sure helped. Gera’s father, also named Emil, was a union concrete finisher who would take his son along with him to help on weekend projects. Some of young Emil’s earliest memories involve concrete and a trowel.
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.
This sweeping outdoor staircase and wraparound deck at Azure Standard, in Dufur, Ore., is more than just an update to an old warehouse on a rural Northwest farm. It’s the latest chapter in the story of a business that has spanned four generations and was built on a strong foundation of organic farming, sustainability and close-knit family ties.
For father-and-son team Marshall Barabasch Sr. and Jr., concrete is not just a job, it’s a vocation. As president and vice president (respectively) of MB Concrete Systems Inc., they power their company with a shared passion for the business, craft and artistry of decorative concrete.
A couple of homeowners in West Milford, N.J., were looking to enhance the curb appeal of their house by enhancing the front entryway. They initially contacted us about the possibility of resurfacing concrete steps leading to the front door and pouring a new sidewalk from the driveway to the steps.
When you are finished pouring a set of half-round steps using these techniques, take a picture and hold it next to a set of regular steps on your next estimate.
Troy Lemon, founder and president of Cornerstone Decorative Concrete in Holland, Mich., starts his story with a familiar admission. “I was a concrete guy way before I was a decorative concrete guy,” he says.
In this industry we’ve all seen our share of old and faded colored concrete that has been bleached out by the elements and is in need of some type of color fix or restoration. That was the condition of the existing stamped concrete at Diablo Grande Golf Course & Country Club, near Patterson, Calif.
After an afternoon spent walking around the Rocketown campus, Jason Geiser and his team saw a great opportunity to not only enhance the area but also showcase the unlimited possibilities of concrete.
