We say hold the concrete slab and enable your imagination be your guide. To us, the gray concrete is a blank canvas on which to paint a dream landscape. Keeping the patio makes sense from a soil erosion standpoint. It also provides some hardscape that you can change into an outdoor living area.
Raised beds produced of brick, wood or far more concrete slab will work. In case you choose this, realize which you have to supply many drainage, either by drilling holes in the concrete in the perimeter in the beds or by providing holes from the sides in the beds. In either case it could be a challenge for getting the beds to percolate. Water need to be able to leave the beds to avoid drowning the roots from the plants.
Considering this, we would go down instead of up by designing several planting areas inside the patio to permit for shrubs and ornamental trees. This item includes a couple of advantages. It uses the existing concrete in a new way. Also, it avoids the labor and expense of jackhammering the entire slab and hauling it away. Trust us when we say that will be expensive. Dump fees today are figured by weight, not volume.
But probably the most important plus is you'll be free of charge to make a particular type as part of your concrete slab.
Cutting out the planting beds is a do-it-yourself project. Rent a concrete saw and an electric jackhammer to complete the heavy work. Depending on how much you desire to sweat you possibly can substitute a sledgehammer for ones jackhammer. Use a 3-pound "single jack" hammer and cold chisel to dress the corners.
A concrete saw is often a basically a motorized diamond blade on wheels and is obtainable at tool rental shops. A hose is connected for the saw to spray water on the blade, which keeps it cool during the cut. They're pretty easy to operate and the rental shop can give you instructions. Make certain to follow safety precautions. Cutting concrete is dusty, noisy work so a mask, safety goggles and earplugs will likely be part of your wardrobe. For much more detailed info on cutting concrete slab.
Begin by marking the concrete slab for your cuts. You need a carpenter's crayon including a chalk line. Snap the chalk line over a concrete. Once you get the designs laid out, mark the lines of the crayon. The crayon won't disappear during the cutting process.
You'll be restricted to straight lines on the saw. But, in case you want, you'll be able to add curves later by forming them with bender board and pouring a smaller fresh concrete.
Break out the interior of the cut of the jackhammer or the sledge. Get rid of the pieces to expose the underlying soil. Eliminate the corners in the cuts in the single jack and cold chisel.
So, what to accomplish with the concrete slab shards left over? Look at utilizing them to produce up the edges in the planters. Either lay them on edge buried within the soil on the perimeter from the cut or mortar them together to create a rustic design. In case you don't like the monotone concrete gray, staining the patio can also be an option.
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We commonly say keep the Concrete Slab and let your imagination be your guide to the Concrete land.
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