While many custom basketball courts are made with asphalt, a concrete pad with painted lines is also a very affordable option. Both are bare pads but a custom concrete basketball court has a much cleaner look to it.
Our concrete basketball courts are constructed to hold-up to the action and create realistic play, while also being fully customized!
Be the envy of your neighbors and let Blackwater take you game to the next level. Contact us today for a quote.
It’s been said that Bill has a “specific set of skills” for not only the building of our fire pits and walls, but the creative concrete coloring on all our projects. His artistic aptitude helps to set BlackWater apart from our competitors. In addition to having worked in the concrete industry for nearly 20 years, Bill is often referred to as the MacGyver in the group; if a problem needs a special or “unique” solution, the team often calls on Bill to develop it. We love having Bill as a part of our BlackWater team as much as he enjoys the team environment and friendships he has with his colleagues.
To describe Bill as an avid hunter is not accurate – he loves hunting and fishing and takes every opportunity possible to get into the woods or on the river (almost as much as Eric)! And if he’s not hunting or fishing, you will find him spending time with family.
Check out this recently completed, beautiful knee wall from Blackwater Concrete! We just love how the natural tones in the wall enhance the beauty of this backyard patio.
This family was excited to have their backyard ready for when the weather warms up! We have no doubt that they will enjoy their outdoor space for years to come!
The knee wall got it’s name because of its height, usually coming up to about the level of one’s knee. When a knee wall becomes part of your outdoor patio or landscaping project, Blackwater Designer Concrete can help. We’ll measure, design and build a knee wall that fits in your project perfectly.
Looking forward to spending time outside in your decorative outdoor space? Don’t put off your annual concrete maintenance–you can protect your investment by sealing or resealing those spaces!
Read: Maintenance Tips for Stamped Concrete
When decorative concrete is initially installed, the majority of contractors will use a sealant as a final step. Unfortunately, most homeowners do not realize that resealing their decorative concrete is needed on an annual basis.
Read more: Why You Should Seal Stamped Concrete
The protection benefits from concrete sealers are huge! By using a sealer, you can greatly reduce deterioration, extend overall life expectancy, preserve or enhance the beauty of your surfaces, and make surfaces easier to clean and maintain. Here are some basic concrete maintenance steps to complete:
At Blackwater Concrete, our goal is to provide personalized service and distinctive ideas, giving each client and project the full value of our collective experience and knowledge. That’s why we’ve developed a maintenance guide for you, our clients, so that your concrete will look as good as new years after installation. Download the PDF here!
Many homeowners are using their back yards for more than just barbecues.
These days, home owners want amenities like ponds, custom concrete patios, knee walls, outdoor kitchens, and increasingly, fire pits that crackle and glow.
In fact, fire pits have become so popular that they are now the number one requested design feature, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Furthermore, many home owners have decided against hiring a contractor and attempt to build their own fire pit, which comes with its own set of risks. We call these DIY Fire Pit Dangers.
Here’s what we at Blackwater advise you to consider before designing your own fire pit:
Check what impact (if any) a fire pit may have on your homeowners insurance coverage. In some parts of the country, disclosing your fire pit may be a requirement of your homeowners insurance policy. We always recommend you check with your providers before beginning any project.
Where to put it. When building your own fire pit, you want to make sure it’s proportional to the size of your yard, allows room for seating and circulation, and follows all local laws regarding safety. Many communities require a minimum of a 10-foot distance from your house and neighbors’ yards. Some don’t require a permit if the fire pit fits within set size requirements; others require a site inspection from local fire officials to make sure your proposed location is safe (away from fences, structures, overhanging branches, etc). And, some communities have outright bans on open fires.
What to build it on. It’s best to set a set a portable fire pit atop a natural surface such as concrete, stone, gravel, brick, slate, or a fire-resistant composite. One mistake we see DIYers make is that they put their fire pit on a wood deck, which gets to be dangerous when embers fly. In this image, we created a wood plank design made out with concrete so that the homeowner got the look they wanted without the risk of their whole patio going up in flames.
Make sure that you’re using proper stones and materials. You don’t want to build a fire pit with material that splinters when the fire heats up.
Know how to establish a system for drainage. The last thing you’ll want to be doing is bailing out water from your fire pit. Many designers will build your fire pit with a drain in the center that’s connected to an underground pipe, that way rainwater won’t collect in the pit. This keeps the firepit presentable at all times.
Does this all sound like a lot to be conscious of? That’s where Blackwater’s professional designers and installers come in. With proper fire pit design and construction, we can ensure a safe and enjoyable feature that will last several decades. And, like the walls, can be hand stained to your liking.
Contact us today for your quote!
We recently wrote a blog about the dangers of constructing your own fire pit– but what happens after it’s installed? You still need to adhere to safety around open flames in order to protect your home and your family. For instance, we recommend:
With proper fire pit design and construction, we can ensure a safe and enjoyable feature that will last several decades. However, it will be your responsibility to follow general safety procedures in order to protect your home and your family from the damage fire can cause.
I was honored to present at Daniel Morgan Middle School for career day. I was able to talk about owning a small business and the vast amount of career opportunities in the construction field.
The students were awesome- and they really liked hitting the stamp with the tamper! Some may even be the future generation of the concrete industry!
-Chris Graham, Blackwater Concrete
Concrete is a magnificent, long-lasting material that can be used for almost anything. However, as Tim Carter points out, “its useful life can be significantly reduced if you do not recognize its weaknesses”.
Concrete can be weakened when subjected to rock salt. While concrete is a tough and durable material, it can and will absorb water. If you’ve ever been outside on a hot day and spilled water on your sidewalk or driveway, you can actually see the water penetrate the surface of the concrete.
When you put out rock salt to melt snow and ice, the salt dissolves the snow and makes a salt water mix that then enters the pores of your concrete. If the temperature then drops and the water freezes, the pressure of growing ice crystals within the concrete can cause spalling (the surface becomes rough and flaky, and begins to pit). On a low level, this can be purely cosmetic, but it can also result in structural damage.
The good news? Concrete which is installed and sealed properly can resist years of contact with rock salt. However, maintaining the sealer on a stamped concrete surface is a must. For maximum protection, it is recommended to seal after new concrete has cured and re-seal your stamped concrete every year for existing concrete.
Learn more about sealing stamped concrete here.
Looking for an alternative to rock salt? Many experts recommend using sand. While it won’t melt the snow and ice, it will provide you with traction.
Does your concrete need a fresh start? We see it all the time- old, worn concrete floors that homeowners hate to look at. As a homeowner, you have many options when choosing your interior flooring but basically, the options include carpet, hardwood, laminate and concrete.
Staining interior concrete floors has become a popular flooring choice for those looking to achieve a very modern look. To save time and money, we can apply a super-thin concrete overlay over older concrete in a project like this micro topping overlay with water-based stain floor.
Adding color, of course, is often the point of using a micro-topping. With this project, we used different blended tones of brown to add depth to the space.
For more details on the smooth, fresh looks you can achieve with a Blackwater Micro-Topping, contact us today
A lot of work goes into a hand stained concrete finish, and we always like giving our clients everything they hoped for when they decide to go with Blackwater.
Check out this recent job in Ashburn, VA and tell us what you think!
Be creative! Let us know exactly what you have envisioned for your outdoor (or indoor) space and we can show you why we’re the best designer concrete company in the area.