CD Designs Blog
Chelsea Flower Show 2013
The Homebase garden
The Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show 2013 starts tomorrow, which marks the 100th anniversary of the event. It lasts for 4 days, between 21st and 25th of May, and promises to be the best ever to celebrate its centenary.
One of the main attractions this year is an installation called ‘The Rush Of Nature’, which is a collaboration with renowned British artist Marc Quinn. This is the first time in the show’s history that the RHS has worked with an artist on an exhibit. The installation is a closely guarded secret, and will be kept under wraps until tomorrows opening. It will then be auctioned off by Sotheby’s in aid of the RHS Chelsea Centenary Appeal, with the funds used to create an apprentice scheme.
Of course the event wouldn’t be the same without the traditional show gardens, which this year include ‘Windows Through Time’, a celebration of 100 years of Chelsea garden design, and ‘After The Fire’, a garden based on regeneration after forest fires. The Great Pavillion will display a mixture of exciting new plants and flowers, alongside favourites from 1913. As always there will be lots of awards given out, including Best Garden, Best Product and the big special award for Plant of the Centenary.
You can visit the Chelsea Flower Show 2013 website by clicking here.
Post Date: | 20th May 2013 |
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Tags: | Chelsea Flower Show, garden design ideas, Gardening, home improvements, Mark Quinn |
Training Day
Learn the 'art' of pattern imprinted concrete installation
Places are beginning to fill up for our pattern imprinted concrete training day, but there are still some available. Book now to avoid missing out.
The course provides a great opportunity to learn how to install and maintain pattern imprinted concrete, one of the fastest growing parts of the uk home improvement sector. There will be a mixture of classroom learning and hands-on practical experience. Everyone is welcome, from novice installers wanting to learn from scratch, to specifiers wanting to gain a greater knowledge of the materials and processes.
The course starts at 9am on Saturday, 8th June, with the booking fee being £25. If you would like to reserve a place, please phone us on 01706 827180 or email info@cd-designs.co.uk.
Post Date: | 17th May 2013 |
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Tags: | concrete art, concrete driveway maintainance, pattern imprinted concrete installation, training |
Case Study – Butterbowl Drive, Leeds
Pattern Imprinted Concrete Driveway and Planter
This customer was drawn to our company from us being part of The Guild of Master Craftsmen. The customer wanted a transformation of the front of their property, with the space being split for use as a driveway, patio area and planting area.
Instead of steps we designed a seamless pathway that would cut through both the driveway and patio area, each section of the job was partitioned with the use of timber sleepers. The project incorporated two different colours and two different patterns, with the use of an acid stained compass pattern to finish. The use of the acid stain on the classic grey colour worked beautifully, contrasting but with subtlety.
On preparation a large planter was formed to the left using the sleepers. On completion the project was in complete contrast to the original job with room to park, plant and entertain.
To see the full case study for this job click here.
Post Date: | 15th May 2013 |
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Tags: | acid stained compass, leeds, pattern imprinted concrete driveway, timber sleepers |
McDonald’s Drive-Thru, Openshaw
We have recently completed installation of our second McDonald’s drive-thru this year in Openshaw, Manchester. The other was in Nottingham in March, which you can see a blog entry for here, and a full case study here. The above video shows images of how the job was done and the finished results, and also a short time-lapse segment showing the concrete pouring and imprinting process.
The installation was similar to the Nottingham drive-thru, but the specification was slightly different. Instead of our usual steel mesh that we used on the Nottingham job, we used a new material called Novomesh 950, which was one of the first times that it has been used with decorative concrete. Both the pattern and colour where the same.
We really enjoy doing these big pattern imprinted concrete jobs, and hopefully we will have more of them to show you in the future.
Post Date: | 9th May 2013 |
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Tags: | Concrete Driveway Installation, Drive-Thru, manchester, McDonald's, Openshaw, Video |
Pattern Imprinted Concrete Training Scheme
Printing the pattern on a new driveway
Complete Driveway Designs are pleased to announce that in June we are set to begin training courses in the installation and maintenance of pattern imprinted concrete.
The courses will provide full practical lessons on the process of pattern imprinted concrete installation, from preparing the area and pouring the concrete, to applying the pattern, colour and finish. It will also offer technical knowledge on the art and science of pattern imprinted concrete, with our instructors sharing their 30+ years of experience in the industry. Further training is then given on how to maintain pattern imprinted concrete, and how to identify and then solve any problems that may arise.
The courses start on Saturday 8th June at our yard in Ramsbottom, Bury, and cost £150 + VAT. Limited places are available so book early. A booking fee of £25 will secure your spot, with the rest to be paid once the course starts. Lunch and light refreshments will be provided.
If you are interested in the scheme, or know someone else that might be, then please get in touch via telephone on 01706 827180 or by email info@cd-designs.co.uk.
Post Date: | 2nd May 2013 |
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Tags: | concrete art, Concrete Driveway Installation, home improvements, pattern imprinted concrete driveway, training |