CD Designs Blog
New Drive-thru Contracts
Concrete Being Pumped
Although the majority of the pattern imprinted concrete work that we do is on driveways and patios, we have also done more commercial installations with our McDonald’s and KFC drive-thru’s, which you can see in our case studies section here. We are delighted to announce that we have just won the contracts to supply and fit the concrete for two more McDonald’s Drive-Thru restaurants, one in Nottingham and the other in Audenshaw.
All Hands On Deck!
These specialist jobs require a slightly different specification in terms of the size, materials used and techniques employed, but the basic principles are exactly the same. The extra load that a drive-thru gets requires that the concrete is 50% thicker, and a steel mesh is employed within the concrete to further strengthen it. The concrete itself is exactly the same consistency as we use for domestic driveways, and it is imprinted and finished in exactly the same manner.
Work on the Nottingham drive-thru was started on Friday, and as you can see in the photos is going very well. We will have a full case study for you to look at once the job is complete. We start work on the Audenshaw project in March.
Post Date: | 18th February 2013 |
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Tags: | Audenshaw, Drive-Thru, driveway case studies, KFC, McDonald's, Nottingham, pattern imprinted concrete |
Testimonial And Case Study
Finished Pattern Imprinted Driveway
Last month we received a lovely testimonial from a customer whose pattern imprinted concrete driveway we installed in Denton in December. It came via our partners at The Best Of Bury, who gather reviews about local businesses and show them on their site. The review from Karen H reads:
‘Professional and friendly service, workers tidy and on time. My new driveway looks fabulous and I’m getting a lot of compliments from friends and neighbours. I just wish I’d had it done sooner.’
New Drainage System Being Installed
For the installation of the driveway, first the existing driveway was broken up and dug out. Next a trench was dug on the left hand side of the drive for the new drainage system. Pipework was laid in this trench, which connected the existing drains to the front of the driveway where the new Aco drainage was to be fitted. The whole area was then levelled, and the Aco drainage fitted and connected. A new brick wall was built at the front of the property complete with two pillars at either side, new fencing was erected, and a small step was installed at the doorway using KL blocks. Concrete was poured into the step along with the rest of the driveway, which was then coloured, patterned and sealed, and a full clean was given to the whole area to finish.
We have made a full case study including pictures of the driveway in question, which you can see here.
Post Date: | 7th February 2013 |
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Tags: | Concrete Driveway Installation, driveway case studies, pattern imprinted concrete driveway, Satisfied Customers, Testimonials |
Cheshire Court – Testimonial
This project was a blast from the past. Installed in 2010, we were installing a pattern imprinted concrete driveway on the same street in May 2012. We called round to see if our customer was enjoying their pattern imprinted driveway two years on and they were delighted to see us, inviting us to take some pictures of the driveway that they are rightfully proud of. Incidentally the project on the same street was a property we had previously installed a driveway for and had returned to install a patio, proving that customer care pays off.
The driveway was installed using Dove Grey colour hardener, Charcoal release agent and Ashlar Slate pattern. The driveway was finished by applying an acid stain to the borders to create definition and effectively a frame for the pattern imprinted concrete artwork within.
We cannot take all the credit for this job looking so well after two years. The customers have looked after their driveway and followed the advice given in our user guide, proving that this product always looks its best when it is looked after.
You can see the case study for the driveway here
Post Date: | 2nd July 2012 |
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Tags: | concrete driveway care, driveway case studies, pattern imprinted concrete driveway, Satisfied Customers |
Pattern imprinted concrete case study; Ashton-In-Makerfield
Pattern Imprinted Concrete Patio
We were very excited when we booked this job in Ashton-In-Makerfield. Joan and Fred contacted us via our website, wanting a complete re-design of the outside of their house – front garden, back garden and driveway, as well as the paths connecting them. They got quotes from several companies, some cheaper than ours, but chose us because of the quality of our previous work.
The original drive was tarmac, which we dug up and replaced with a pattern imprinted concrete driveway with an Old English pattern. For the front garden, we designed a twin circle feature with plants in each, and the London Cobble path running between. This connects to a pattern imprinted path at the side of the house, again in London Cobble which goes well with the flowers planted alongside. Finally the back garden and patio were re-concreted with an Old English pattern, working around and complimenting the existing garden. We also added some fencing in the back garden, as well as straiten the driveway gate so that it opened properly.
The overall project looked great, and Joan and Fred were delighted with the results. View more pictures of the finished pattern imprinted concrete project.
Post Date: | 16th June 2012 |
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Tags: | Concrete Path, domestic concrete driveway, driveway case studies, pattern imprinted concrete driveways, Plants & Flowers |
What you should ask pattern imprinted concrete driveway installers
At CD Designs, we pride ourselves on being professional, reliable and helpful, and possessing the right skills to ensure that every customer, whether domestic or commercial, we work for comes away more than satisfied. I’m sure you’ll agree that our pattern imprinted concrete driveway testimonials and our pattern imprinted concrete driveway case studies speak for themselves.
However, when hiring any concrete contractor, you need to ask the right questions to start with, not only to make sure that you think the contractor is trustworthy and will do a good job, but also to make sure that you and the contractor understand exactly what it is you want, so that the end result lives up to your expectations.
Before hiring:
1. Ask the contractor for a certificate completion of trade, references and a portfolio. A reliable contractor will be more than happy to prove their worth.
2. Ask them if they have suitable compensation and liability insurance that will cover them if they are injured on your property, or cause accidental damage while carrying out work.
3. Ask to see a work schedule and payment terms before they start, so you have a good idea of when the work should start and finish, and how you should pay for it.
4. Ask what warranty they will give the work, and what they will charge for future maintenance of the drive when the work has gone outside the warranty period.
Planning/During/After the work:
1. Discuss the plans in detail: the area to be concreted, concrete mixture, patterns, colours, sealing, finishes, paint, etc. Make sure no detail is left unclear once the work starts.
2. Tell the contractor what vehicles are likely to use the driveway regularly, and ask what depth the concrete should be, as a result. The average concrete driveway is four inches deep, but regular usage by heavy vehicles may require more.
3. Ask for concrete, not cement, if you want concrete! The two differ.
4. After the work is finished, ask the contractor for instructions on how to look after the concrete in the short term and long term.
Post Date: | 14th November 2011 |
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Tags: | concrete case studies, concrete driveway care, driveway case studies, pattern imprinted concrete driveway installation |