Getting Started
Your new concrete border process starts with a call to set up an appointment/estimate with attention given to your schedule and commitments. Everything is usually decided at this appointment so it’s important to have anyone/everyone there who would like to be involved in the decision-making process. Before we come it’s good for you to be aware of: location of sprinkler heads and control boxes: locations of buried downspout outlets, telephone, cable or dog fence wire: property lines: thoughts on enlarging/shrinking your landscape beds and ways to make your mowing process better. We make every effort to honor your time that is set up, an estimate usually takes from 20-30 minutes unless picking a color or stamp extends that time frame. We usually schedule appointments about an hour apart.
At your appointment we will: get an approximate total footage / walk around the areas considered to hear your thoughts and also to offer suggestions / look at your options for color, patterns, stamps etc. The choices you will choose from are actual 10” pieces of concrete border (not a color chart). Before we leave you will be given an estimate card with the information you choose on it, as well as cost per foot and an approx. time frame for the job to be completed. At that point you can schedule your project or take some time to discuss it. We schedule jobs on a first come first served basis, the sooner you let us know the better.
Contact is made several days ahead of your project to discuss final details.
On your concrete border day or the evening before we will walk through your project areas and paint lines exactly where the border will be / mark any wires, downspout outlets, sprinkler heads and control boxes / talk about water access / options to keep any/all of the existing edging or sod / talk about the 1st 24 hrs of care after / make final arrangements for payment.
Our Process
We ask that the night prior to your project that the sprinkler system be shut off to prevent “wet” areas in the lawn. Upon arrival a walk-through will be done with the homeowner to verify exact placement of the border, sprinkler heads etc., will be marked. Once this process is finished the homeowner is free to come and go as they would like, however, it is very common to have our customer want to “add” a section once they see the end result. Photos can be taken of the process for the homeowner if desired.
All concrete is mixed on-site, however, there is no heavy equipment used on your property. Set up begins, protection is placed for the mixing process, existing edging is removed and loaded, sod is removed and loaded. Care is given to keep grass etc. out of the existing landscape beds. Mixing starts and the concrete mix is transported to the curb machine with wheelbarrows. The mix is shoveled into the machine hopper which places it on the ground. The finishing process starts which includes, troweling, straightening “the line” or “removing bulges”, the stamping process takes place then and control joints are cut. All excess concrete is cleaned up.
When the extruding process is finished clean up begins which includes washing all equipment, washing driveways, sidewalks or street areas to make sure all surfaces are clean. Final care is given to insure all extra material is removed from lawn areas. Sealant is applied to the border and the final footage measurement is taken.
What to ask before you hire someone
- Are they insured?
- Cost per foot?
- Are there extra charges added for edging and sod removal?
- Steel cable?
- Sealant?
- Is there a minimum footage amount?
- Is there a discount for volume?
- How many years have they been in business but even more important is how many years of “curb” experience do they have?
- Will they give you a list of customers to choose from for a referral?
- Can you go somewhere to see the exact choice that you’re considering?
- Are the pictures on their website and brochures actually their “work” or was it provided by the manufacture?
- Is this a part time job or is this what they do for a profession?
- How long will the process take?
Frequently Asked Questions
They are not pieces, your border is extruded as “one” long continuous piece of concrete.
About 2 - 2½ inches of the ground is removed in the prepping process. There is no footer, so the border “floats” on the surface just like your driveway and sidewalks.
The major advantage of concrete borders is that it is one continuous piece of concrete. Individual blocks, pavers etc. Tend to move and shift with the freeze/thaw cycle. Any movement with your concrete border should only be in the control joint areas that are cut in when the borders are installed. We use polypropylene mesh, an air entrainment additive as well as a 1/8” steel cable to reinforce the curb and ensure longevity.
No, providing the final walk thru has been done and lines are painted to ensure that there are no surprises at the end of the day. In most cases someone wants to “see” the process.
No, all of our colors are “integral”, meaning they are mixed into the concrete. In the stamping process there are other colors added to the surface and then protected by the sealant.
The old saying is that all concrete does 2 things, it gets hard and it cracks. We take great care to minimize the possibilities of cracking. Control joints, fiber mesh, air entranment additives, steel cable and a solid base are all factors that play into cracks and longevity. On an average job it is not uncommon to have a hairline crack. Usually they are a result of the concrete drying to fast and are often seen in any concrete driveway or sidewalk. Hairline cracks should not “gap” or separate more than the initial line.
No, in most cases the new concrete border is laid with the back of the concrete being placed where the old edging was. In this case your bed size stays the same, however it is very common to enlarge/grow the beds to allow for growth or to create a different flow/curve.
No, concrete curbing has been around in warmer climates since the early 1980’s. By the mid 1990’s it became available in Indiana. The earliest curb that we know of was in the Fort Wayne area around 1994.
Yes, the concrete border sits below the surface so it provides and effective root barrier to keep the grass out.
No, as your lawn continues to grow the “sod base” gets thicker simply because we mow, water and fertilize. We like to use your concrete driveway as an example: when it was new or freshly poured it was an inch or two above the grass level, it’s not that your driveway sank over the years, but simply that your “sod base” has thickened and now as a result we need to “edge” our driveway to keep the grass from growing over.
Concrete border prices are based on several things. Your location or distance for us to travel, size or footage of the project, the number of sections that the border will start and stop. The last thing that determines cost is your choice of color, pattern or stamp. Some stamps/patterns are very labor intensive and are reflected in the cost per foot. Because you’re paying for a service not a product there will be no tax on your final invoice. We accept cash, personal checks and for a minimum charge, Visa, MasterCard and Discover.
Concrete does not last forever but it certainly out preforms other types of edging. The “functional” part of concrete edging goes on and on. We have jobs that are 23 years old and still working to keep grass out and rocks in. The aesthetic/attractiveness of your border is largely determined by you, your attention to “resealing” makes a big difference.