Hardscaping

Still getting caught up with the progress that has occurred. Late, last Summer, we had four companies provide bids to remove and replace our entrance sidewalk, driveway, garage floor, and back yard patio/sidewalks.  It was a large undertaking, hence, the reason for getting many quotes.  Interestingly, all estimates were within 20%, although each had their own specifications of the method of completing the work (i.e. concrete compression strength, reinforcement methods, drainage considerations).  In the end, we chose a company that was family owned with over 30 years of experience.  The owner would be on-site the entire time and all the workers were full-time employees.

The original driveway was a traditional ribbon driveway.  While I'm not certain when the driveway was poured, I know for certain the concrete directly in front of the garage was poured in 1937 (there were still faint initials "WW" and the year etched into the concrete).  Additionally, the garage floor was in very bad shape with major cracks.  That floor would be replaced, as well.  Essentially, every inch of existing concrete, sans the city sidewalk, which is fairly new, was replaced.  It took 7 days to complete the work after an initial start delay, due to an early September snow (see "Before" pic below).  

Before

After

I won't show all the boring in-progress photos, but the end work is amazing and an absolute pleasure to use. Since my work office is in the front of our home, almost every day, I witness people walking by who stop to admire the work. Maybe, it's because there aren't many homes in the neighborhood with this amount of concrete work. The next step will be sealing the driveway and garage floor, once the temperatures are more favorable.  On to the next project!