It’s that time of year where all of a sudden everyone wants to be outside and instead of hanging out inside your house, the backyard becomes the new norm for a family retreat. We all know how winter gives most people the blues and everyone wants to stay inside and huddled up, but spring and summer are coming, and you know what that means! Family events, pool parties, social gatherings, backyard water balloon fights, barbecues, but what if I tell you that your house can be “the house” everyone brags about and dreams of having. What if I told you that your backyard can be transformed to your own oasis resort. What if I told you that you can make your backyard much bigger than it seems! Would you believe me? In today’s article we will feature concrete and concrete designs for your backyard! So let me show you the top five reasons why you should install concrete for your backyard or front yard! 

1. Simple and affordable! Let’s be honest here, some of us will look outside our backyard and wonder why we have so much dirt or why our backyard doesn’t look appealing. As a contractor and homeowner I am here to tell you that you can definitely make your yard look much better and much more versatile. In 2021 I remodeled my front yard patio with a stamped concrete design and let me tell you, my life is much easier! Before the transformation, there was this big tree and so much dirt which did not make my house look aesthetic. Not to mention when it rained, there would be so much mud that the trash cans would be covered by it when it was trash pickup day. The worst part was the wind, I know that you know when it is windy in California, it is really windy! So one day I decided to transform everything and guess what! It was so worth it. My front yard looked cleaner and all of my neighbors loved the work. You are probably wondering what it cost, so let me explain this for you. Let’s say you are thinking of remodeling your patio or driveway, maybe you have existing concrete that has wear and tear or maybe you don’t like the previous home owners design. Regular concrete will be much cheaper compared to other options such as pavers and flagstone, or stamped concrete with color. The cost of concrete can vary so I can’t really give you a direct cost, but if you have a patio leveled and around five hundred square feet, it would be around $5,000 to $6,000 depending where you live. Maybe it will be less but to sum this up it will be much more affordable! So if you have dirt outside your backyard or front yard like I once had, a simple transformation will go a long way!      
2. Looks good with a modern or traditional style home! Concrete is very versatile and can be used almost anywhere, but regardless of the style of home you have, it will look great! If you have a house built between 1960 or 1970, I will definitely recommend a makeover! Even if the exterior looks traditional, there are ways to make your house look modern and even like an art piece! Check out this YouTube video, We spent $1,000,000 on this Abandoned House I Before & After Renovation – YouTube they spent over 1 million dollars renovating the house, but they included a complete remodel of the inside! Don’t worry you won’t be spending a million dollars for a backyard or front yard remodel, unless of course you want to! Maybe your house doesn’t look like this, maybe you want to remodel your driveway or walkway path leading to your house, concrete is very versatile, and you can customize the design as well. For a modern house, I would definitely recommend going for a stamp design for the concrete with color or just keep it simple with a stamp design and no color. I remember when we remodeled a homeowner’s backyard with concrete, which was over 3000 sq ft! They loved the stamp design and color, and everything looked so modern and unique that they remodeled their whole house to complement their backyard! 

3. Customizable! Did you know that you can customize your concrete patio or driveway with so many options? There are many designs out there for stamped concrete that include a tile look, wood look, modern ashler look, and stone look. Within these popular stamps you can choose a variety of colors to compliment the stamp design. This will make your patio or driveway much more interesting and more aesthetic. Many homeowners looking for a concrete design ask me what color preferences would make their concrete design stand out, so I compiled a list! The main colors homeowners choose are omaha tan, dark gray, and silver blue. This will make your backyard look much more unique depending on your style so I would definitely recommend going with a stamped concrete design as well as adding a color to it.  

4. More space for your backyard! Many homeowners call me asking how they can make their driveway a little bigger or their backyard a whole lot bigger. Maybe you want to add more cars to the driveway or maybe you are tired of taking turns for which car parks on the driveway, do not fear I am here. There are ways we can fix your problem by extending your driving and making it wider or longer depending on your property size. We would recommend letting us build you a new driveway depending on the existing driveways tear and how much bigger you would like your driveway to be. We can also make your driveway wider by adding concrete to the sides of the existing driveway. Another example would be making your existing backyard bigger. You will be surprised to learn that there are many obstacles making your backyard look smaller including planters in the middle of the yard, uncut grass, and finally objects piling up such as bikes and scooters. We all have been there; our garage gets filled with exercise equipment and unwanted furniture or knick knacks and we begin putting some items in our backyard. I am here to tell you that your problems can be easily fixed by transforming your entire backyard making it more spacious and adding an outdoor storage shed.  

5. Less cleaning, more fun! We all know that California has almost perfect weather year-round but when it rains… It rains and when it’s windy it’s really windy. Some of us have been there where our backyard is really muddy, and our dogs need to do their business and when we let them out their paws are all muddy to which they mess up the house. Another example would be if it’s really windy and if you had a front yard like me, your car would get dirty on the driveway and your front windows would be dirty. Having a backyard or front yard with concrete can make your life a lot easier and there won’t be anything to maintain or manage such as grass or plants. There is also the benefit of having fun with the kids and if you have toddlers, you can teach them how to ride bikes safely in your own backyard without having to worry about oncoming traffic. You can also host events in your new backyard impressing your friends and family with the amount of new space you have.   

So to recap on everything, remodeling your backyard or front yard can make your house look bigger as well as keeping it clean without the ongoing maintenance of cutting grass. Concrete can also be cheaper compared to other materials such as stone and pavers which will save you a lot of money. Another pro is that concrete can be customizable and tailored to your own needs making your backyard or driveway unique to you. Many clients of mine are satisfied with their backyard and driveway. So, what are you waiting for? What will you choose?