Like a good Boy Scout – “Be Prepared”
Like a good Boy Scout – “Be Prepared”
Rick Ribeiro – Alto Contracting, Inc.
Unless your a duck, a flooded basement is never fun!
Unless your a duck, a flooded basement is never fun!
If you or someone you know needs assistance with a drainage issue, please contact us and we will visit the site and come up with a solution.
Rick Ribeiro – Alto Contracting, Inc.
Stamped Concrete Pool Deck
Bring your plain or dated concrete pool deck up to date.
With all the stress we encounter at work and in our daily lives, coming home to an enjoyable and comforting space can really help to relax and recuperate. If your pool deck is outdated, dingy, or boring, try a stamped concrete overlay. Within a few days we can prepare and install a new stamped concrete overlay on your pool deck. The patio will be thoroughly cleaned, cracks will be repaired, and we will then stamp and seal to concrete on your pool deck, steps, or landings.
Take a look at the transformation of the pool patio in the video and next time your lounging pool side, take a look at your patio and see if it could use a fresher look.
Rick Ribeiro – Alto Contracting, Inc.
Don’t let the weeds take over.
Weeds and grass growing through your asphalt can not only be an eye sore, but they can do some serious damage.
Even though they look small and meek, the strength and destruction that weeds and grass can cause on your driveway is a real problem. With evasive roots, weeds can spread though an existing crack, push their way up through a “stable” asphalt surface, and can spread faster than expected.
Cracks in asphalt are unsightly, but more important, they allow water to penetrate down into the crack and damage the asphalt around the crack. Through the freeze-thaw cycle of the winter the surrounding area can buckle and create more cracking. When an area has excessive cracking we often label an area like this as “alligatoring” due to the similarity to an alligator’s skin. An area with excessive cracking becomes unstable and can no longer withstand the weight of vehicles and begins to crumble.
So before things get out of control, keep an eye out for weeds and grass in the cracks. They can be removed with chemical sprays that kill all vegetation, or you can get down and gently pull them out of the crack. With all the chemicals in the environment, I choose to pull out first and if they don’t return, I know I got the whole root and they will not be coming back. A quick tip; do you weeding after a rain, or wet down the cracks and let the water soak into the crack for a while. This will soften the dirt and allow the entire root to come out, and lessen the chance for the weed to grow back.
Now that there out, what’s next?
Crack repair is important and we offer this service at no additional charge when we seal-coat a customers driveway. Hot liquid tar is applied into the crack so that it will be sealed from water penetrating into it, and the driveway is sealed with a high quality coal-tar sealer with sand.
Be good to your driveway and it will return the favor with many years of good service.
Rick Ribeiro – Alto Contracting, Inc.
Give your boring concrete a facelift.
If your concrete is plain and boring, just give it a facelift.
When a concrete walkway, patio or steps have structurally deteriorated, the only remedy is removal and replacement. However, when the concrete is still structurally sound, a stamped concrete overlay will transform the area and bring life into your hard-scape. With various patterns, colors, and textures, it’s easy to find something that matches your design style, and fits into the colors and style of your existing landscape.
A stamped concrete overlay is a specifically designed and fortified mixture that when professionally installed, becomes an integral part of the existing concrete structure. We use the appropriate methods of cleaning and preparing the existing concrete, and bonding agents to insure proper adhesion between the existing concrete and the new concrete overlay. Once the overlay has cured, a UV protective sealer with grip (to assist in traction) is applied over the entire area.
So, the next time your walking on a bland concrete walkway, patio, or basement floor, and your contemplating removing it for something new, think about an overlay instead. With an overlay there is no mess from removing concrete with jack-hammers or the noise associated with demolition. A typical overlay project can be performed from start to finish in two days.
Rick Ribeiro – Alto Contracting, Inc.
Garden Fun With The Family.
Now’s a great time to get started on that vegetable garden!
With the mild and wet spring we’ve had so far, it’s not too late to get started on planting some vegetables, herbs, and fruits in a nice “family garden”.
Spending time with the kids is always great, but much of our interactions are related to driving to baseball, soccer, dance, scouting activities, and many more scheduled/formatted activities. Gardening as a family allows us to interact with our kids and nature at the same time, and also supplies us with fresh healthy food. The initial planning and planting of a garden will take some time, but from there after the maintenance and care is relatively simple.
A garden should have ample sunlight (6+ hours/day), good vitamin rich soil, consistent watering, and good protection from wildlife so that all of our hard work is not gobbled up during the night. We always plant the items that we enjoy eating at home on a regular basis, and I recommend that you consider carefully what to grow before planting. Some items such as corn, pumpkins, and squash can seem appealing while browsing the various options for seeds, but they harvest very little in comparison to the space the take up in a back yard garden. We try to stick to the basics; tomatoes, lettuce, beans, basil, parsley, mint, strawberries, onions, spinach, kale, and a couple of “wildcards” such as asparagus and cauliflower.
We usually plant 3-4 varieties of tomatoes so that we have a better chance of a good crop even if conditions are not favorable for any particular variety. The tomatoes and beans are planted around the perimeter and they both have a support system for when they grow taller and heavier. We use pre-fabricated circular wire frames for the tomatoes, and we make a grid system above the planting bean stalks with sticks and twine so that they have somewhere to grow on.
Children love to water the garden regularly, and collect the fruits and vegetables when they are ripe. Right before a meal is the best time to collect some lettuce, tomatoes, and basil for a fresh garden salad.
Whatever you’re ultimate garden size, design, or crop is, the benefits from the fresh food and family time will nourish you in many ways.
Rick Ribeiro – Alto Contracting, Inc.
The Sky Is falling!
The Sky Is Falling!
Well, maybe not literally, but with all this rain we need to take a look at a few things around the house.
Our gutters are supposed to collect the rain water and divert it away from the house, and spring cleaning should include cleaning out the debris in your gutters. But before getting started, make sure that your safe about what your about to do. Use a sturdy ladder and if possible, try to clean the gutters from the ladder instead of climbing up onto the roof. A good gutter guard will greatly reduce, or even block the debris from collecting in your gutters. If gutter guards are not an option, be sure to check your gutters and clean them at least twice a year (spring and fall).
Ignoring your gutters and downspouts can lead to big headaches for homeowners. Foundation damage, basement flooding, soil erosion, and standing water are some things that you want to avoid at all costs.
Rick Ribeiro – Alto Contracting, Inc.
