Application · Charlotte NC

Courtyards & Surrounds

Small enclosed areas where every square foot is seen

In detail

Planning courtyards & surrounds

Small areas cost more per foot, and here is why

A three-hundred-square-foot courtyard behind a gate costs noticeably more per square foot than a three-thousand-square-foot driveway, and it is worth understanding rather than being surprised by. Minimum concrete delivery, mobilisation and the finishing crew are largely fixed. Access is usually poor, so concrete is barrowed or pumped rather than chuted. And small areas are almost always more detailed, because everything in them is seen from close up. None of that is markup — it is genuinely a different job.

Enclosure changes drainage completely

An open patio sheds water to the garden. A courtyard enclosed by walls on three sides has nowhere to send it, so drainage has to be designed rather than assumed: a channel drain, a discreet gully, or a deliberate fall to a single point that connects to something. Courtyards that hold water grow algae, which is slippery, and stay damp, which shows on a decorative finish. This is the detail most often skipped in small-area work.

Finishes that suit tight spaces

At small scale, large patterns fail and subtle finishes succeed. Fine exposed aggregate, acid stain with its natural variation, a smooth surface with a saw-cut grid, or a textured overlay all read well in a courtyard. A large ashlar slate stamp does not. Colour also behaves differently in an enclosed space — walls bounce light and shade, so a sample viewed in the open will look different once it is surrounded.

Utility areas deserve the same base

Bin stores, generator pads, HVAC pads, shed bases and side-yard runs are the surfaces most likely to be poured thin on unprepared ground, because they are considered unimportant. They then crack and settle, and because they are usually right beside a fence or a wall, the settlement is obvious. A utility pad wants the same base preparation as anything else; it simply does not need a decorative finish.

Access is the first thing we look at

Whether concrete can reach a courtyard, and how, determines both cost and what is realistic. A gate width, a step, a slope, a soft lawn a barrow cannot cross, or a route past a client's own planting are all real constraints. We work out the route on the first visit and tell you what it means, including where a pump is required and where existing planting is going to have to come out and go back.

Finishes to consider

Stamped Concrete Stained Concrete Exposed Aggregate Polished Concrete Decorative Overlays Saw-Cut Designs Colored Concrete

Other applications

Five other surfaces

Patios

The largest decorative surface most houses will ever have

Pool Decks

Wet, barefoot, and in full sun — the hardest surface to specify

Outdoor Living Areas

Kitchens, fire features and covered rooms built on a slab

Walkways & Entries

The first fifteen feet anyone sees of a house

Decorative Driveways

Where structural requirements and appearance have to be met at once