Decorative & Concrete Patio Contractors Houston, TX, Texas
ConcreteForever.com design staff incorporates the energies of Feng Shui and T'ai Chi to
define the form, location and design to harmonize with specific basic principles of the ancient
arts. Much of the esoteric aspect of Feng Shui is "earth Chi" related in that it implies the ability
to understand the way energy flows through the earth. This skill to perceive energy flowing
through the earth, what the Chinese call "Dragon veins", is similar to T'ai Chi where we seek to
feel the energy flow through our bodies. With this skill, a Feng Shui master would select the
proper positioning of houses, patios, waterscapes and even your driveway and other
structures correctly in respect to these earth energetic meridians.
Today, Feng Shui is growing in popularity in the West as element of what I might consider
conscious interior & exterior design. The art describes how to maximize functional layout in
respect to directional reference and use of implements such as mirrors, plants, patios and
other positive devices, all for the purpose of enhancing the living or work environment. And
while this is certainly a viable use of the art, I feel that it is important to take into consideration
the broader scope of the study which is to understand that as an individual is presented with
an immense amount of cosmic influence or energy. To the degree that one understands this,
and has the skill to take advantage of it well, one appreciates the study of Feng Shui.
Along with the law of Yin and Yang, § ancient Taoists observed a pattern of expression in
nature that they interpreted as, and called, the Five Elements. These elements, or energies,
were described as fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. As such, they were felt to be the prime
energetic building blocks from which all material substance in the phenomenal world is
composed.
The basic idea is that all things are made up of some combination of these elements, and
therefore express the traits or tendencies implied. If one were to look in traditional Chinese
medical scrolls, one finds long lists of categories ascribed to each of these life force elements.
The breakdown into these categories includes the seasons, foods, personality and body types,
colors, sounds, smells, and positioning of manifested elements. For example, in color, fire is
red, earth is golden-brown, metal is white, water is blue-black, and wood is green. In the body,
fire is the heart, earth is the stomach, metal is the lungs, water is the kidneys, & wood is the
liver.
So what is the value of this perseptual life model? What are its practical applications? The
ancient Taoists felt that as humans, we were unique in that our need and potential was to
create a balance of all five elements in order to achieve maximal health. Through diet,
attunement to our environment, and movement practice, one has the opportunity to access
these energies.
Traditional Chinese doctors diagnoses both and treats a patient in respect to the model of the
Five Elements. Through listening to the pulses, determining one's constitutional elemental type
(one is understood to be predominately either fire, earth, metal, water, or wood), and observing
pysiogomy (facial diagnosis), the doctor determines if there are imbalances within the patient in
respect to the Five Elements; too much fire, too little water, and so on. The treatment, either
through acupuncture, herbs, or movement practice is intended to support a process of allowing
an individual to return to a flowing state of energetic elemental balance.
Our understanding of the Five Elements can lead to great sophisticated designs and subtlety,
as is our experience at ConcreteForever.com with both Chinese doctors and T'ai Chi masters
that we have met. But in general anyone can begin by understanding the basic characteristics
of each of the elements. Fire is the primary creative force of life. The positive movement
between the Five Elements, what is called the Creative Cycle begins with fire. It is dominant
Yang and represents warmth, light, and the initial spark of life. It in turn leads to earth. Earth
represents all that we think of as substantial, enduring, and persevering. Next comes metal.
People often ask "Where's the air element?" In the Taoist view, the metal element is very
similar to air. It includes the lungs as its organ, but in general represents the process of
transforming something that is base and impure into something that is pure and strong. An
example is that of forging iron into steel.
The next element is water which is archetypal Yin . It is all that is soft, fluid, and continuous.
Last is wood who's image is that of the blade of grass or the bamboo shoot. It represents
suppleness and the ability to yield well in the face of force or aggression. It completes the
elemental cycle and in turn reconnects back to the point of origin, fire.
By utililzing Feng shui and T'ai Chi in your new home design or decorative concrete project you
can begin to create a positive energy that will allow consonance in your life force in a very
positive way.
These principles have been handed down both orally and through the traditional writings of
T'ai Chi which are collectively referred to as the Classics. § They include an emphasis on
relaxation of tension, both physical and mental, leading to the development of internal strength;
a process of integration in which the mind and body become unified; and an unshakable
understanding that the key element in respect to any life success is the maintenance of the
qualities of balance and harmony.
Styles come and go. Form is of value only in respect to the opportunity it presents in allowing
insight into something more essential. The emphasis that T'ai Chi places on principles, and
their sense of timelessness in the midst of constant change, is truly the key to the practice of
T'ai Chi being an "internal study".
Creating
positive energy
with colors
Designing
your Concrete
Textures
Flowing
stairways
Designing your
waterscapes
Virtual Designer
Concrete
Design tools
Why Stamped
Concrete?
Houstons source for info on custom decorative concrete, drivewayS, patios, Stamped/patterned concrete, admixtures for concrete. Also offer links to other related resources
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Concrete Driveway Houston, Houston Concrete Driveways, Concrete Driveway, Houston Driveways, Houston Driveway
Concrete Driveway Houston, Houston Concrete Driveways, Concrete Driveway, Houston Driveways, Houston Driveway
Concrete
Costs
Concrete
History
Stamped
Concrete
Walkways
Concrete
Staining &
Coloring
Options
Driveway
Design Tool
Definition
of
"Stamped
Concrete"
Stunning
Architectural
Concrete
Patios
Virtual
Concrete
Driveway
Calculator
Virtual
Stamped
Concrete
Driveway
Design Tool
120 photos
in our Gallery
Concrete
Foundations
Driveway
Designing
Do it
Yourself
Driveway
Repair
Cast in Place
Architectural
Concrete
Design
Studio
Articulate
Stamping
Molds
Contact us
for a Fast
Cost
Estimate
Your driveway is your welcome mat, the pathway to your home. It may be a broad expanse or curved and
winding, disappearing among the shrubbery or a straight shot to a waiting garage. Whatever the profile, your
driveway presents landscaping opportunities to enhance your home and its character. While you must
consider the drainage you will need, the stability of your soil, and the freeze and thaw cycles in your region,
there are many materials and techniques available to help you create a driveway that goes a step beyond
asphalt to accent.Bricks may be among the simplest of all paving and patio materials to work with. They
come in standard sizes and regular forms, they are manufactured in a variety of colors, and they present a
non-slip surface for cars and people. Bricks, like flagstone, cobblestone, or pavers, should be laid in a stable
bed of stone topped with bedding sand. Creative homeowners can devise geometric patterns that repeat
along the length of the driveway. For older and historic homes, try copying a pattern from photos of historic
places. For local interest, look to area foundries for the bricks they produce. Some demolition companies
also sell old bricks that are perfect for quaint older structures. There are distinct advantages to using brick,
as they can be replaced when damaged. For a more permanent set, the bricks can be laid in a concrete
/sand bed and allowed to set up from below as well as between the bricks.
Concrete driveway
Concrete is far more versatile and aesthetic than people give it credit for. It can be colored, shaped, given
surface contours and textures, or even embedded with stone or aggregates to give it a composite look.
Quikcrete sells shape grids that allow you to create a decorative pattern on your walk or drive as simply as
pouring concrete. They also feature color mix that you can add directly to the concrete. Some homeowners
may opt to create preformed concete pavers using molds. These can be lined with a layer of crushed stone,
shell, or aggregate prior to the pour. Once the mold is removed, your pavers will have a pebbled surface.
Concrete drives can also be stamped or imprinted with a pattern to look like stone, cobble, or brick. How you
brush or finish the concrete once poured determines how slippery and uniform the surface of your driveway
will be. Take into account the activities that go on before deciding upon the surface of your driveway.
Basketball is easier on a smooth surface, while walking to the mailbox or bringing your car up an incline is
easier on a less slick surface.
Stamped Stone concrete
Stamped concrete Stone driveways are very handsome and easy to maintain. Depending on the look you
desire, you can create a driveway with any color stone from white to dark grey and black. Visit a stone shop,
quarry, or landscape yard to see the available colors and sizes of stone. Ask which are local and which can
be mixed and matched to give a varied, more colorful look. Beware of round stones, as they tend to roll away
from high spots. Good driveway stones should be angular so that they will stay put. Smaller stones may work
their way through larger ones and into the bedding soil below. Whatever stone you choose, be prepared to
restone every year or so to maintain the surface. Stone gives excellent drainage and a beautiful look for the
home. Think twice before building a white gravel drive, however, because a stone driveway is virtually
impossible to clean.
Driveway pavers
Interlocking pavers are smart and elegant. They are manufactured to withstand weight and weather. They
are laid in bedding sand just as flagstone, cobblestone, and brick, but they interlock to provide a perfect,
stable fit. Stamped concrete pavers however provides a much more durable driveway, no cracks for weeds
to push through and zero maintainence. They come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, textures, and
designs. With pavers homeowners can create a rustic or period look quite easily. Pavers are wonderful for
intricate designs and difficult applications. They are easy to maintain and, like other applications that give
onto a bedding layer, provide excellent drainage for your driveway.
The truly lyrical driveway in our mind's eye is still the dirt drive with the grass between the tracks. This type of
driveway is especially well suited to a rustic or country home. The key to this look is to maintain the grass
between the tracks and along the sides of the drive. Provide good drainage to the sides of the tracks as well
since compressed earth may encourage pooling. Another option for the two-track drive, is to lay strips of
concrete where the tire tracks lay, while maintaining the grass and plantings between and to the sides of the
tracks.
Stone and brick concrete stamped driveways
Have fun with your driveway and allow it to develop a style of its own. Mixing stamped concrete stones
together, stones and concrete, concrete and stamped pavers is a great way to achieve the look you want.
Entryways might require concrete. A basketball area could be surfaced in smooth concrete while the rest of
the drive is done in decorative pavers or brick. Whatever your choice, before deciding to lay down a
driveway, look at the possibilities. Your driveway is, after all, the first glimpse of your personality that visitors
will see.
Custom decorative concrete
Driveways pools or concrete patios for all South east Texas including Houston, Katy, Spring, humble, spring
branch, Sugarland, Bellaire, the woodlands, Bunkerhill, katy, Huffman, Atascocita, lake houston, kingwood,
friendswood, pearland, fresno, stafford, manvil, alvin, richmond, meyerland, montrose, heights, rosenburg,
memorial, clearlake, Webster, Kema, Seabrook, missouri city, bunkerhill village, piney point village, spring
valley, jersey village, south houston, north houston, jacinto city, cypress, bellaire and surrounding areas with
a wide variety of colors, patterns and textures to choose from!...
Colors and patterns
Stamped concrete is often chosen to blend with other stone or tile elements at the residence. Complex
designs incorporating steps, courtyards, and fountains can be achieved. Stamped concrete can also be
blended with other decorative concrete elements such as exposed aggregate finishes and acid-etch staining.
It wasn’t long ago when deciding on a driveway material was easy: asphalt or concrete. Today, the concrete
choice has expanded to include a multitude of decorative concrete options.
While plain gray concrete is still the most often installed, but We at Concreteforever.com believe that this
ancient art compliments real estate property and enhances the beauty...click on the link below that says:"
Houston Custom Masonry Pools, decks and Patios" to read more about this ancient art and painstaking step
by step process:
Don’t feel left out if you already have a driveway. The concrete industry has rapidly developed many
decorative products that can be applied to existing plain gray driveways and transform them into stunning
show piece entry ways for your home. Please click on the below links for an in depth comprehensive review
Texas Service Areas:
Katy, Houston, North Houston, South Houston, East Houston, West Houston, Northwest Houston, Southwest
Houston, Bunker hill, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sienna Plantation, Tomball, Lake Houston, Woodlands, The
Woodlands, Kingwood, Cypress, Jersey Village, Beaumont, Spring, Conroe, Huntsville, Pasadena, Bryan,
Humble, College Station, Galveston, Katy, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Port Arthur, Sugar Land, Tennessee
Colony, Baytown, Magnolia, Orange, Palestine, Pearland, Texas City, Alvin, Bay City, Angleton, Brenham,
Cleveland, Freeport , Montrose, Webster, Clear Lake and Baytown
ConcreteForever.com
ConcreteForever.com
ConcreteForever.com
Free Virtual Driveway Design Tool
Cost Considerations of Stamped Concrete
ConcreteForever.com
Engineering a
Concrete
Driveway or
Patio
: "
Concrete
Costs
Concrete
History
Stamped
Concrete
Walkways
Concrete
Staining &
Coloring
Options
Driveway
Design Tool
Definition
of
'Stamped
Concrete'
Stunning
Architectural
Concrete
Patios
Virtual
Concrete
Driveway
Calculator
Virtual
Stamped
Concrete
Driveway
Design Tool
120 photos
in our Gallery
Concrete
Foundations
Driveway
Designing
Do it
Yourself
Driveway
Repair
Cast in Place
Architectural
Concrete
Design
Studio
Articulate
Stamping
Molds
Contact us
for a Fast
Cost
Estimate
Your driveway is your welcome mat, the pathway to your home. It may be a broad expanse or curved and
winding, disappearing among the shrubbery or a straight shot to a waiting garage. Whatever the profile, your
driveway presents landscaping opportunities to enhance your home and its character. While you must
consider the drainage you will need, the stability of your soil, and the freeze and thaw cycles in your region,
there are many materials and techniques available to help you create a driveway that goes a step beyond
asphalt to accent.Bricks may be among the simplest of all paving and patio materials to work with. They
come in standard sizes and regular forms, they are manufactured in a variety of colors, and they p"
Concrete
Costs
Concrete
History
Stamped
Concrete
Walkways
Concrete
Staining &
Coloring
Options
Driveway
Design Tool
Definition
of
"Stamped
Concrete"
Stunning
Architectural
Concrete
Patios
Virtual
Concrete
Driveway
Calculator
Virtual
Stamped
Concrete
Driveway
Design Tool
120 photos
in our Gallery
Concrete
Foundations
Driveway
Designing
Do it
Yourself
Driveway
Repair
Cast in Place
Architectural
Concrete
Design
Studio
Articulate
Stamping
Molds
Contact us
for a Fast
Cost
Estimate
Your driveway is your welcome mat, the pathway to your home. It may be a broad expanse or curved and
winding, disappearing among the shrubbery or a straight shot to a waiting garage. Whatever the profile, your
driveway presents landscaping opportunities to enhance your home and its character. While you must
consider the drainage you will need, the stability of your soil, and the freeze and thaw cycles in your region,
there are many materials and techniques available to help you create a driveway that goes a step beyond
asphalt to accent.Bricks may be among the simplest of all paving and patio materials to work with. They
come in standard sizes and regular forms, they are manufactured in a variety of colors, and they present a
non-slip surface for cars and people. Bricks, like flagstone, cobblestone, or pavers, should be laid in a stable
bed of stone topped with bedding sand. Creative homeowners can devise geometric patterns that repeat
along the length of the driveway. For older and historic homes, try copying a pattern from photos of historic
places. For local interest, look to area foundries for the bricks they produce. Some demolition companies
also sell old bricks that are perfect for quaint older structures. There are distinct advantages to using brick,
as they can be replaced when damaged. For a more permanent set, the bricks can be laid in a concrete
/sand bed and allowed to set up from below as well as between the bricks.
Concrete driveway
Concrete is far more versatile and aesthetic than people give it credit for. It can be colored, shaped, given
surface contours and textures, or even embedded with stone or aggregates to give it a composite look.
Quikcrete sells shape grids that allow you to create a decorative pattern on your walk or drive as simply as
pouring concrete. They also feature color mix that you can add directly to the concrete. Some homeowners
may opt to create preformed concete pavers using molds. These can be lined with a layer of crushed stone,
shell, or aggregate prior to the pour. Once the mold is removed, your pavers will have a pebbled surface.
Concrete drives can also be stamped or imprinted with a pattern to look like stone, cobble, or brick. How you
brush or finish the concrete once poured determines how slippery and uniform the surface of your driveway
will be. Take into account the activities that go on before deciding upon the surface of your driveway.
Basketball is easier on a smooth surface, while walking to the mailbox or bringing your car up an incline is
easier on a less slick surface.
Stamped Stone concrete
Stamped concrete Stone driveways are very handsome and easy to maintain. Depending on the look you
desire, you can create a driveway with any color stone from white to dark grey and black. Visit a stone shop,
quarry, or landscape yard to see the available colors and sizes of stone. Ask which are local and which can
be mixed and matched to give a varied, more colorful look. Beware of round stones, as they tend to roll away
from high spots. Good driveway stones should be angular so that they will stay put. Smaller stones may work
their way through larger ones and into the bedding soil below. Whatever stone you choose, be prepared to
restone every year or so to maintain the surface. Stone gives excellent drainage and a beautiful look for the
home. Think twice before building a white gravel drive, however, because a stone driveway is virtually
impossible to clean.
Driveway pavers
Interlocking pavers are smart and elegant. They are manufactured to withstand weight and weather. They
are laid in bedding sand just as flagstone, cobblestone, and brick, but they interlock to provide a perfect,
stable fit. Stamped concrete pavers however provides a much more durable driveway, no cracks for weeds
to push through and zero maintainence. They come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, textures, and
designs. With pavers homeowners can create a rustic or period look quite easily. Pavers are wonderful for
intricate designs and difficult applications. They are easy to maintain and, like other applications that give
onto a bedding layer, provide excellent drainage for your driveway.
The truly lyrical driveway in our mind's eye is still the dirt drive with the grass between the tracks. This type of
driveway is especially well suited to a rustic or country home. The key to this look is to maintain the grass
between the tracks and along the sides of the drive. Provide good drainage to the sides of the tracks as well
since compressed earth may encourage pooling. Another option for the two-track drive, is to lay strips of
concrete where the tire tracks lay, while maintaining the grass and plantings between and to the sides of the
tracks.
Stone and brick concrete stamped driveways
Have fun with your driveway and allow it to develop a style of its own. Mixing stamped concrete stones
together, stones and concrete, concrete and stamped pavers is a great way to achieve the look you want.
Entryways might require concrete. A basketball area could be surfaced in smooth concrete while the rest of
the drive is done in decorative pavers or brick. Whatever your choice, before deciding to lay down a
driveway, look at the possibilities. Your driveway is, after all, the first glimpse of your personality that visitors
will see.
Custom decorative concrete
Driveways pools or concrete patios for all South east Texas including Houston, Katy, Spring, humble, spring
branch, Sugarland, Bellaire, the woodlands, Bunkerhill, katy, Huffman, Atascocita, lake houston, kingwood,
friendswood, pearland, fresno, stafford, manvil, alvin, richmond, meyerland, montrose, heights, rosenburg,
memorial, clearlake, Webster, Kema, Seabrook, missouri city, bunkerhill village, piney point village, spring
valley, jersey village, south houston, north houston, jacinto city, cypress, bellaire and surrounding areas with
a wide variety of colors, patterns and textures to choose from!...
Colors and patterns
Stamped concrete is often chosen to blend with other stone or tile elements at the residence. Complex
designs incorporating steps, courtyards, and fountains can be achieved. Stamped concrete can also be
blended with other decorative concrete elements such as exposed aggregate finishes and acid-etch staining.
It wasn’t long ago when deciding on a driveway material was easy: asphalt or concrete. Today, the concrete
choice has expanded to include a multitude of decorative concrete options.
While plain gray concrete is still the most often installed, but We at Concreteforever.com believe that this
ancient art compliments real estate property and enhances the beauty...click on the link below that says:"
Houston Custom Masonry Pools, decks and Patios" to read more about this ancient art and painstaking step
by step process:
Don’t feel left out if you already have a driveway. The concrete industry has rapidly developed many
decorative products that can be applied to existing plain gray driveways and transform them into stunning
show piece entry ways for your home. Please click on the below links for an in depth comprehensive review
Texas Service Areas:
Katy, Houston, North Houston, South Houston, East Houston, West Houston, Northwest Houston, Southwest
Houston, Bunker hill, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sienna Plantation, Tomball, Lake Houston, Woodlands, The
Woodlands, Kingwood, Cypress, Jersey Village, Beaumont, Spring, Conroe, Huntsville, Pasadena, Bryan,
Humble, College Station, Galveston, Katy, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Port Arthur, Sugar Land, Tennessee
Colony, Baytown, Magnolia, Orange, Palestine, Pearland, Texas City, Alvin, Bay City, Angleton, Brenham,
Cleveland, Freeport , Montrose, Webster, Clear Lake and Baytown
ConcreteForever.com
ConcreteForever.com
ConcreteForever.com
Free Virtual Driveway Design Tool
Cost Considerations of Stamped Concrete
ConcreteForever.com
Engineering a
Concrete
Driveway or
Patio
: "
Concrete
Costs
Concrete
History
Stamped
Concrete
Walkways
Concrete
Staining &
Coloring
Options
Driveway
Design Tool
Definition
of
'Stamped
Concrete'
Stunning
Architectural
Concrete
Patios
Virtual
Concrete
Driveway
Calculator
Virtual
Stamped
Concrete
Driveway
Design Tool
120 photos
in our Gallery
Concrete
Foundations
Driveway
Designing
Do it
Yourself
Driveway
Repair
Cast in Place
Architectural
Concrete
Design
Studio
Articulate
Stamping
Molds
Contact us
for a Fast
Cost
Estimate
Your driveway is your welcome mat, the pathway to your home. It may be a broad expanse or curved and
winding, disappearing among the shrubbery or a straight shot to a waiting garage. Whatever the profile, your
driveway presents landscaping opportunities to enhance your home and its character. While you must
consider the drainage you will need, the stability of your soil, and the freeze and thaw cycles in your region,
there are many materials and techniques available to help you create a driveway that goes a step beyond
asphalt to accent.Bricks may be among the simplest of all paving and patio materials to work with. They
come in standard sizes and regular forms, they are manufactured in a variety of colors, and they p"
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
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