The surface around my in-ground swimming pool was always slippery when it was wet. I decided last year after watching my three year old son slip and fall for the last time that I was going to have a contractor come out and resurface the area around the pool. I have spent the last several months looking into the different concrete finishing techniques that will not only provide a safe, non-slip surface, but that would also look really nice around the pool. To find out what options you have to create a non-slip beautiful surface around your pool, visit my site.
There are various types of concrete out there. When you call up a contractor about using concrete for your driveway or walkway, you should know a little about what kind of concrete they typically use. One type you may want to consider, or suggest, is pervious concrete. Pervious, or permeable, concrete is a green solution for driveways for many reasons.
Pervious Concrete Helps Your Local Environment
Your local environment consists of your property, the properties around you, and other parts of the municipality. Everyone there shares resources. Your driveway can help not just you, but everybody around you as well. Here's a few ways how.
Dealing with storm water - Pervious concrete has a lot more porosity than many other concrete mixtures. This can aid homeowners with dealing with storm water runoff. Instead of storm water creating puddles or flowing down to the public water, it can drain into the ground.
Dealing with storm water runoff is a larger problem to the world at large, but a pervious concrete driveway or walkway can help you do your part.
Dealing with surface water - It's not just the storm water that pervious concrete can help with. At a more local level, the dangers of runoff come with all uses of water. This goes for you using a hose, a sprinkler system, or a power washer. Some of that water will drain into the ground.
When the ground becomes saturated, that water will flow downhill. As it does so, it will pick up contaminants, debris, and other things you and your neighbors probably don't want to end up in the public water supply.
Replenishing the water table - Pervious concrete mitigates a lot of this by allowing water to drain through it, rather than slide down it. In fact, the concrete will act as a filter for the water.
That means you will effectively replenish the water table below your home with clean water. That benefits you, your neighborhood, and the land itself.
Controlling the heat-island effect - Driveways are notorious for producing a localized version of the heat-island effect. This occurs when your driveway absorbs heat and traps it. This causes the driveway and the immediate area around it to feel far hotter than anywhere else.
When permeable concrete is in place, the ground below your driveway maintains a moist, cool environment. This helps to counteract the heat-island effect.
Doing Your Part Benefits Everyone Around You
Doing your part for your local environment will, in turn, benefit the overall global initiatives for the environment. Even if you don't have much interest in the environment, pervious concrete is still an ideal material for your driveway or walkway.
When seeking concrete for your new driveway, ask about permeable concretes. If you're hiring a contractor, ask them if they have experience with using such concrete for driveways.
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