admin A lot of the materials we use so often in garden design and landscaping end up working against us in some way. Decking rots. Sleepers go spongy after a couple of wet seasons. Timber raised beds look lovely for the first couple of years and then start splitting at the corners, leaning at odd angles, and turning various shades of grey that start to make a once carefully designed garden appear tied, as though it’s fraying at the edges.
Concrete is different. While it may carry a reputation for being a colder, more sterile material that doesn’t offer many domestic use cases unless it’s (a) destined for a design that feels brutalist or post-modern in nature or (b) going to be totally out of sight and, once the install has taken place, out of mind.
But that’s changing. Concrete offers so many benefits and such versatility that its use cases for domestic properties are being explored far more than they once were…
The Benefits of Concrete
Concrete is cost-effective and highly versatile. It can be cast in shapes that, while they may seem simple from the outside, are highly engineered for strength, durability, and ease of installation.
Of course, concrete’s strengths are far more discernible when it is cast and cured off-site. Rather than being poured in situ – which leads to long delays as it cures under less than ideal conditions, such as extreme heat or high humidity – concrete can be cast in modules that are then delivered to the site, fully-cured and ready to be installed with relative ease.
This is a major benefit to large scale building projects where balancing tight timelines with less-than-ideal weather conditions puts a massive strain on teams, and often means the concrete doesn’t end up as strong or as durable as it could be. But it’s also a big plus for homeowners who want to transform a garden over a weekend rather than a season, without a mixing truck parked across the driveway for three weeks while the concrete takes its time deciding whether the temperature is to its liking.
Not only is it stronger, but it also lasts a lot longer than other materials like wood. A concrete planter needs nothing from you once it’s in. A concrete edging strip will be in exactly the same position in fifteen years without being touched. Concrete retaining wall panels will be capable of holding back earth from a garden that was once a steep slope from the boundary to the front door, creating one (or more) flat levels for planting.
Versatility in design
As we mentioned above, concrete can be cured in many different shapes and designs that make it a strong option for an incredibly wide range of scenarios.
For homeowners, its spartan appearance can still pose a bit of a stumbling block, however – even with all the benefits in mind. However, Reckli walls offer an excellent alternative to that smooth, uniform finish many of us associate with multi-storey parking structures and skate parts. The simple addition of a more organic texture – or even a pattern evocative of brickwork – can transform concrete from something that feels almost totally unsuited to domestic projects, into something that feels like a match made in heaven.
