The Concrete Network
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  • This gravity-defying concrete grill station extends 9 feet with no support. For achieving this impressive feat, Hyde Concrete was honored with a 2015 Decorative Concrete Council award for best concrete countertop.
  • The intent of the design was to celebrate the strength of concrete by extending the cantilever as much as possible. The grill top weighs over 4,000 pounds, equaling the weight of an average-size automobile.
  • Despite all the planning and precautions taken to ensure the strength and integrity of the cantilevered countertop, the homeowner was still concerned that the grill top would buckle under the weight. “I had to jump on the end to make her believe the phenomenal strength the piece has,” says Hryniewicz.

This cantilevered concrete grill station, custom built by Hyde Concrete for a high-end home in Annapolis, Md., seems to defy gravity. Not only is it 9 feet long and completely unsupported on one end, it also weighs over 4,000 pounds, not including the grill itself.

The unique design concept for the grill station was the brainchild of Campion Hruby Landscape Architects, who chose Hyde Concrete for the project because of their ability to do extremely innovative and difficult decorative concrete work. “The design lends itself to concrete over most other materials,” says Greg Hryniewicz of Hyde Concrete. “From the initial design sketches, the intention was to celebrate the strength of concrete by extending the cantilever as much as possible.”

Once the design was finalized, the next step was to have a structural engineer prepare detailed reinforcing drawings. Because of the weight and length of the concrete cantilever, bolstering it with a strong reinforcing system was critical.

The work began by excavating the ground and placing a footer the same length as the cantilever. “We stubbed the footer up to create a stem from which our custom fabricated forms were attached. With the forms in place, we tied all the rebar as specified and placed space holders for both the grill and the internal drawer,” says Hryniewicz.

For additional strength, Hyde used a custom high-strength, superplacticized concrete mix containing silica fume. The warm, attractive beige color tone was achieved by using a combination of natural sand and white portland cement. “The sand in our area is quite tan,” says Hryniewicz. “We simply polished the top, honed the sides, and sealed the concrete with a siloxane sealer.”

This is the first time Hyde Concrete has tackled such a project, but they weren’t daunted by the challenge. “We'll try anything once. If we make money, we might even try it twice,” jokes Hryniewicz. In this case, the company earned more than just a paycheck. The project also won a first place award from the Decorative Concrete Contractors Association for best concrete countertops. And chances are good that Hyde Concrete will try for a repeat performance. “Everyone who sees the finished product wants one,” says Hryniewicz.

Concrete contractor
Hyde Concrete, Annapolis, Md.

Landscape architects
Campion Hruby, Annapolis, Md.
www.campionhruby.com

See other projects completed by Hyde Concrete:
Divine Intervention in Concrete Overlay Design
Concrete Pavement Features Multi-Colored Stamped Arches
Stenciled Concrete Floor Adds Grecian Flair to Upscale Restaurant

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