Spray-in-Place Concrete Fences
With a little thought and some good hard work you can achieve just about any look you want with a spray-in-place concrete fence
by Kris Garrison
| Download the book or order your copy today! How to Build a Spray-in-Place Concrete Fence |
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Fences are a major part of our landscape. They delineate the borders of the property and provide the privacy we so often desire. This book has all the steps from start to finish on how to build an attractive, permanent, and economical concrete fence. It comes complete with both diagrams and photos showing the construction process. Shotcrete and concrete design mix is also discussed. Click here to order.
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For you do-it-yourselfers, here are several, new and creative applications of spray-in-place concrete fences. We published a detailed, illustrated article on these fences in our Spring 1998 Roundup, but this provides the latest developments.
Brad Young, president of MDK Development, Inc., Midlothian, Texas initiated some of these techniques. His company specializes in constructing self-storage facilities. On one of its projects, MDK ran into a zoning ordinance that conflicted with the owner's plans and initially looked like an unsolvable problem: The ordinance prohibited building units with roll-up doors that opened onto the street and it required that the structure be seventy-five percent masonry. On the other hand, the owner wanted roll-up doors visible from the street, since such doors immediately identified a structure as a self-storage facility and attracted customers.
MDK came up with a plan: they designed a facility with parallel rows of units; each unit has a main door which leads to the interior corridor where access to the storage units is gained. But on the street side of each unit, MDK used the spray-in-place application. With this plan, Brad convinced the city of the facility's compliance with zoning and satisfied his customer's needs.
Brad described the process. "We used precast concrete piers put on ten-foot centers -- the distance from the center of each pier measures ten feet. Between the columns we attached metal that mimics the roll-up door or curtain material normally used for mini-storages and secured it to the columns. Then we just sprayed them in place to a three-inch thickness."
After the concrete cured, the metal forms were removed and the concrete surface painted. The owner of the facility was pleased with the look of the project and Brad was impressed with the strength. "We ended up with a structurally sound wall. The wall itself wasn't the structure. The columns which served as piers to support the roof load were actually the structure. Nonetheless, it turned out real good."
MDK also sprayed-in-place 650 feet of fence along the south side of the property. One side was painted and the other side was exposed aggregate with pea gravel sprayed onto the surface.
"That fence," Brad said, "required special forming techniques. We built it with a two-inch gap or mow strip at the bottom. It allows for drainage and easier weeding."
Form Liners
The Monolithic Dome Institute recently experimented with new polypropylene form liners that give spray-in-place concrete fences the look of brick, limestone, or natural rock. These forms provide attractive, individual touches to fences and homes as well as large commercial structures.
They also provide a business opportunity for people willing to learn the process and try something new.
Most form liners are available in 3-foot square sheets, costing $2.00 to $10 per square foot. Using the liners adds $3 to $5 per square foot to the overall cost of a concrete fence for three reasons: cost of the liners; cost of the concrete stain; cost of increased amount of concrete. But form liners can be reused about 5 to 10 times.
For short fences, purchase enough liners for the entire fence. For long fences, buy liners for only one-fourth of the project and reuse them as you build. In some areas, the liners may have to be cut to size -- adding to the waste. "But," David South said, "if you were trying for the same type of rock fence built using real rock, I can't imagine getting it done for less than $30 per square foot. The retail value of a spray-in-place fence using form liners runs $10 to $15 per square foot. That's a huge savings."
Can I Have A Spray-in-Place Fence Business?
Money can be made in this type of business. Most people equipped with a basic knowledge of construction, a con crete pump, an air compressor (which can be rented), hand tools, some plywood or particle board for forming, and optional form liners could start immediately without a huge investment (see page 30 for more details).
If you have experimented with this process or another of spray-in-place application, send details and photographs to MDI. We would love to hear your ideas.
To learn more about spray-in-place fences, visit our website at www.monolithic.com, or call MDI at (972)483-7423 to order How To Build A Spray-in-Place Concrete Fence, a 25-page manual providing step-by-step information.
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Related Links:
- Stamped Concrete
- A Baseboard for the Monolithic Dome
- Airformed Culverts
- PDF of the Spring 1998 Roundup (featuring spray-in-place concrete fences)
- Spray-in-Place Fence Pricing
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Dome Park Place - Italy, TX 76651
Tel (972)483-7423 - Fax (972)483-6662
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