CEO Torrey DeMasters (left) and VP of sales John Buteyn are justifiably proud of what can be accomplished with their showroom.
CEO Torrey DeMasters (left) and VP of sales John Buteyn are justifiably proud of what can be accomplished with their showroom.

Built on a foundation of utilitarian flatwork stretching back to 1947, Colorado Hardscapes has been at the forefront of innovation, collaboration, and the highest quality in decorative work since the mid-1970s when concrete’s boundaries began expanding. Located in Greenwood Village, Colo., the firm has a well-earned reputation for a willingness to listen, learn, and innovate, and an insistence on safety, integrity, and teamwork.

The indoor showroom starts the collaborative process. Sandscape comes in a wide range of concrete and aggregate colors.
The indoor showroom starts the collaborative process. Sandscape comes in a wide range of concrete and aggregate colors.

From the first handshake, collaboration is fundamental to meeting the complexities of commercial construction. As investments in site amenities like plazas, fountains, walls, and interpretive walks continue to expand across the commercial realm, engaging a concrete specialist during design becomes imperative to maximizing value and impact. A key facet of meeting the owner’s aesthetic objectives in a solution that also responds as a positive long-term investment is the ability to consider every detail in advance, from the color and texture of the concrete down to the per-square-foot cost to install and later maintain. Over many years of iterations and improvements, Colorado Hardscapes has relied on an extensive showroom to help decision-makers understand the possibilities in hardscape solutions today.

Seeing all the different patterns and colors outdoors, including the sidewalks, gives designers a better view of reality.
Seeing all the different patterns and colors outdoors, including the sidewalks, gives designers a better view of reality.

“We take pride in helping owners, designers, and contractors select ideally suited materials,” says company president and CEO Torrey DeMasters. The design center is focused on helping decision-makers simplify the nearly infinite number of options in architectural exteriors, water features, decorative walls, artisan rock, pools, and interior concrete to solutions that make sense. “Our new and improved design center features countless samples inside and out and builds on more than 70 years of decorative concrete experience in Colorado.”

Colorado Hardscapes designed and built many outdoor features for the Johnson Habitat Park along the Platte River in Denver.
Colorado Hardscapes designed and built many outdoor features for the Johnson Habitat Park along the Platte River in Denver.
Lithomasaic features at Johnson Habitat Park.
Lithomasaic features at Johnson Habitat Park.
A signature concrete feature at the Johnson Habitat Park.
A signature concrete feature at the Johnson Habitat Park.

Open to the local architecture, engineering, development, and construction industry, the space features handmade displays of more than 500 examples of what is possible in polished, stained, dyed, imprinted, colored, etched, sandblasted, and exposed aggregate concrete. These hand-held samples of the real thing allow designers (and their owner-customers) to see, feel, compare, and visualize decorative hardscape elements down to the smallest detail with to-go-sized chips. Almost 40 different Colorado Hardscapes team members had a hand in building the new display panels, which include many examples of special scoring, finishes, and other techniques.

A one-of-a-kind set of exterior stairs features illuminated Sandscape that incorporate low-voltage puck lighting into the risers to create high-impact illumination that is watertight, safe, and well-protected from the elements. The exterior sidewalks and displays feature more than 50 different types of materials accurately weathering in Colorado’s real-world conditions.

“Today’s architectural concrete and hardscapes are limited only by the imagination,” DeMasters says. “Thoughtful conversations about the possibilities in a showroom full of options helps owners, designers, and builders define aesthetics and understand the durability and maintenance requirements of choices that make sense for the situation.”

Decorative or not, quality concrete must stand the test of time, which in Colorado frequently means rapidly changing weather, poor soil conditions, and potentially abrasive de-icing chemicals, among other regional realities. DeMasters says that the firm’s extremely high standards for quality are based on the rigid application of technical expertise, regular staff training, and continual oversight.

“Though we are recognized as leaders in decorative concrete innovation, we are not risk-takers,” he says. “We are not willing to innovate beyond our capacity to assure absolute premium quality and lifelong durability in the finished product.”

Colorado Hardscapes focuses their work on larger projects, typically greater than $300K. They do very little residential work since their expertise is on designer-driven projects and that's seldom true with residential jobs. “That’s our sweet spot,” says VP of sales John Buteyn. And they are able to operate turnkey on most of their projects including the plumbing, electrical, and structural work. In fact, they have had project where they did the plumbing for water features without actually doing the hardscape.

Workers took dimensions off of this to-scale model to create the outdoor installation seen finished in the photo above.
Workers took dimensions off of this to-scale model to create the outdoor installation seen finished in the photo above.

Asked about what owners, builders, and designers should be looking for in a decorative concrete contractor, DeMasters is happy to share some insight: Colorado Hardscapes believes that best-value selection ought to appreciate the meaningful consideration of a lot more than simply the lowest cost. Validating a contractor’s ability to add genuine value to the project in a material with a life expectancy of several generations should consider the experience, reputation, record, products, and fine-grained details of a well-quantified bid.

This Lithomosaic at their headquarters depicts the Denver skyline with the Colorado Hardscapes logo (mountain skyline) behind.
This Lithomosaic at their headquarters depicts the Denver skyline with the Colorado Hardscapes logo (mountain skyline) behind.

“Review similar work that has been in place for a decade or more to start,” DeMasters says. “Ask about samples to compare against other materials, mock-ups for large or complex installations, and always find out more about the specific products the contractor is placing. We are a licensed representative of several national concrete products lines composed of proprietary products and finishing techniques that can’t be installed by just anyone. Most notably we are proud licensees of Bomanite and Lithocrete. Know what you’re getting and who you are getting it from.”

Colorado Hardscapes has experience with a wide range of finishes and decorative features, including:

Stamped and textured—John Buteyn notes that interest and demand in the commercial market has largely moved away from stamped concrete and been more focused on Sandscape textured concrete. Colorado Hardscapes’ stamped work is only 10% of what it was in 2005.
Lithocrete—embedded and exposed glass, stone, and other materials.
Lithomosaic—glass pieces to form a mosaic are mounted on a mat (or mats) that is embedded into wet concrete, the glue dissolves, leaving a mosaic in the concrete surface.
Sandscape—a lightly exposed aggregate; “we just remove the skin,” Buteyn says. “Architects like it because it’s authentic concrete.”
Polished concrete—can be done on existing concrete or on self-leveling overlays with or without seeded aggregate
Special features—spray-down surfaces that color shift from different angles; glow-in-the-dark aggregate; scented concrete (comes in blueberry or strawberry); board finish on formed concrete; sedimentary walls.