Concrete recognition
Nelsonville business racking up awards
By Kris Leonhardt
A Nelsonville business is racking up awards for an elaborate concrete project developed on a Sunset Lake property.
“Legacy at the Lake” was the vision of owners, Kevin and Claire Weslaski, using about 60 cubic yards of concrete for a 4,353 square-foot outdoor design.
“Alchemy (Concrete) was tasked with creating the ‘Legacy at the Lake.’ Our mission was to establish a visual and physical sense of place for the Weslaski lakeside retreat. The use of ready-mix concrete became the base, frame, and canvas by which this tapestry was established,” Alchemy Concrete Director of Development Charlie Wanty said of the property located north of Amherst.
“Poured concrete was the base for the stone-veneered concrete entry columns with lighting, the stone-veneered concrete wall to the lake with steps and lighting, the artisan-poured concrete dragonfly table with stools, the in-concrete lighting in the entry drive, the motor court, and connecting walkways.
“This project featured: stone-veneered concrete entry columns with brass-inlayed name and date-inset panels define the entry. The entry drive with slate-textured, stamped contrasting borders and stamped, colored slate panels leads to the slate-textured stamped contrasting borders and stamped slate panel motor court with an embossed, colored-concrete Weslaski medallion at the house entry and slate-textured colored walkway to the lakeside.
“The layers that create the canvas of the “Legacy” are the specialty concrete uses throughout the site including the gateway columns, the driveway, the motor court, the Weslaski medallion, the connecting walk to the rear gathering area, the micro-topping /texturing of existing steps, the addition of front/side yard steps and stepping stone connection, the rear gathering area with inlayed dragonfly table and stools, the walk to the lake, and the lighted steps and wall to the lake.”
Wanty said that the project started out at about one-sixth of the size in which it was at completion, which created challenges due to its “constant evolution.”
Alchemy also faced challenges in lake limitations, on-site storm water shedding, elevation changes, and reconstruction under high water levels.
However, the finished product garnered awards from the Wisconsin Ready Mix Concrete Association (WRMCA) and Decorative Concrete Council (DCC.)
The WRMCA awards program recognizes “excellence in the ready-mixed concrete industry” on a state level, while the DCC program recognizes “outstanding decorative concrete projects” around the world.
Wanty said that the awards “Really showcases that we can do all aspects of decorative concrete. If our customer can dream it, we’ll find a way to create it. We love these one of a kind, custom projects where we can collaborate with our clients to create one-of-a-kind projects.”
“Awards and recognitions are great, but we truly are grateful for our customers who allow us to create amazing, beautiful, creative, and most importantly, functional outdoor spaces. We have a truly talented team that produces top notch work. We are thankful to have both an awesome staff and clients who value the type of work we love to create,” he added.
Alchemy Concrete was founded in 2004 by Judah Haas. The company works with all types of concrete construction, but sees decorative concrete as their core business.
