Outdoor Solutions for Your Home

Here's What To Know

When shopping around for a new driveway, walkway, patio, or any type of concrete work, you need the right person for the job. Someone who is knowledgeable about the durability and performance of concrete, someone who doesn’t take short cuts, and someone who values their customers. And that person is Frank Sawyer, owner of Select Outdoor Solutions, who breaks down in this article everything you need to know.

Preventing Cracks

Though Sawyer offers a variety of driveway solutions, the most commonly ordered driveway is concrete. “You can either do it the right way, which is the way we do it, or you can do it just to get it done,” he said. Before concrete can be poured, packed gravel has to first be laid in a dug area to form a foundation. That’s because concrete doesn’t like tension or to be bent–it’s made to be compressed. The gravel allows the concrete to be well supported and reinforced to absorb the weight of vehicles. But some companies, who simply want to get the job done, will pour the concrete directly on the dirt, which means in the near future your driveway will crack and need to be replaced again. But Sawyer goes above and beyond in creating a driveway that will last a lifetime. He also makes his driveways stronger than what’s considered standard code. “We’re five hundred pounds stronger on the approach, and a thousand pounds stronger on the main drive. We also install more steel rebar than would be considered standard.” And if you want the durability of concrete, but the look of brick, Sawyer also offers the option of dying concrete and stamping it in a variety of patterns.

Foreseeing Problems

Though Select Outdoor Solutions is five years old, Sawyer’s experience goes back significantly further. “I’ve been an award-winning member of the Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa for over thirty years, my wife and I have renovated homes for forty-three years, and my first plan in life was to be an architect,” he said. And because of this experience, he often sees forthcoming drainage and erosion problems customers can’t see yet. “There’s a lot of contractors out there who are just in it for the dollars, and want to get in and out, but we’re not like that.” For a typical replacement of an old driveway, Sawyer said the job can be done in three days, with the fifth day being able to drive on it.

Owned and Operated by Engineers

A unique aspect of the business is that it is owned and operated by engineers. “That may not matter on individual jobs,” Sawyer said. “But collectively it does because our general approach to solving problems is we’re going to do it right the first time. And if anything, we’re going to overdo it to make sure it doesn’t fail.” That trait of getting it right the first time, which generates lasting value, has been why so many of his clients are repeat customers. “Nobody does business with you because you’re just like the other guy. They do business with you because there’s something special about you that makes sense to them.” And lastly, with financing available, there just isn’t any reason not to choose Frank Sawyer’s company for your concrete needs.