News
- Details
Just steps away from the Caribbean and its white sandy beaches, this modern oceanfront home in Aruba blends in seamlessly with its surroundings, using concrete throughout to juxtapose the home’s modern aesthetic with the breathtaking view.
“The homeowners had looked at other floor surfaces and concrete was by far and away a material they had their hearts set on,” says Tom Ralston, president of Tom Ralston Concrete, Santa Cruz, Calif. In 2012, Ralston was recruited by the home’s architect, Gary Ostermann, to tackle this challenging long-distance project, which involved pouring and hand finishing 16,000 square feet of interior and exterior concrete, including upper floors, lower floors, cantilevered stairs, a pool deck, and the side and front entries.
“The homeowners chose concrete functionally because they are in such close proximity to the beach and knew that sand would be constantly brought into the home and wreak havoc with carpet or hardwood. Aesthetically they liked concrete because the house was modern, and a material that could look organic with clean smooth lines would be best for their tastes,” says Ralston.
- Details
I thought I would share this particular project which will receive 2-awards at the World of Concrete on Feb 2nd 2016 in Las Vegas. We will receive a first place for the Santa Cruz Roundabout as Best Video and also a first place for Best Specialty project. I would like to thank all involved and my talented friend Jeff Luhn for cobbling together his own and many of our video shots to produce this. I hope that you will find our unique process for this project interesting and agree…this is Santa Cruz!! Think of a surfer in baggies helping traffic along as he says “just follow the Dolphins’ Dude.”
- Details
Photo Credit: Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel
Read the article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
- Details
- Details
The San Francisco Chronical published an article on August 6, 2015 about Santa Cruz County entitled 10 ways to explore the county by Maria Gaura. The number one way to explore the county according to Gaura is to "Walk the waterfront." In part, she says, "A few miles south, the Pleasure Point pathway stretches a half mile from Pleasure Point Park, with seashell-embedded hardscaping created by concrete artist Tom Ralston, to the Hook, the famous surf break at the end of 41st Avenue."
Tom Ralston Concrete is honored to be mentioned in the article 10 ways to explore the county. You can read the rest of the article in the San Francisco Chronical...if you have a subscription. See more of the Pleasure Point Park project.
- Details
Great new spread about Tom's recently released book Sculpting Hillsides with Decorative Concrete.
More Articles ...
- Stairway to Santa Cruz "Indicators"
- Everything You Need To Know About Concrete: An Interview with Tom Ralston of Tom Ralston Concrete
- Tom Ralston Concrete Wins WOW Award
- Santa Cruz Sentinel Sept 2013- Santa Cruz museum unveils Chinese memorial
- Santa Cruz Sentinel - Name Dropping March 2013 Seaside spot to stop, ponder