Working with the homes' unusual floor plan-- one bedroom, 13 bathrooms, and not a straight line in sight, this black concrete island was a challenge for Stone Soup Concrete, a decorative concrete company in Mass., to build and place. Owner, Michael Karmody, was eager to take on the challenge of this massive concrete creation.

Resembling a ship, or perhaps a giant concrete surfboard, the 18' long island is jet black and feels right at home amidst the home's glass and steel structure. Although several architectural factors were taken into consideration in creating the shape of the island, one does not have to completely understand the shape to appreciate it.

A wooden bracing system was created to serve as control points for the shape. For the interior form, Stone Soup workers used Styrofoam that was also supported by wooden cribbing. The concrete mix used was standard low-slump, fairly stiff mix. The black color was integrally mixed into the concrete and placement was never stopped so that the entire base was completed in one pour. Wire mesh and fiberglass were used for reinforcement.

To read the full article and view photos of this colossal project and others, visit The Concrete Network's Contractor Photos & News Archive.

Established in 1999, The Concrete Network's purpose is to educate consumers, builders, and contractors on popular decorative techniques and applications. These include stamped concrete, stained concrete floors, concrete countertops, polished concrete, and much more. In June 2007 The Concrete Network Website had over 1.2 million visitors researching decorative concrete.

The site excels at connecting buyers with local contractors in their area through its Find-A-Contractor service. The service provides visitors with a list of decorative concrete contractors throughout the U.S. and Canada, and is fully searchable by 23 types of decorative concrete work and 200 regional areas throughout North America.

Article photos courtesy of Stone Soup Concrete.