Sidewalk chalk is one of those magical activities that brings anyone back to the carefree days of childhood. A simple hopscotch board or a mural masterpiece, there’s something about holding that colored dusty object in your hand that relieves all stress; never mind the fact that it’s a fantastic way to bond with your kids. Up for the challenge of making your own concrete driveway art supplies? We think it sounds like the perfect weekend family project. Tools and Materials: 1. Cardboard tube (saved from center of paper towels, toilet paper, wrapping papers, tinfoil, etc.) 2. Scissors 3. Duct tape[Read more…]

Adding curb appeal to your home not only makes you feel more proud as an owner, but can really up your chances of selling to potential homebuyers; would you want to see what was inside your house judging it from the outside? Here are a few simple ways to seize the season and give your place its long overdue face lift. Paint your front door! Why not make that focal point stand out a little bit? Pick a bold color to really revive that entryway. Replace your dingy-looking mailbox. Whether it has rusted hardware, is in need of a serious[Read more…]

…depending on the people you collect as family, friends and neighbors. We’ve all had them and we’ve all made them. Crazy relatives and stupid mistakes, that is. At Richfield Blacktop and Concrete, we strive to not only improve your property with a fantastic paved surface, whether it’s a driveway, sidewalk, patio or garage floor, but also are determined to help you keep it looking and performing beautifully over time. Our specialty is driveways – the special place on your slice of paradise that is witness to many activities, events and emotions. The paved space between the street and your house[Read more…]

Some things in our daily lives get little respect and appreciation. We often take for granted daily blessings when we get used to them: Electricity, a hot shower, air in our vehicle’s tires when it’s time to drive, nice weather, wifi hot spots, safe roads, mail delivery, open grocery stores, good health. Until something breaks down in some way, life just floats happily along without one-more-thing to add to the list of things to accomplish each day. Your garage is one of them. Your driveway is another. They put up with a lot, given the ever-changing weather extremes in the[Read more…]

Whether it’s time for your current home to replace its driveway or you’re building a new home and need to start from scratch, navigating the driveway world can be a bit of an intimidating subject. This blog post intends to help simplify all pros and cons of the asphalt vs. concrete debate. Asphalt and concrete are the two most popular types of material for paving a driveway and what we here at Richfield Blacktop and Concrete specialize in. There is no cut and dry answer as to which is better, but together we’ll decide which pavement choice suits your needs[Read more…]

Now that summer weather is upon us in Minnesota, our outside lawns, gardens, patios and even driveways become extended “living space” for a few long-awaited months. Enjoying outdoor living space is becoming more popular than ever with “staycations” and home entertaining at an all-time high.  Trends in outdoor rooms and furnishings are a natural invitation to enjoy time with your family and friends in the warm open air. Functional and beautiful outside spaces are often simply a comfortable expansion of a home’s interior.  Patios, porches, even widened sidewalks create unique and useful surfaces for landscape structures, interesting plantings, art, or[Read more…]

It’s only going take Mother Nature a short time to “close the gap” between when we found ourselves shoveling our driveways to when we experience the lovely fragrance the blooming lilacs as spring breezes drift through the neighborhood. Ahhh…the season of graduations, weddings, BBQ’s, birthdays and “Sprinkler Day” has once again arrived in Minnesota. As the Twin Cities is nationally known for its biking/walking trails, numerous parks, golf courses, lakes and community gardens, a late start on taking advantage of outdoor activities has been taxing to us who live here. In addition to the larger public areas we enjoy, summertime[Read more…]

Beyond hotdish, “Wanna go with?”, bars (the square-cut dessert kind), lutefisk and “you betcha” – non-Minnesotans also find “garage life” is another regional concept to learn when moving here. In other parts of the country, people sit on their front porches to visit, read, watch kids play or witness life pass by.  Many porches, patios or decks, are an extension of indoor living – at least for part of the year. In this part of the Midwest, the garage is considered a 3-season room of sorts. It is irrelevant of the house also has a porch, deck or patio.  Garages[Read more…]

”Growing as a flower in the Twin Cities is a hard job.  As if the winter isn’t tough enough on us as it is!  There’s all the effort of thawing out, poking through any cracks possible with soft enough soil to finally get some sunshine, then BAM!  Run over again.” This could be taken as a life-philosophy in general, but we’re talking about the tulips popping up in your driveway.  There are many purposes for a driveway as we have defined here in the past. To be a garden patch is not one of them. It’s the strangest phenomenon, though, right? [Read more…]

4/15/2013 In our nearly 60 years in business, Richfield Blacktop and Concrete has had great customers, completed thousands of driveways and poured over 8.5 million square feet of asphalt and concrete.  This year we wanted to start off 2013 with bang. When we decided to start off 2013 with a Free Driveway Contest, we had no idea what kind of response we would get.  We were shocked and elated to have 88 entries!  After having our team go through all 88 entries, meet with the entrants and learn more about the stories that were shared, we have a winner! Before[Read more…]