Inca Rocka

[ClearValley]

New job in process

[MuirView Design]

Switched to Techo I see. Looks good. Did you notice an improvement in block tolerance?

[ClearValley]

Yeah we did. Although the Inca was a little "tricky" but I knew that so it wasn't bad. I'll post more when done. BTW that travertine job is spectacular. Wow!

[mckeeland]

Really looks good, I have yet to work with inca, but whenever i see it i like it. DBL sided radius creta plus walls with the 6/3 combo are a real pain in the azz. they need more sizes to break up bond lines.

my only suggestion is in the future to remove the siding behind the steps, flash and water proof and reinstall with J-channel around the steps, as well as cut and re-install the toe kick. its just a little detail that adds that extra quality to the job and it ensures that you will never have water issues behind the door as well.

[ClearValley]

Really looks good, I have yet to work with inca, but whenever i see it i like it. DBL sided radius creta plus walls with the 6/3 combo are a real pain in the azz. they need more sizes to break up bond lines.

my only suggestion is in the future to remove the siding behind the steps, flash and water proof and reinstall with J-channel around the steps, as well as cut and re-install the toe kick. its just a little detail that adds that extra quality to the job and it ensures that you will never have water issues behind the door as well.


Jay thAnks for the info. We did take out the old ledger board and applied a layer of ice and water sheild (that stuffs expensive .We then flahed it , put in a new ledger board applied another ice a water layer and rented a metal braeak to wrap it in white coil stock. The stairs were intentionally built 2.5' off the house and we installed a concrete capped drain chanel between the wall the foundation and the back wall we built that connects the two outer walls.The design stated that the base material could not be within 6' of the top of the foundation. I got a headache trying to do the math with a 5.9" block that had to run 1% higher then the 6" rocka (and with rocka when is 6" really 6"????) BTW the HO's son is an engineer , he drew the plan and we followed it to the t. :loco:Tremendous learning experience.

[Mark]

in the last pic there is a course of block buried in front of the wall. What is that for???

[mrusk]

Hopefully inca is a more successful product then devonstone.

[ClearValley]

Hopefully inca is a more successful product then devonstone.

I sold another Inca patio last week.I also did a walk last season, It seems that people around here like it better that the Devonstone because of the color blending. Although, personally I think the Sahara looks yellow. I love the coloring of the Sierra which is what was used in the pics.

[GreenMonster]

Looks nice, Larry, but I gotta say I won't be using Inca anytime soon again. I think it looks nice, but at around $6.00/ft2 I think it's a rip-off. When you start getting to that price, you might as well sell dimensional bluestone.

My real beef though is with the tolerance of the product. I think Techo has some MAJOR tolerance issues here. height wise, the smallest units are off 1/4-3/8". You can actually see it in some of your pics, Larry. Most of hte large units are tapered, height wise, so they are 1/4" or more thicker on one end than the other.

Even worse, is the fact that the dimensional size of the units are so inconsistent we could not lay a simple 16'x18' patio in a modular pattern. We had to finally resort to laying them in a runner pattern. After some phone calls, we got confirmation that "most" guys are laying the product in a runner pattern do the the size differences. :noidea: Modular worked ok for about 3' or so, but then the error would compound and they were off so much you couldn't make it work. I was EXTREMELY disappointed in a product that I had heard lots of good stuff about.

[zedosix]

We have run into the same problem with Inca, have used it on three occasions now and my foreman _itches about it every time. I will look at other options like natural square cut stone next time around. Or maybe travertine if I can find it in my area.

[ClearValley]

Looks nice, Larry, but I gotta say I won't be using Inca anytime soon again. I think it looks nice, but at around $6.00/ft2 I think it's a rip-off. When you start getting to that price, you might as well sell dimensional bluestone.

My real beef though is with the tolerance of the product. I think Techo has some MAJOR tolerance issues here. height wise, the smallest units are off 1/4-3/8". You can actually see it in some of your pics, Larry. Most of hte large units are tapered, height wise, so they are 1/4" or more thicker on one end than the other.

Even worse, is the fact that the dimensional size of the units are so inconsistent we could not lay a simple 16'x18' patio in a modular pattern. We had to finally resort to laying them in a runner pattern. After some phone calls, we got confirmation that "most" guys are laying the product in a runner pattern do the the size differences. :noidea: Modular worked ok for about 3' or so, but then the error would compound and they were off so much you couldn't make it work. I was EXTREMELY disappointed in a product that I had heard lots of good stuff about.

I certainly can't disagree although I found that the tolerances were more an issue then the dimension. We did find that you must be VERY gentle placing each stone or they will push sand to the side and that will prevent the pieces from making contact exasperating any dimension issues. It looks good (IMO) but its not without its problems though.

[cgland]

I did a 1000sq ft pool deck this year and had some similar problems. We made it work, but what a pita! We r in the process of doing a large Rusk-like job with 1200 ft of wall and 2000 ft of Inca around a pool. I'll start a construction thread soon. It's Rusk-a-licious!

[mrusk]

LOL Chris. Maybe I'll come down and help ya.

[ClearValley]

Chris, when you say you made it work, any insights you can share. Doing another Inca right after this one. Thanks!

[GreenMonster]

Chris, when you say you made it work, any insights you can share. Doing another Inca right after this one. Thanks!

yeah, Chris, how did you make modular work? I'm not using it again until they can dial in the tolerances.

[Meanix]

Clear
Are you using a machine to tamp the inca? I was thinking of using fabric and just tamping like pavers. The 2" thickness seems like I would work with minimal breakage. I have an inca patio coming up this week.

[ClearValley]

No machine. I spoke with the Techo rep and he advised against it. We have been using a 2x4 and rubber mallet/dead blow hammer and it is coming out pretty nice. The pieces are heavy and I think they compress the sand when you place them way more then a regular paver would plus the relief on the top is pretty significant that I think a machine would tear them up.At 6.00 a sqft I don't want to attempt it.PS GOOD LUCK WITH THE PHILS TONITE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Meanix]

Laid 455 myself today. What a joke, what tolerances? Different in all ways width, length, and thickness. Two small guys don't equal a square. Small guy and a sq don't equal a rec. Most pieces were out of square. For the money they cost they should be true. The only aspect that I did like was the color blend.

[ClearValley]

Laid 455 myself today. What a joke, what tolerances? Different in all ways width, length, and thickness. Two small guys don't equal a square. Small guy and a sq don't equal a rec. Most pieces were out of square. For the money they cost they should be true. The only aspect that I did like was the color blend.



Did you see any pieces with slight curves on the edges?

[GreenMonster]

Did you see any pieces with slight curves on the edges?

we did. also very frustrating

[ClearValley]

we did. also very frustrating

I thought I was losing it at first and then it was like no way that piece is curved. LOL

[Meanix]

It was like they used rubber molds. Some pieces were totally distorted. The edge had a 3/4 in bevel and the opposite on the other edge.

[GreenMonster]

It was like they used rubber molds. Some pieces were totally distorted. The edge had a 3/4 in bevel and the opposite on the other edge.

as a matter of fact, they are using plastic molds. I was told that is the issue with the tolerances.