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LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan to fluffybunny

Premium Member

to fluffybunny

Re: Digging up path for driveway.

10m3 of concrete weighs about 20t - you're looking at hundreds of trips with a wheelbarrow.

2 hours is about the maximum time you can hold redi-mix... How far from the batch plant are you? That'll cut into your working time.

Not to discourage you; but just need to be prepared for what you're looking at...
Tig
join:2006-06-29
Carrying Place, ON

Tig to fluffybunny

Member

to fluffybunny
I'm not a concrete guy, but I like to do what I can. My last solo pour was less than 3 yds for a sidewalk and I almost lost it. Couldn't keep up on a hot day but fear of dealing with the mess and a kind driver got me through.
A solo pour and screed of 75 x 10 is a really big job, especially if you are hand bombing with a wheelbarrow. It's hard physical labour and then you have to do the finishing.
Have you got a couple buddies who can spend the morning helping out?
H_T_R_N (banned)
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA

H_T_R_N (banned) to fluffybunny

Member

to fluffybunny
said by fluffybunny :

it will be dispensed out of the concrete truck into a wheelbarrow one at a time. that will prevent it from hardening. i dont think one wheelbarrow full should be a problem. truck will wait for 2hrs for $60 which is ok i think.

It is great to DIY, but I do not think you have the slightest idea on how long it will take for you to wheel 10+ yards. That right there might just eat up 1+ hour. You will then need to screed it, float it, cut it in, trowel it, edge it, broom finish it, reedge and fix cutins. this is a 2+ hour job with 4 guys. IF everything go to plan! If a form blows out your done! As for the holding the truck for 2 hours, if it is not a ready mix truck where he can mix as you go, at the 2 hour mark you will be getting peanut butter out of the truck unless he keeps adding water. At that point you are getting garbage that should only be used as fill material.

I am being very serious here. You stated that you don't have the money to pay someone to do it. PLEASE call and get a price on what it would take to remove 10+ yards of concrete. 3-4k would be my guess. on top of the 1.5-2k for the concrete and forms and rebar and tools. You will be left with a driveway worse than when you started and be 4.5-6k poorer. Try a 2-3 yard sidewalk first.
H_T_R_N

H_T_R_N (banned) to LazMan

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to LazMan
said by LazMan:

this isn't the kind of project to learn on...

This isn't a 10x10 patio, or a pad for a shed... This is a pretty big job.

I'm doing an exposed ag 15'x35' pad next week. It started out as a pad for a AC compressor for my place, funny how shit gets out of hand. I have 4 guys lined up to work and its only a 6+yard pour. A 10+ yard pour I would have 5 guys, one as a runner for water and what not, especially if we were wheeling it! I lost a pour one time, never again!

cheks
@comcast.net

cheks to fluffybunny

Anon

to fluffybunny
you did good checking for pipes etc.

which reminds me, if you will be needing electric etc near the drive, you might consider installing a big conduit pipe under the new concrete, just in case...

re: treated wood - pressure treated that is greenish is often pressure filled with an arsenic chemical, if dark brown black, filled with creosote. both do well at preventing insects and woodeaters. you are not allowed to use them indoors, cause if there's a fire you get toxic fumes. outdoors they do last longer, say twice as long, but still go rotten and crumble eventually.

re: dimension,

»www.concreteconstruction ··· gra.aspx

"If an unrestrained, 100-foot-long slab on grade was exposed to a 100° F temperature drop throughout its cross-section, it would contract about .66 inch (100 feet x 12 inches/foot x 100° F x .0000055). Since the slab is restrained by friction between the base and the bottom of the slab, the slab usually cracks instead of contracting the roughly 2/3 inch."

in practice, look at other local slabs. often done in 10' sections with 1/4"x6" fiber or rubber etc strip between sections.

re: overkill - yes, for forever, it's better to overdo it now, in case later you do want to put something heavy on it, or have heavy delivery trucks on it.

re: mesh - check with code folks about glass mesh. normal poured concrete work specs are often very fussy about rebars and mesh and tying them together with wire or welds etc.

re: $ - s'ok, but this is the time to call in your friends and favors, for a barn-raising event. prepare all you can ahead, but something always goes wrong. what always happened when I did it was I spilled whole barrows full of cement, leading to cement shortage, and emergency trips to the cement store. you need backup people for stuff like that.
also good idea to have any other concrete work places preprepped, ready to pour, in case there's an overage, that you already paid for.
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

nonymous (banned) to fluffybunny

Member

to fluffybunny
said by fluffybunny :

it will be dispensed out of the concrete truck into a wheelbarrow one at a time. that will prevent it from hardening. i dont think one wheelbarrow full should be a problem. truck will wait for 2hrs for $60 which is ok i think.

it isnt rocket science but it is a skill. This isnt going to happen one wheelbarrow at a time and one person. Well it would and the video would be entertaining.
Concrete does harden in the truck even while it is spinning.
gaforces (banned)
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA

1 edit

gaforces (banned) to fluffybunny

Member

to fluffybunny
You should be able to do the 10x8 forms 2 or 3 at a time. With 1" forms you'll probably have to put stakes every foot. 1 vertical stake and one pounded in at a 45 angle.
Don't do too much at once, you'll not be able to finish before it dries. It's hard work and very tiring.

The boards will rot but it doesn't matter if they do.
I would rent a small tractor with a loader bucket and a scraper box, don't dig too deep, the other poster was right in that you want the drive above grade a little.
Parneli
join:2004-12-28
Naperville, IL

Parneli to fluffybunny

Member

to fluffybunny
Be sure to take pics for us!

hortnut
Huh?
join:2005-09-25
PDX Metro

hortnut to fluffybunny

Member

to fluffybunny
Click for full size
Click for full size
Click for full size
Found a couple more pictures on some pours. This one is for the Office and same day did a Garage. Office pour was 36 feet by 15 or 16 feet, plus some sidewalks and other for extra concrete that would be left over. Forms were 2x6. I did the prep work ahead of time and used my Bobcat to dig out and place the base. Garage was about same size.

I hired 2 experienced guys to do the pour and finish work and did the 2 pads the same morning. Using the front offload discharge concrete truck, replaced the need of 1 guy. Plus the front load allowed for 2-3 yards more to be carried by the truck, above a rear discharge of 9 to 10 yards.

Think they started at 8 and were done shortly after 12. Other than taking some photos, I was not involved in the pour.

I do not thing anyone has raised this question. You will be removing at least 8 inches of soil for the base and the driveway. Where are you going to put that?

fluffybunny
@cipherkey.net

fluffybunny to Parneli

Anon

to Parneli
thanks guys. i will do 10 x 4ft x 2 and take pics lol. will do two coats of opaque stain.
will order cement with fiber mix.
try and do half and split it over 2 days.
will do 4ft boxes with screws and fill em in to 5 inch gravel and 5 inch concrete.
4 x 4 x 5inch box is :
6.67 cubic feet or 0.247 cubic yards or 0.189 cubic meters
if pre-mixed concrete*, it is 887 lbs or 402 kgs
if 60 lbs per bag, it is 14.8 bags
if 80 lbs per bag, it is 11.1 bags
The average wheelbarrow can hold 2 to 3 cubic feet per load so maybe two and a bit wheelbarrow loads per box which i think i can manage.
fluffybunny

fluffybunny to hortnut

Anon

to hortnut
land is not level so soil removal is not an issue. its going to be dumped 4-6 ft away from the path to help level the land.

hortnut
Huh?
join:2005-09-25
PDX Metro

hortnut

Member

said by fluffybunny :

land is not level so soil removal is not an issue. its going to be dumped 4-6 ft away from the path to help level the land.

Good, that will make it easier. I do think it is a doable project. My caution is to be prepared and think of what could go wrong. And lining up some buddies. Going the wheelbarrow route, have several on hand. When I was younger, I tackled all sorts of things. I would check to see about the cost of renting a Bobcat or other Skidsteer loader by the hour or day to get rid of the dirt and prepare the base and lay out the gravel. Can do a good job leveling out an area with bucket. They are not rocket science to operate. There are YouTube videos as to how to operate and tricks of the trade. Earlier on, I have used a tractor with scoop that I borrowed and the job took 2x as long and I was not happy with outcome.
seederjed
Premium Member
join:2005-02-28
Norcross, GA

seederjed to fluffybunny

Premium Member

to fluffybunny
If you are going to wheelbarrow it, get one with 2 front wheels.
Nothing worse than trying to stop a tipping wheelbarrow.
H_T_R_N (banned)
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA

H_T_R_N (banned)

Member

said by seederjed:

If you are going to wheelbarrow it, get one with 2 front wheels.
Nothing worse than trying to stop a tipping wheelbarrow.

If you are going to use a WB make sure to have more than 2. When you fill it over the rating of that consumer WB and the handle breaks or the tire pops, you will be paying for 10 yards of create and still not have a driveway.
AsherN
Premium Member
join:2010-08-23
Thornhill, ON

AsherN to fluffybunny

Premium Member

to fluffybunny
I suggest you price everything you need to do the job. Then get quotes for having it done. The small difference will be worth it.
kherr
Premium Member
join:2000-09-04
Collinsville, IL

kherr to H_T_R_N

Premium Member

to H_T_R_N
said by H_T_R_N:

said by LazMan:

this isn't the kind of project to learn on...

This isn't a 10x10 patio, or a pad for a shed... This is a pretty big job.

I'm doing an exposed ag 15'x35' pad next week. It started out as a pad for a AC compressor for my place, funny how shit gets out of hand. I have 4 guys lined up to work and its only a 6+yard pour. A 10+ yard pour I would have 5 guys, one as a runner for water and what not, especially if we were wheeling it! I lost a pour one time, never again!

Better to have 2 too many than 1 not enough ....
The last concrete I did about 5 years ago was $100/yd. A concrete buddy of mine says on a non-contractor deliverly they allow 10 minuts/yd to dump. After that it's $$$ ....

cheks
@comcast.net

cheks to fluffybunny

Anon

to fluffybunny
one other thing not mentioned much yet:
the concrete will harden much in less than a day, and come to near final strength in about a week.

for the first day or two of hardening, it's normal / required to keep the top surface moist. you need a spray hose and something, like a plastic or burlap cover, to keep the moisture there, away from the sun that would evaporate quickly.