Shop Time w/T.W. Friends

Yes, I need to feed them some hot lead and make some dumplings

 

Good morning shop crew

 

Anybody in here ever done their own sidewalk?

I'm wanting to put one at the house, 3'-4' wide, 4" thick, and 40' long.

Can't decide if I want to dig it out and put some gravel under it or just put a piece of plastic directly on the ground and pour it like that inside the forms.

Also don't know if I need to put expansion joints in it.

Basically I don't know what I'm doing but too cheap to hire someone to do it.

 

Is your soil clay? Drainage issues? Variance of temps? Are you butting up against existing structure?

We poured walkways at last house I worked on before stepping into education so it’s been a few. We poured over compacted gravel due to drainage issues and ran expansion joints where we butted up against existing structures and mid way in pour. Somewhere I remember that if you get extremes in temperature or pouring over clay soil, both gravel and expansion joints are recommended.

 

Last one i worked on, i helped at my high school but we made the forms, put gravel on bottom and put seams every 4' or so, rounded edges and level. But better get or rent a cement mixer. Or have it delivered

I think you can call places that sell it for delivery. Most dont do less than1 cubic yard which yours is bout 1.48.

 

Seams are usually where it will crack due to shifting. We used 2x4's for forms and tamped the gravel down

 

Part of it will be against the house, drainage problems, temp changes, soil is clay, yes, yes, yes, and yes, lol.

 

I've already figured up how much I need and I won't be using no cement mixer or lifting that many bags

Called the local concrete company and got a price on having it delivered as well.

I'm gonna get enough to do the sidewalk and a pad in front of the shop door about 10' X 12' cause it won't cost but $300 more to do that after paying the delivery fee. Total will be about 3 1/2 yards.

 

Nice! For the pad definitely use reinforcement rebar grid. And rebar to existing foundation

 

You could always go with pavers. Still concrete but gives the option of more easily changing things up if you need to in the future. Plus with your tractors & tools it would be easy to dig, add the base, sand, level and lay the pavers.

 

The reliefs are there so when it inevitably cracks, it should crack along the relief since it's thinner and weaker so you don't have unsightly cracks in the concrete. Doesn't always work that way, though.

Rebar for the pad and WWM for the sidewalk.

And brush finish it for traction.

 

After doing a quick search of prices, that seems to be as expensive (if not more) as concrete and a lot more work

We did a patio at our old house with stones and sand underneath, I was never happy with it as some were uneven after rains and walking on them.

 

My boss just told me our accountant had a brain bleed and emergency surgery over the weekend and is in an induced coma. He just talked to her Thursday

 

Yup...concrete gonna crack where it wants.

 

^ this ^

 

Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery !!!

 

Sorry to hear

 

I understand. For me concrete would be more labor intensive, require tools that I did not own and would have a steep learning curve. With a sidewalk that is relatively thin in terms of width it should be easier to avoid spots that are uneven. Whichever way you choose the base will have to be compacted well although concrete should not be uneven after it cures. Does the ground freeze where you are? Polymeric sand should eliminate water infiltration that is the leading cause of uneven pavers. If it were me, sure as shit, right after I laid the concrete, I would need to get to something under the concrete and have to tear it up again!