sidewalk options.

[firemanpat2910]

I have to put in a new sidewalk at my parents house. It will be about 20' long and 3' wide, with a slight curve to it. I know how to form it and smooth it my questions are, concrete or cement ? How thick? Keeping in mind that our frost line is 0, Hard red clay under the grass. And most important question, is this a bag and mix size project, or a truckload sized project? I dont mind doing it in sections and time is not that critical. I will use my box blade to remove grass and level the area.

 

[schmism]

id go 3" thick, formed with 2x4's

skreed with a 2x4, bull float it a couple of times, broom surface, (picture frame it is a nice touch, but more work)

IMO

2 large for bags, to small for a truck, but would be perfect for a we mix you tote places (with like a 3/4 - 1 yrd trailer)

 

[Paddy]

At 20'x3'=60 sq ft, you will need 34 bags (80lb). About $100?

It's a lot of mixing but, as you said do it in sections.

 

[firemanpat2910]

well I got it done this weekend. Mom changed the layout ,wound up being 53 bags worth of sacrete. If I had remeasured and done the math I would have had a truck deliver it. My father couldnt help lift the 80# bags so I did them all my self. Mom smoothed it with a 2x4 as I poured 2 bags at a time.40 bags on sat ans 13 on sun. Worked hard instead of smart.lesson learned, when in doubt get a truck But at least it is smooth and level and I dont have to worry about the parents or grandmothers falling on the old broken sidewalk any more.

 

[MrJimi]

Lowes has a wonderful concrete calculator.

Lowe's Home
Jim

 

[Birdhunter1]

I would have had the truck deliver it for two reasons, it would have been quicker to get it done and you get a better concrete out of a truck than in a bag.

 

[firemanpat2910]

I dont know why I did not think of it before but now I am going to put a water line under it and put a spicket in the flower garden that is "cement locked" to keep from dragging hoses over the side walk. Luckily I have not back filled yet so Im planning on driving a 1" steel pipe under sidewalk then pull it out and slip a 3/4 pvc pipe in the hole. I sure wish I had done it before.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Take a grinder and cut the end of your 1" steel pipe to look sort of like saw teeth and hammer it a few inches and turn it 1/2-1 turn then hammer again. Also weld a flat plate on the end and preferably put a large ring or hook on it to pull it out with a truck or tractor if needed if you can't do it by hand.

 

[EddieWalker]

You can also attach a garden hose to a piece of pvc. Turn on the water and slowly shove the pipe under the sidewalk. The water will do all the work.

Lowes, Home Depot and probably most hardware stores that sell sprinkler supplies will aslo have a special cone shaped tip you can glue onto the end of the PVC pipe.

I've never heard of the pounding a steel rod method. I'm sure it will work, but I'm also sure it'll wear you out faster than sitting there and feeding the pipe and hose will. hahaha

Good luck and don't forget those pictures!!!

Eddie

 

[RonR]

Too late now to help you. Congrats on finishing it.

For future reference:

20 yrs ago, my Dad wanted to pour a second drive type carport deal. He, being an engineer, figured out what he needed concrete wise.

Close to his place was a rental yard that mixed concrete. In talking with them (and I'm guessing since I've forgotten), they would mix 1.5 yards with 2 bags of cement or they would mix 1 yard with 2 bags of cement. They didn't want to be bothered with half bags!

So Dad figured that richer was better.... and he went with 1 yard loads. He'd set his forms up to handle that.

My job was to drive to the rental place, pick up the trailer, drive to the house, back into the spot, and dump the load.

The NICE part was we poured from the existing concrete rearward over several days. So as it grew rearward, I could back over the new stuff and dump into a new form.

Made for not much work, which I liked!

Ron