Retaining walls and patio

[MossRoad]

That was a lot of work for him.
I moved a 30 ft. long sidewalk that was only 2ft. wide when I was 21. I did it all with a 20 lb. sledge hammer, spade, a flat shovel and young muscle. It'd be undoable now.

While it was a lot of work for him, he had 5 kids. One of those 'character builders'.

Every summer we did repairs, additions and new. When you're little, you carry the water bucket and tools. As you get older, you carry the cement and broken concrete.

 

[Muhammad]

Speaking of "by hand" ...

 

[Muhammad]

This is the type of form work we are planning for the driveway. Probably nine six foot sections. Should be relatively simple.

 

[bigtiller]

That's an interesting way to form a driveway. And should match the rest of the project well.

 

[MossRoad]

This is the type of form work we are planning for the driveway. Probably nine six foot sections. Should be relatively simple.

That's gonna be hard to roller skate on.

 

[Muhammad]

That's an interesting way to form a driveway. And should match the rest of the project well.

I'm thinking it will also be less likely to crack since the sections will be smaller.

 

[dstig1]

It had cracks! Oh the horror!

Uhhhh, yeah... It's concrete, it cracks in the first 5 minutes...

Around here, frost would wreak havoc with your driveway plan. Too much water would get under there and it would be hard to make a base that was stable and drained well enough. I'm guessing freezing soil isn't a huge issue in San Diego?

 

[Muhammad]

It had cracks! Oh the horror!

Uhhhh, yeah... It's concrete, it cracks in the first 5 minutes...

Around here, frost would wreak havoc with your driveway plan. Too much water would get under there and it would be hard to make a base that was stable and drained well enough. I'm guessing freezing soil isn't a huge issue in San Diego?

Soil never freezes here and we get minimal rain. It's a very mild climate. The usual base here is compacted dirt although some like to use crushed rock, it's not really necessary.

 

[dstig1]

Yes I know it doesn't freeze there. That was humor, son. Just funnin with ya!

 

[goeduck]

I don't have any concrete cracks in my driveway,,,, that I know of. I will have to look in the morning.

Not something that I would focus on unless something is growing in the gap.

 

[Muhammad]

I don't have any concrete cracks in my driveway,,,, that I know of. I will have to look in the morning.

Not something that I would focus on unless something is growing in the gap.

I should have taken photos of the roots that were growing under the driveway. The source of the cracks was obvious.

 

[deezler]

Wait, what? I am with dstig, why did you guys tear out a perfectly good driveway? Just do it it again with gaps in between sections? For style reasons only?

Seems pretty crazy to me, but to each their own I guess. I hope all this stuff holds up long term for you. Here in frost-heave Michigan, all those walls and steps would lose alignment over time. It's kinda sad to see some houses on hilly lots who have done similar, extensive block and paver work, only to look like total a$$ after just a decade or so.

 

[Muhammad]

Wait, what? I am with dstig, why did you guys tear out a perfectly good driveway? Just do it it again with gaps in between sections? For style reasons only?

Seems pretty crazy to me, but to each their own I guess. I hope all this stuff holds up long term for you. Here in frost-heave Michigan, all those walls and steps would lose alignment over time. It's kinda sad to see some houses on hilly lots who have done similar, extensive block and paver work, only to look like total a$$ after just a decade

Well let's be honest, most of this has been for aesthetic reasons only. But the driveway had large cracks and sections were sunken and raised, creating a trip hazard.

The weather here allows for less structurally sound building methods, compared to other areas. The way I see it, the stairs were about $1800 all in so if they last 10 years that's a decent life span for the money. They should last much longer but I'm just saying it doesn't need to hold up for 50 years in this situation.

We discussed refinishing the driveway to smooth out the uneven sections but it was going to be a lot more work that just removing and re-pouring.

 

[the old grind]

Without serious preventative steps expect ants to undermine slabs and cause shifting/settling without frost heaves. I treat around concrete with Bi-Fen IT 2x/yr and spot treat with granular passes. That I have so many ant lion funnels around the yard says I'm winning battles but the war goes on.

 

[goeduck]

My plans include a 10 foot retaining wall and the county tells me I need it professionally engineered. Drainage plans etc. I am thinking big block or poured.

 

[Muhammad]

My plans include a 10 foot retaining wall and the county tells me I need it professionally engineered. Drainage plans etc. I am thinking big block or poured.

Yeah at that height you need engineering. Personally I would do poured next time around.

 

[Muhammad]

The unnecessary driveway is ready to pour.

 

[Jchonline]

The unnecessary driveway is ready to pour.

Nice! Great think about SD is you can pour concrete all year long! We stop in Dec and dont start again until late May!

 

[Muhammad]

Pouring tomorrow morning.

Cost on this one is:

19 yards of concrete $2,805
Pump truck $500
Finish crew $1,200
Rebar $300
Lumber $180

Total $4985 for 1200 sq ft.

Add $1,950 for removal of the old driveway.

The first project with steps was about $4,200 including some discretionary stuff so all in we're up to $11,135 for 1,700sq ft.

Lowest quote was $13 per sq ft for the same spec so that would have been $22,100.

 

[Cougsfan]

My plans include a 10 foot retaining wall and the county tells me I need it professionally engineered. Drainage plans etc. I am thinking big block or poured.

You can avoid engineering on a 10 ft retaining wall in Washington if you go with those decorative ecology block sized bricks. But even then you still need a good base and a drainage plan (French Drain) and moisture barrier or you'll likely be sorry. Poured concrete 10 ft high retaining walls have their share of pitfalls too. I've seen some catastrophic failures with those in wet areas. No matter how you do it, a 10 ft high retaining wall is a serious wall that needs careful attention to detail.