Preparation for Sidewalk to front door

[RichNJKubota]

Hi,

I would not mind everyone's 2 cents on how to prepare for a concrete front walk.
I've prepped and poured concrete for 2 garages so far but have not ever done a sidewalk.
I assume you dig out the sod about 8" and put 4" of stone and then form using 2x4s?
Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Glenn9643]

A lot would depend on how much weight you expected it to support and the part of the country you're in. A sidewalk that wouldn't be expected to support vehicular traffic other than mowers, etc. would be OK at 2X4 form thickness. If it was mine (in the south where freezing wasn't a problem), I would form with 2X4 or 1X4 directly at the ground. Use the mower and "scalp" the sod where you want the sidewalk first. After forming the walk, dig out the edges just inside the form 2 or 3 inches deeper and put the dirt at the outside of your form. Put in your reinforcement wire and pour. If freezing is a problem you may need to do more prep on the footings.

 

[DKinWA]

We don't have freeze problems here either and pretty much do as glenn suggests. The only difference might be if there is a lot of organic matter in the soil that will decompose over time. If there is, we usually excavate it out and place gravel as you suggested to firm up the base and minimize concrete cracking. If it's a small pour, its usually cheaper to fill it up with concrete rather than bringing in gravel and moving it to the sidewalk area. Most of the time is seems we hit clay under the sod, so we just dig the sod out and place forms right on top of the clay and pour. We also try to have the finished surface of the concrete just a tad higher than the grass. Too high and it's a tripping hazard and too low and the grass grows on top of it and makes it tough to edge.

 

[RichNJKubota]

I'm in New Jersey so the cold can be a problem. At one end of the walk I'm going to have to raise the grade by about 10 inches. To avoid settling issues would I use stone to raise the grade under the concrete? And then fill around with soil?

Rich