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Pouring a sloped driveway.......

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26K views 42 replies 16 participants last post by  TheLastDaze  
T
#1 ·
First off I've never poured concrete before other then sidewalks and some short pads so my experience is a joke compared to you guys... With that said I've been in construction for over 20yrs and have done pretty much everything so I'm not to concerned with my ability's but I'm a little nervous tackling this thing.. The slopes not crazy but its a hill nonetheless, I'm figuring 3/8" rebar 2' on center and 3500psi with 4" slump.. Can I use the fiber reinforced crete instead of steel??

Here's my plan for finishing, most of it will be 13' wide so I was going to screed it, use a bull float and just broom it... sounds easy enough but I know I'm in for it...

any advice you guys could throw my way would be awesome..
Image


btw, this is my drive and I plan to sell my house so funds are super limited to hire it out...
 
T
#5 ·
so only pour 10' at a time per day?? or are you talking using an expansion joint like redwood or something every 10'.. and by mesh you're talking wire over rebar right?? thanks

superseal said:
Sub-base should equal slab thickness so around here we excavate min 12" and supply 3/4" washed stone base - 6" base firmly tamped / 6" 4000psi for drives. Your slump is fine.

Fiber can be substituted for rebar but a broom finish has the tendency to pull surface fiber up and it can be noticeable. We prefer magnesium trowel finish over a broom finish any day of the week because it allows better consolidation of the surface and a much better look IMO.

Slabs should be properly edged and grooved to a depth of D/.25 so that mean 1 1/4" for your application. Your could also saw-cut a shallower groover later on to meet this requirement.

Divide your cuts/grooves @ 10ft and install .5 x 6" expansion every 20ft.

Buy a couple cases of beer - your gonna need it :laughing:
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sounds like you have it down pat and guys are doing it right.. this gravel/dirt road has been in place now for almost 6 yrs so its packed down bigtime, I don't want to do a shoddy job to leave for the new owner but I also want to do it as efficiently as possible..
 
#3 ·
Sub-base should equal slab thickness so around here we excavate min 12" and supply 3/4" washed stone base - 6" base firmly tamped / 6" 4000psi for drives. Your slump is fine.

Fiber can be substituted for rebar but a broom finish has the tendency to pull surface fiber up and it can be noticeable. We prefer magnesium trowel finish over a broom finish any day of the week because it allows better consolidation of the surface and a much better look IMO.

Slabs should be properly edged and grooved to a depth of D/.25 so that mean 1 1/4" for your application. Your could also saw-cut a shallower groover later on to meet this requirement.

Divide your cuts/grooves @ 10ft and install .5 x 6" expansion every 20ft.

Buy a couple cases of beer - your gonna need it :laughing:
 
J
#12 · (Edited)
TheLastDaze said:
LOL...!!!

Yeah I'm thinking 4 days is more like it.. :thumbsup:
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97 yds. I don't know how many guys you have but we do around 20 sq a day. So 4 to 5 days sounds about right.

no I'm not saying do 10' a day, but if you are really worried about slope you can form it up in 10' sections and poor every other one. Then fill in the other sections the next day. That being said it only works if the truck can get around the driveway.
If all else fails black top.
 
J
#15 ·
Pricing around here your talking 12k for concrete, $2500 for re-mesh, $2000 re-rod, $1000 form wood. I'm guessing you don't have stakes so that's about $2000 unless you use wood ones but good luck. $500 for random crap ( form oil. Nails, tie wire etc.) And estimating on employee labor at around $2000 so that's $22000.

Black top youre talking 12000 to 15000. I'm not trying to talk you out of anything but if you are selling is the concrete drive way going to add 7 to 10 grand in property value
 
T
#17 ·
I'm figuring around 70yds with 4" pour, I'll keep it thicker and slope the grade at the edges but for the most part 4"..

I get concrete for $74yd so were talking closer to $5200, I figured two other guys for around $1000 I have all the forms and around 20 metal stakes, along with wood stakes as well... I still have around 25 sticks of 3/8"...

I had a bid for asphalt around 5 yrs ago @10k but the driveway was 60 longer (I poured some concrete since)..

I'm going to call on some bids tomorrow for blacktop because though I know I can do this, I can feel its going to overwhelm me..
 
T
#30 · (Edited)
had two estimates today for asphalt @12'.. should be getting the bids in tomorrow...

after thinking this through more I may cheap out a bit if the asphalt is to high and just go 10' wide, maybe kick it up to fiber crete forget the steel?? what do you think?? fiber crete without steel yeah or nah??

10' or 11' wide seems good enough, I'll bring the sides to grade with a couple strips of sod.. just seems easier to screed at 10'... dunno that's why I'm asking the pros, and I know I should leave it to a pro but can't afford it atm...
 
M
#32 ·
This thread is the blind leading the blind.... A 400' driveway is not a Saturday pour with a couple guys who have helped pour some concrete before.

Sub-base is the most important part.... wire mesh, fiber mesh, rebar does not matter much if you are starting with a poor sub base.

Power screed is a good idea.... put a broom finish on it, a good trowel finish on a 100' pour is not for a rookie..... control joints every 10', and one down the center of the drive. Use a cork, asphalt, or synthetic expansion joint where each pour meets up, place this after you strip the form from the previous pour.

The sooner you can cut control joints the better chance you have at controlling cracks. We use Soff cut saw so we can cut joints the same day.
 
T
#33 ·
mrcharles said:
This thread is the blind leading the blind.... A 400' driveway is not a Saturday pour with a couple guys who have helped pour some concrete before.
Click to expand...
LOL you're not just whistling dixie ;)

got one of the bids in for asphalt and I'm tempted at 11k for 9' wide.. I had him also bid it at 12', I've decided also to have a concrete guy come out and give me a bid so I can compare the two and be done with this thing..

I may try to negotiate a partial trade for a truck I have... :thumbsup:
 
C
#35 ·
I think it would be cool to pour it all at once.

Part of the reason for this is that it will take as many people to pour 400' as it will to pour 100'.

You would want to have the following:

1 chuteman

1 hoe operator

2 power screed operators (I would screed straight across)

1 bull float operator

1 trowel on a stick operator

1 broom operator

2 guys to do the edging, put rebar in, put in and take out forms and expansion joint, etc.

You would want to switch the hoe operator, chute man, and screeders as necessary with the other guys.

You might try to get two guys on hoes, but it will be tight in 12' space.

I would want to start pouring at 6 in the morning if possible and be finished at 13:00 for lunch.

I think your expansion joints will be the most trouble.

It's just a wide sidewalk after all.
 
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