Concrete Driveway Construction
Building concrete driveways is a very easy task. You can make your own driveway and save a lot of money by not hiring a professional concrete contractor.
First we need to decide how wide and how long you want to make the driveway. We also need to know how deep into the ground you want to dig. Typically the driveway will be 4″ thick.
It’s much easier if you don’t have to dig very deep at all when starting a driveway, but this depends on your building site. For instance, if you’re putting in a new driveway before you dump the top soil for a new lawn then you will want to keep the driveway on top of the ground. If you are setting the driveway into an existing lawn or walk area, then you will need to dig down an inch or two so the driveway isn’t too high.
Let’s say our driveway is going to be twelve feet wide and thirty feet long. This will be a driveway where we’ll need to dig into the ground exactly two inches. We need to measure across the driveway area which we already know is one hundred and forty four inches, but we also need to dig the extra area where the forms will go. The forms for driveways are often just 2×4 studs. They are cheap and really easy to work with.
The best way to join two 2X4 studs is by nailing a 2X4 block on the outside of the forms where the joint is. This will keep them secure. Next, make sure the forms are even with a consistent measurement of 144 inches the entire length. Next lay the wire mesh inside the forms, but it will need to be elevated with rocks or rebar pieces so it is off the ground.
You can buy the wire mesh at any building store. If you’re making a small driveway, then you can buy bags of ready mix, add water and pour it in, but for most projects, you will want to call the cement company to deliver and pour the cement. You can use regular 2500 PSI concrete or you can use Pee-gravel.
The cement company will know what to do when you tell them the cement is for a driveway. They will ask you for the dimensions of your project and they will calculate the amount of cement needed. Cement is calculated and sold by square yards. Let’s take our measurement as an example. Our driveway is thirty feet long, twelve feet wide, and four inches deep. So our square footage is 360 square feet by four inches deep. Let’s convert this to square yards by dividing 360 by 27. There are 27 cubic feet in a square yard. This gives us 13.3 square yards, but we still have to divide that by 3 because the driveway isn’t a foot thick, it is only four inches, which is a third of a foot. So our final number is about 4 and a half yards of cement needed to pour the driveway. The price of cement varies by location, but if you live fairly close, you should be able to get it for around $90 per yard.
Now, we’re ready to pour the driveway. The cement truck will pour the cement, but you will need to shovel it around to get it even against the forms. You will need to get the cement evenly into the forms. Jab the cement constantly to break any air bubbles. Once the cement is where you want it, you will need to make it smooth. You can buy a screed or you can just use a level 2X4 to run across the top of the cement. This will make it basically smooth.
Once you have the surface fairly smooth, you will need to use a float or a long trowel to bring the fine cement to the surface. This will make a very smooth surface and will make the rougher aggregate material sink beneath the surface. You will want let this dry for a few hours before brushing the surface with a shop broom. Brushing will give the driveway some traction so you don’t slip on the smooth surface. Be careful not to overdo the brushing.
After about three days, you can remove the forms and start to back fill the edges of the driveway so they are even with the lawn or ground. Ideally, we like to have the side walk about a half inch higher than the lawn.
For the final step in the driveway process, we need to cut sections in the concrete so it doesn’t crack with the movement of the ground underneath.
Most contractors will install dividers into the driveway before they pour the cement. If this is the case, you won t need to cut it.
You can rent a concrete cutter or use a concrete blade on a circular saw and cut across the driveway every ten feet or so. This will give the driveway flexibility during expansion and contraction of the soil.
That’s basically how to make your own driveway. We can usually save about two thirds the cost of a professionally poured driveway by doing it ourselves.
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