# Building a cement driveway



## Doug_Simon (Dec 7, 2005)

Can someone give me some insight into constructing a cement driveway myself.

I have a basic idea of how to build it but a good DIY article or general layout would be great.


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## TnAndy (Dec 11, 2005)

What size are you talking ?


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## Doug_Simon (Dec 11, 2005)

Probably 30 feet long and a 1 1/2 car widths wide.


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## TnAndy (Dec 12, 2005)

Well......30'x "1 1/2 cars" ( which I assume to be about 12' ??? ) x 4" minimum thickness comes up to 4 1/2 cubic yds.

Do you plan to mix by hand or get a truck ?


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## kev crete (Dec 18, 2005)

form the edges with 1x4 spruce staked to a string line with 1 inch slope per 10 ft either away from house or away and cross sloped, good gravel/sand base of 8 inches and don't let anyone talk you out of 6x6 9over9 wire mesh to hold it together over time....... the ground moves so hold the concrete together.....money permits pour it 4 and 1/2 inches thick


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## spec_j (Aug 31, 2009)

what will i need to accomplish this too? anyone have a list of items i should get?


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Sep 1, 2009)

Kev Crete:

     City of Winnipeg crews tore up the side walk in front of my building last year and poured a new sidewalk.  Instead of sand, they used crushed limestone (1/4 inch down, which is mostly limestone dust) as a base.  (Don't know how thick the bed of crushed limestone was.)  But, one of the foremen I talked to said that crushed limestone was much better to pour concrete onto than sand because it packed down so much harder.  (They used a gasoline engined "Wacker" machine to pack down the crushed limestone so that it was so hard you could walk on it without disturbing the limestone.)  He said that you just couldn't do that with sand because sand grains are rounded and don't have sharp edges like particles of crushed limestone, so they just didn't stick together as well as crushed limestone.

Would it be better to use crushed limestone and rent a "Wacker" to pack it down real hard before pouring the concrete, or do they only use crushed limestone here because we have lots of limestone in Manitoba so it's cheap?


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## yesitsconcrete (Sep 9, 2009)

these forums are for more specific questions - you best bet's to grab up a concrete book at any apron store - good luck !


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## dakuda (Sep 9, 2009)

yesitsconcrete said:


> these forums are for more specific questions - you best bet's to grab up a concrete book at any apron store - good luck !



The forums here are for any questions: big or small.


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## yesitsconcrete (Sep 10, 2009)

i'll let the administrator respond to your questions incl water/cement ratio, slump, redi-mix vs bag, finishing, forming, placing, curing, jointing, base prep, ad nauseum for all the other items involved,,, he should enjoy that part,,, w/the poster's level of knowledge, he won't have enough information to ask specific questions imn-s-hfo hence the suggestion to buy a book


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Sep 10, 2009)

Yesitsconcrete:

I graduated as a mechanical engineer, changed careers to become a DIY'er landlord, but I've always had a passion for law.

One of the fundamental principles in the law that we live by in both the US and Canada (which we both inherited from British "Common Law") is the concept of the "reasonable man".

Where the concept of the reasonable man comes into play is that we can each claim to be ignorant of the blindingly obvious dangers around us, if it's to our advantage to claim so.  For example, someone who shoots his friend in the head can always claim: "Accident! I didn't know the gun was loaded!".

The concept of the reasonable man is that instead of being judged by what we claim we believed or what we claim we thought, we are judged by what a reasonable man in the same circumstances would have believed, or would have thought.  In the example above, a REASONABLE man wouldn't have been horsing around with a gun in the first place, and certainly not before checking three times that it wasn't loaded.  So, someone who kills someone else and then claims he didn't know the gun was loaded hasn't got a leg to stand on in court because we're not judged by what we claim we thought or what we thought we knew.  We are judged on what a reasonable man would have thought and would have done under the same circumstances.  A reasonable man would have recognized the potential danger and would have confirmed that the gun wasn't loaded before lowering his guard with that thing around.

Now, let's take a look at what you just finished saying.  Dakuda doesn't know squat about pouring or finishing concrete.  You do, and you're generously willing to share your time, knowledge and experience here in the forum.  Dakota takes issue with your position that a question is too general because you feel these forums should be for specific questions.  (Aside: I'm torn on the issue because I feel the people asking questions in here should be expected to at least research the basics themselves.  "Helping someone is not  doing it for them, helping someone is doing what they can't."  However, my personal views on this matter are irrelevant to my point.)

Anyhow, you're knowledgeable and experienced with concrete work.  Dakuda isn't.  He takes issue with your position that people asking questions should at least get the basic knowledge needed from conventional sources like DIY books.  You respond by saying:  "Good, Dakuda, you answer all the concrete related questions from now on."

And, I have to ask:  "What would a reasonable man have done under the same circumstances?"

I would like to belive that a reasonable man would have realized that Dakuda has a right to his opinion just as you have a right to yours.

I'd think a reasonable man wouldn't have considered Dakuda's protest a personal attack as it clearly wasn't.

A reasonable man would see the childishness in denying the benefit of his experience and expertise to the people in here that want and need it over a baby squabble with Dakuda.

Finally, a reasonable man would realize that respect from his peers is earned, and the way to earn respect is by he GOLDEN RULE:  treat others the way you would want to be treated.

I urge you to reconsider your position, but the bottom line here is that if you're not going to be reasonable (or behave as a reasonable man would be expected to) then this kind of spat would have happened sooner or later anyway, if not with Dakuda then with someone else.  Cuz, and let's face it, you're not being reasonable.


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## spec_j (Sep 11, 2009)

yesitsconcrete said:


> i'll let the administrator respond to your questions incl water/cement ratio, slump, redi-mix vs bag, finishing, forming, placing, curing, jointing, base prep, ad nauseum for all the other items involved,,, he should enjoy that part,,, w/the poster's level of knowledge, he won't have enough information to ask specific questions imn-s-hfo hence the suggestion to buy a book



someone wake up on the wrong side of the concrete mixer? That's the purpose of a DIY site. Is for people to ask questions and LEARN. You seem to know everything there is about this, so you write the book, then have it published and we will all buy it. :banana:

Thanks for the good info from those that added to this thread. :beer:

Dang Nestor your long winded lol. I had to take 4 deep breaths to read that!!


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## yesitsconcrete (Sep 19, 2009)

nestor & i share parallel lives but i digress,,, obviously you're all right & i'm wrong & that's fine,,, however, time is a precious resource & the op's questions better're answered in basic apron store paperbacks,,, should anyone have more specific items which need clarification, my history's proven i respond,,, however unreasonable some may think, suffering fools is best done by other fools or governments,,, hence my occasional disagreement w/advice given by responders,,, i'll leave it to others w/moderator control & see if my logon allows entrance next time,,, best to all !


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Sep 19, 2009)

All of us disagree on stuff all of the time.  That's normal cuz we've all had different experiences, so we all look at things differently.

It's how we handle those disagreements that differentiates people you can put up with from the real F$%#@#$ing dickheads. 



> should anyone have more specific items which need clarification, my history's proven i respond


YES!!!  We need a good concrete man in here.

Logon will allow you to enter next time.  That was never in question.


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## inspectorD (Sep 19, 2009)

If we never disagree...we never learn the other guy is right.:
Buying a book for basic knowledge is one way to go about it, writing a book can have it's meritts also...but not all the time.

Yes, you are welcome here anytime to answer questions, your answers have always been spot on.


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## oldognewtrick (Sep 19, 2009)

Inspector hit the head of he nail spot on again! If we agreed on everything why would we be here? Yes made a good response to get a book and educate yourself about installing materials. I think next time I'm at the big box stores I'll get a book about concrete. Makes sense to me. Roofing I know some about, not a lot about some other things ( Like electric. Hate the taste it leaves in my mouth) In roofing they print the installation specs on the wrapper. You think anyone reads them? 

Yes if you are banned for an opinion than so will I be.

I would post a dancing banana but I can't find them again.....


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## travelover (Sep 20, 2009)

I think that a reasonable answer to a very general question is to direct the poster to a good general source, like a library, home store DIY book or DIY website. Then ask them to come back with specific questions in areas that they still don't understand. 

I'm active in another forum that discusses investing and it may be obvious from an initial post that a poster is clueless. We have a list of good resources that we refer them to and give them a hint as to which topic heading might answer their question.

Sure, some people are just being lazy, but I think that most just don't know where to start. We can be helpful by pointing the way.


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## yesitsconcrete (Sep 21, 2009)

i'll sit in the back row for a bit    promise i won't make noise during rest period


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Sep 21, 2009)

(But we don't want you to sit down and shut up.  We want your input where you feel you can help.)


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## itsreallyconc (Sep 24, 2009)

i'm so embarrassed by the commotion i caused this esteem'd august forum, i chang'd my logon name  :beer:  but not my cheerful attitude,,, now i gotta go to work - got a job replacing a collapsed rear wall on a house near stone mt,,, who sez leaking bsmts don't get worser ? ? ?


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Sep 24, 2009)

itsreallyconc said:


> i'm so embarrassed by the commotion i caused this esteem'd august forum, i chang'd my logon name



I bet you're not as embarrassed as I was when I first turned 18 and I ended up getting plastered for the first time and I upchucked on...

Maybe let's just not talk about it.


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## inspectorD (Sep 24, 2009)

Who is this "chuck" you talk about....and what about the second time you turned 18?
Glad to see it's still concrete.....
And now back to your original question...............


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## TxBuilder (Sep 29, 2009)

Finish the story who did you throw up on?


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