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Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems. |
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#1
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New concrete driveway question
Our home in western new york is 4 years old and the driveway is gravel.
There are 10+ other homes on the street built about the same time as ours and had gravel driveways. A concrete flatwork contractor put in about 5 driveways last summer and did minimal excavation. He told the home owners that by them driving on the gravel for 3-4 years was the best subbase there could be and if he didn't have to excavate much it would also cost them less. The problem I see is that the driveway is above grade and even bringing in topsoil it would take a lot to feather it out so the lawn looks flat. Any opinions on this contractor's statements or could he have excavated so that the driveway was flat with the adjacent lawn? I'm thinking of putting in a driveway in the spring. Thanks for any replies. kb |
#2
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flat. Any opinions on this contractor's statements or could he have
excavated so that the driveway was flat with the adjacent lawn? I'm thinking of putting in a driveway in the spring. Thanks for any replies. He could have, it just would have cost more. If you're willing to PAY more you can have it done the other way. --Goedjn |
#3
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In alt.home.repair Keith Boeheim wrote:
Our home in western new york is 4 years old and the driveway is gravel. There are 10+ other homes on the street built about the same time as ours and had gravel driveways. A concrete flatwork contractor put in about 5 driveways last summer and did minimal excavation. He told the home owners that by them driving on the gravel for 3-4 years was the best subbase there could be and if he didn't have to excavate much it would also cost them less. The problem I see is that the driveway is above grade and even bringing in topsoil it would take a lot to feather it out so the lawn looks flat. Any opinions on this contractor's statements or could he have excavated so that the driveway was flat with the adjacent lawn? Frankly, I think it's far easier to raise things up a bit than it is to move everything around. I'd let him put in the driveway and get a dumpload of crushed stone to put along the edges. The grass will eventually grow up through the stones and you'll have a sturdy edge to the driveway that will still drain well. I'm thinking of putting in a driveway in the spring. Thanks for any replies. If you wait untill somewhat late in the spring, yu'll have a chance to see his work under nearly a years full exposure. While that's not the best amount of time to see if he's wrong about the base holding up, it should give you and idea if he's grossly wrong (since the other driveways will start failing). John -- Remove the dead poet to e-mail, tho CC'd posts are unwelcome. Ask me about joining the NRA. |
#4
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Keith Boeheim wrote:
Our home in western new york is 4 years old and the driveway is gravel. There are 10+ other homes on the street built about the same time as ours and had gravel driveways. A concrete flatwork contractor put in about 5 driveways last summer and did minimal excavation. He told the home owners that by them driving on the gravel for 3-4 years was the best subbase there could be and if he didn't have to excavate much it would also cost them less. That's bunk; gravel is not a reliable base, it won't hold, and 3-4 years of driving on it -might- have compacted some parts of it some, but not enough, and, well, on the areas where it didn't get driven on much? How did he account for those? Personally, it sounds like cheap work; which is what they got in the final product also. The problem I see is that the driveway is above grade and even bringing in topsoil it would take a lot to feather it out so the lawn looks flat. Any opinions on this contractor's statements or could he have excavated so that the driveway was flat with the adjacent lawn? Yes, he could and should have. Your neighbors are going to have sink-holes and low spots starting about three years from now, plus the attendant cracks appearing in the pavement, and they'll continue to sink, especially in the places where people are habitually letting the cars stop or where theyt park. Also if there are rocks under there any bigger than about 4 inches, chances are good they will "float" and begin to appear though the pavement as little but ever-growing bumps until eventually they crack open the pavement enough to let the ice/water finish opening them. My driveway is now 6 years old and is still perfect with one exception: there is a big rock, I'm guessing a foot of so in size, floating up right between the garage doors where they couldn't get the compactor fully into it. The contractor told me he couldn't compact about a three foot area there, but he didn't think it'd matter, and was that OK? I asked what could happen and he said it might rise or sink; no way to be sure, but he didn't think it'd do either. Well, it floated; so far about two inches above the pavement. I pour sealer into the cracks every year, but it keeps on coming up further every spring. And, that area rises and falls with freezing, too, which doesn't happen directly in front of the garage doors. Once I can actually see the rock, I plan to lever it out and fill it with patch, but until then, well, it's not reall in the way of everything. I just have to look at it everytime I hose down the driveway. I'm in far northeastern NY, so our winters are likely worse than yours coldwise, but it's not that much different from where you are. Oh, also, and it costs a little more, but if you're interested in a nicer looking surface, be sure they put the top-coat on it. Without it, the driveway will start to look like the roadway pretty quickly and it takes tons of sealer when you do decide to apply it. Our "U" part of the drive isn't finished and it takes a LOT of sealer, but the top-coated part takes sealer at the rates listed on the cans. It's an aesthetic thing really, so if that's not important, then no big deal - the surface is actually harder without the top-coating. But dang, it looks great where it's top coated! Oh, the topcoat does seem to keep the edges of the drive from breaking away so easily; forgot that. HTH, Pop I'm thinking of putting in a driveway in the spring. Thanks for any replies. kb |
#5
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PS Actually, a driveway should be slightly above or level with
the lawn on at least one side. It should also be sloped, to run rainwater off to areas where it doesn't matter. Like, into the roadway if you have city drains, or in my case, out into a field. But, NOT into the garage! I think they used 1/4" per foot slope on mine, but it's three cars wide. They also put some sort of big, soft fibered thing between the concrete garage floor and the pavement where they meet. I guess it's to allow expansion/contraction with temperature so one doesn't push on the other. Also, the whole job cost about 5k (but that was a few years ago); it's a short but wide driveway with a "U" off to the side. Pop Keith Boeheim wrote: Our home in western new york is 4 years old and the driveway is gravel. There are 10+ other homes on the street built about the same time as ours and had gravel driveways. A concrete flatwork contractor put in about 5 driveways last summer and did minimal excavation. He told the home owners that by them driving on the gravel for 3-4 years was the best subbase there could be and if he didn't have to excavate much it would also cost them less. The problem I see is that the driveway is above grade and even bringing in topsoil it would take a lot to feather it out so the lawn looks flat. Any opinions on this contractor's statements or could he have excavated so that the driveway was flat with the adjacent lawn? I'm thinking of putting in a driveway in the spring. Thanks for any replies. kb |
#6
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In article , Keith Boeheim
wrote: € If I am doing this, is a 6'' slab overkill since I would think that the € additional cost would mostly be in material? Yes. Any money you spent on additional concrete would be far, far better spent on more surface preparation. The additional concrete wouldn't do you any good, but more crushed rock, more subbase, or more compaction would. Best of luck, and let us know how it comes out! -- Lyle B. Harwood, President Phoenix Homes, Inc. (206) 523-9500 www.phoenixhomesinc.com |
#7
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I thought I killfiled you? Quit changing your email address.
*plonk* |
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