Experiences Redoing Concrete Driveway

[Modernceo]

Hi.

Can any of you home owners share experiences with costs/work done on having a driveway demolished, and then redone ?

Im figuring that for my driveway thats shaped like a upside down L, would probably cost about 3k-4k to have it destroyed, and then repoured. What do you guys think ?

Input please !

[Trophy Property]

Great topic. I have been wondering about this for some time. I really like the look of a new concrete driveway and sidewalk. It is amazing how much difference this can make to the look of your house. I have been wanting to do this for sometime but have not thought to ask about price on here. Thanks !!!!

[RedScare]

Not sure what the demo would be, but you're probably looking at $1 to $2 per square foot. Most estimates that I have received on pouring a new concrete drive have been $5 per square foot. I had been told $3 to $4, but since Katrina, no one has bid that low. Combined demo and pour, I would jump on $5, expect $6, and keep looking, if higher.

BTW, if you get a bid under $5 psf, please let me know.

[jm1fd]

Hi.

Can any of you home owners share experiences with costs/work done on having a driveway demolished, and then redone ?

Im figuring that for my driveway thats shaped like a upside down L, would probably cost about 3k-4k to have it destroyed, and then repoured. What do you guys think ?

Input please !

If you have an old fashioned 2 strip driveway, the city will make you re-pour a normal driveway. There are also minimum width requirements, so I you have a driveway that's narrow like mine, then you'll have to re-pour much wider.

[Trophy Property]

Not sure what the demo would be, but you're probably looking at $1 to $2 per square foot. Most estimates that I have received on pouring a new concrete drive have been $5 per square foot. I had been told $3 to $4, but since Katrina, no one has bid that low. Combined demo and pour, I would jump on $5, expect $6, and keep looking, if higher.

BTW, if you get a bid under $5 psf, please let me know.

OUCH. I knew concrete was expensive, but wowser. I am on a corner lot with a lot of sidewalk. I guess I will live with for now since there is no structural damage to it.

[RedScare]

If you have an old fashioned 2 strip driveway, the city will make you re-pour a normal driveway. There are also minimum width requirements, so I you have a driveway that's narrow like mine, then you'll have to re-pour much wider.

The city requires the width to be 12 feet on their R.O.W. The concrete depth is 6 inches. City ROW usually runs a few feet inside the sidewalk. Additionally, if you are redoing the drive, they require you to replace the 18 inch culvert in the ditch with 24 inch. 24 inch concrete pipe costs about $31 per foot. Once you are on your property, you can pretty much do what you want.

EDIT: Can anyone tell I was at Permitting last week getting a driveway permit?

[Modernceo]

Wow.

Didnt realize a driveway demolition/construction permit was neccesary.

Interesting.

Also, thank you to all others who gave figures on costs, etc.

[RedScare]

A permit is required for the City's portion. A lot of contractors will try to sneak by without it. It may work, but if caught, you may have to tear up your new drive.

No permit is required to demo the old drive, that I am aware of.

[Scharpe St Guy]

In my neighborhood on the East Side it cracks me up on the weekends homeowners will throw up a new garage from scratch in two days so when the permit / city inspector is out driving it's just a garage without any visable construction underway.

Same goes with driveway's and sidewalks all done on the weekend. About a year ago I replaced the driveway about 60% of it at least at my then girlfriends house now wife before we sold it. Approx 70 feet by 10 feet wide with removal of old concrete although most of it was the two thin strips for approx $2,500. The neighborhood concrete guy and tree cutting guy did it. Great job with the metal fence/rebar alternative to provide strength.

Scharpe St Guy

A permit is required for the City's portion. A lot of contractors will try to sneak by without it. It may work, but if caught, you may have to tear up your new drive.

No permit is required to demo the old drive, that I am aware of.

[Josh]

You said your driveway was in good condition. You may want to consider concrete paint or stain. Lowes has some that will make your old concrete driveway look like those newer textured driveways.

[tech101]

A cracked concrete driveway can take thousands of dollars off the value of your home & should be replaced and the costs in the South eastern Usa generally average about $7.55 per sq ft for a 6" thick concrete driveway over a compacted granular stabilized sand base with #3 rebar reinforcement @15" o.c.e.w. or #4 rebar @ 12" o.c.e.w. in the cities right of way (usually the first section of concrete driveway starting at the street)

Concrete Removal will add an additional cost of $1.50 - $2.00 to have a dumptruck and bobcat with a hydra hammer attachment come out and lift the concrete out and haul it away (concrete removal rates can be as fast as 250 sq ft per hour!) Permits are usually only required in the City of houston when the Approach or the sidewalk on the cities right of way is to be replaced, permits are relatively a simple process and require a contractor to be bonded, have a copy of the platte plan with the transposed propsed driveway along with detailed concrete driveway specifications. The permit fees usually cost less than $100 in most parts of Metro Houston unless you hire a permit service obtain the permit on your behalf which usually costs between $350-$400

Remove your old concrete driveway and dig down 8" deeper and remove the top soil. Distribute 6" of crushed concrete, granite or gravel and machine pack the sub base to a minimum 95% compaction of uniform density and thickness.

Once you;ve compacted your sub-base then distribute clean washed stabilizede sand a minimum 3" deep. Mist the sand with water as you machine vibra-plate the sand to a minimum 95% compaction of soil uniform density and thickness.

Set your forms up for your new driveway 12 ft apart for a single car

driveway and 24 ft apart if you want a two car driveway. The Concrete needs to be 6" thick to meet national building codes requiring that all steel reinforcement encased with concrete a minimum 3". (to prevent hydrostatic expansion deterioration. Where the driveway meets the street you'll need to make the radius a minimum 48". Insert 18" dowels & use #5 rebar rods into the street @ 24" on center with epoxy -maintain an exposure of 9" or embeddment of 9"

Measure 10' ft back from the street and install an expansion joint as per city municipality

building codes. This section of concrete drive needs to have #4 steel Rebar rods spaced

12" apart each way forming a grid that is placed on 3" chairs. All dowels must be a min 9"

(preferably 12" overlap) Tie these grids into you drilled into the street, (3" below

elevation).

If your neighborhood has a sidewalk running through your driveway then you will need to

match the width (48" and insert you form for your sidewalk closest to your residence level

while the form closest to the street needs to have a 1/8" per ft fall.

Your curb and gutter needs to be formed up to continue across uninhibited. The depth

of the curb and gutter should be 12" deep by 16" wide with cont reinforcement.

At this point your ready to install your #3 steel rods in your driveway spaced 15" apart on

center each way and placed on 3" chairs to maintain the 3" encasement.

Now your ready to order concrete. Call a ready mix company (preferably one that doesn't "cut" the Portland cement with fly ash like many of the ready mix companies are beginning to do).

You'll need to order 1" gravel aggregate with 7 sacks of pure Portland per cubic yard concrete with a maximum 4" slump. Once the concrete arrives on site you will need to measure the concrete temperature. It is well known that the chemical reaction of cement with water is exothermic and liberates a considerable quantity of heat during the curing period. When cement, water, stone and sand are mixed together, a chemical reaction

starts. This is between the cement paste and water. In this curing process, the volume of the slab, and the inner pressure/strain exerted on the rebar will change in a fashion that depends on the composition of the concrete mixture.

The curing process is affected by the water to cement ratio, the curing temperature, humidity and the type of cement. Hydration is responsible for the hardening (strength) of the concrete. For concrete, the gain in strength continues for a long time, and theoretically for an indefinite period of time. However, the strength of the concrete reaches a peak within 7days. During this process something else happens. Water in the concrete mixture will evaporate, resulting in a decrease in the volume of the concrete.

The volume of concrete also decreases due to re-arrangement of finer particles within the larger ones. The different proportions of cement, water, air entrainements, admixtures and sand will bring about different temperatures, pressure and strain variations within the

concrete slab as well. The result of the volume change is strain, also known as shrinkage strain, and this is responsible for some small cracks that may appear after the curing process of an improperly optimized concrete mix, also aggrevating the thermal stresses induced during the curing process may cause cracks within the structure, thus weakening it.

The maximum optimum temperature of the concrete cannot exceed 40.2

[TheNiche]

Now your ready to order concrete. Call a ready mix company (preferably one that doesn't "cut" the Portland cement with fly ash like many of the ready mix companies are beginning to do).

What's wrong with fly ash? I've seen amazing things done with it.

[aGoGo]

The city requires the width to be 12 feet on their R.O.W. The concrete depth is 6 inches. City ROW usually runs a few feet inside the sidewalk. Additionally, if you are redoing the drive, they require you to replace the 18 inch culvert in the ditch with 24 inch. 24 inch concrete pipe costs about $31 per foot. Once you are on your property, you can pretty much do what you want.

EDIT: Can anyone tell I was at Permitting last week getting a driveway permit?

We have a corner lot and are looking to permit a circular (actually semi-circular, I guess) driveway with both entrances on the street the house faces. Apparently, there are rules for how close a driveway can be to a corner. I've tried to find them in the code, but it all looks like its up to the judgement (or whim) of the City Engineer. A quarter-circlular driveway with one entrance on each street is also an option, but faces the same permit uncertainty.

Two questions:

1. Does anyone have related experience or have an opinion about whether these types of permit applications are usually granted or rejected?

2. Does anyone know whether there is a way to protest or appeal a rejection? Is there a way to interact with the permit office to find a mutually acceptable alternative?

Thank you.