School me on replacing a driveway slab

[Cooler]

Whatever you choose, make sure that the concrete arrives early in the morning.

My parents had a new driveway poured.  The concrete arrived late in the afternoon and the workers had to smooth the surface after it got dark using their truck headlights for a light source. 

I think it compromised the surface finish, which looked just "OK".

If it is done in the summer that should not be an issue, but the days are getting shorter so specify that they pour early.  They may object because as soon as they get the form and the reinforcement rebar and mesh they are going to want to pour and get going.

[TDKPE]

If it is done in the summer that should not be an issue, but the days are getting shorter so specify that they pour early.  They may object because as soon as they get the form and the reinforcement rebar and mesh they are going to want to pour and get going.

Good point.  When I was doing slab work, especially sidewalks (many many moons ago), we'd place concrete first thing in the morning, then start digging, placing compacted stone and crusher run, and forming for the next hundred feet (or whatever) for the rest of the day.  Every day.  The crew thinned out as the finishing and edging progressed, and moved on to the next run of forming.  Also left more time for curing before tenting for the night, to keep the street urchins from writing in it.
 

As to the OP's slab, it's really pretty small and easy, as slabs go.  I'd do it myself, with a couple of dudes for help with rakes and screed, but that's all the help that's really needed.  Floating, brooming, and edging is nothing, assuming it's a single slab without expansion joints in the middle, and assuming he has a bull float.

[daveferg]

Unless you plan on removing the suspect tree/s, you might thing of pouring in separate sections or go the paver route. Either way would allow for easier repair of future root damage.

[mike4244]

Mark, unless you have done this before I would not try it. Not a large slab but large enough to make you wish you had never tried it.  You can save a few bucks by breaking up the existing slab and getting rid of the tree roots.

mike

[daddo]

There are things I would have tackled years ago, but today- not.

I needed 160' of privacy fence on one side of the back yard- after imagining all those holes with root and bags of concrete and cedar by's and pickets and metal posts- I hired it out. What would have taken me a week to do, they got done in two days and did a much better job than I could have done.

[MikeBob]

There are things I would have tackled years ago, but today- not.

I needed 160' of privacy fence on one side of the back yard- after imagining all those holes with root and bags of concrete and cedar by's and pickets and metal posts- I hired it out. What would have taken me a week to do, they got done in two days and did a much better job than I could have done.

Yep, me too, older and wiser knowing are limitations as hard as that is to take, and hopefully a bit more $ in or pockets now to hire it out then when young and capable!!!

[EricU]

If I find myself asking if I shoud DIY or hire out, then the answer is obviously hire out.  For one thing, LOML is a lot more tolerant of a contractor dragging out a job than she is with me. I guess I have a history of taking too long or something. I live in an area where even moderately competent companies can chose their jobs, so hiring someone can be frustrating.  That's why I ended up replacing my chimney cap, just as one example  of a job I didn't want to do myself.  Couldn't even get a mason to return my calls.  A 4'x2' piece of concrete like that is about my limit.  And in the tropical jungle of Central Pennsylvania, where 7 days without rain causes drought warnings, you know it's going to start raining as soon as you get the old concrete out.  Gotta get up there and see how that cap is doing, the FHB article I followed said that they only last about 10 years.

[Cecil]

Eric said ==>>bit more $ in or pockets now to hire it out then when young

That, for me.  I did a lot of things out of necessity when I was younger.  I would do the cement work as described, but I have done a reasonable amount of various masonry work since I was a child.  I think the key to this thread is, if you are asking, then don't do it, unless you are working with someone with some experience.

[Wood'N'Scout]

Early this summer I wanted to do an overlay on my pool deck.  However there was one 6X6 section of wood decking that needed to be ripped out and replaced with concrete.  I asked the guys hired to do the overlay and they told me they didn't do concrete!  I called a couple of contractors I knew and they were all too busy or my job was too small.  So I borrowed a mixer and went to Menards and picked up the necessary bags of concrete mix.  My friend and I loaded the concrete bags, unloaded them at my house, mixed and poured the necessary concrete, and finished it with a broom finish.  The next week the overlay guys did their thing and you can't tell my work from the rest of the deck.

I had my hernia surgery about 6 weeks later.

[EricU]

there was a broken out section of sidewalk in the backyard of my mom's house that she never got fixed.  I looked into fixing it, and the number of bags of concrete required was ridiculous, 38 or something like that.  The realtor told me not to bother and we filled it in with rocks.  I probably would have had a hernia too.