The concrete driveway offers a level, dry parking area for your car and enhances the value and aesthetics of your property. Many new neighborhoods even have covenants stating homeowners should have concrete driveways as opposed to gravel or asphalt driveways. The process of laying out the concrete driveway is no walk in the park, which is why you should contact professional concrete contractors to do the job for you. Below is the process of creating your new driveway.
Planning
Despite the fact that you know where you the new driveway will be, the experts will need to consult with the authorities before starting the job. Consulting the authorities provides contractors with a better idea of where sewer and utility lines lie before excavation. Other things your concrete contractor will require from you include:
- Your preferred path
- How you would like to dispose the driveway’s water run-off
- Personal preference on decorations you would like to add to your curb
Cost Estimation
Since concrete can be expensive when purchasing, blending and transporting, your contractor will carry out all the necessary measurements to ensure that the materials ordered will be enough for the entire project.
Preparation
Once the old path has been stripped off, the excavation process of the site starts. The job site is squared off and cleared. With a compactor, the contractor will then level the gravel to about an inch of the ground level. Next, using stakes, the area is marked out and a string, about four inches from the gravel base, is used as a guide for the installation of the forms.
The form boards are screwed to the stakes. Backfill is used on forms to reinforce them against pressure from the concrete. The reinforcement mesh is laid and propped using spacers so that the concrete can flow below it.
Concrete
In order to make pouring of the concrete easier, a path is created for the concrete company’s truck to dump concrete directly on the pad. Otherwise, wheelbarrowing the concrete is quite messy and requires hiring extra hands. A steel rake is then used to spread the concrete evenly.
A trowel is used to smooth the concrete, while finishing is done using an edging tool. Care is needed during the curing process to ensure the finished product is satisfactory. For the best results, concrete driveway construction is a job best left to A1 Pavement Maintenance, a professional concrete contractor.
