Denver Decorative Concrete & Custom Masonryi have concrete out my back but want to change to patio slabs ive no skills in this but want to try it. where?
im putting down the big square slabs on top of the concrete out the back as its all broken and very unlevel do i need to put a fall in the slabs towards the drain and how do i slab around the drain ie bring the drain up level with patio there is also a sewer drain pipe
You lost me after I’m putting
Write a fricking story.(in other words twice the amount of wording and think clearly on each part.) Half a story doesn’t cut the mustard.
Use punctuation like a comma or period. This is a ramble.
So I am not helping until I know exactly what the heck is going on.
Use two X six form board on all sides unless u are abutting against concrete foundation.
Your old concrete busted up because it sat on a soil base. Use gravel under your brand new pad as it will give a permanent base. Use good two X four stakes driven well into the ground before u put in the gravel base. Cut the stakes to a point so u can drive them into the soil. Use an 8 pound sledge to drive the stakes. Use three inch dry wall screws from the outside the stake for easy removal of form boards. Most companies who sell ready mix concrete have a minimum of 3 cubic yards. Install 1/2 inch re bars about 3 feet apart and full length the other way, not touching the form boards. shake the rebuses a very little so the concrete will adhere to the bars. Put pieces of brick or stone under the re bars before pouring so the re bars are up off the rock fill. If u are using a power finisher, tell the concrete Company to NOT use air in the mix as it won’t finish well with a finish machine. More on drain info.
You have a couple problem you will have to address. 1. What type of pipe is used for the drain? You will have to add an extension onto it so the drain cover is flush with the brand new surface. 2. Any water that gets under the slabs will NOT go down the drain.
It would be best that you hire someone to bust up your present concrete, remove it, and pour new. While the brand new is setting up they can imprint designs in it that you will be hard put to tell it’s not the real stuff. That way the pitch toward the drain will be taken care of.
If you want to DIY then you should break up the old, remove it and hope you do not break the drain pipe. Add sand, tamp it down and then lay your slabs around it. Lay your brand new slabs such that a corner of four slabs can be chipped off to form a hole for around the drain pipe. Make a paper template of the hole size. Lay four slabs together with the separation that you want between them. Place the paper at the junction of four slabs and trace around it. Using a saw with a blade for cutting concrete very carefully cut that hole out. You can first cut off the corner of each then cut many cuts to form the circle. They make hole saws for doing just that. Since you need a taper toward your drain the hole will have to be at the corners.
Make sure that after you have tamped down the sand you scrape off enough to give you a taper towards the drain. Most levels have 2 marks at each end of the bubble. For level the bubble is between the inter 2 marks. For a slight taper the bubble should be touching either the very right mark or the very left mark. That is a one or two degree slope. Check your level for the marks. When tapering the tamped sand just sit the level onto a straight 2×4 and watch it as you scrap off the excess sand.
A lot of work that is going to end up looking very bad if you do not get it right…..hire someone.
lost cause there dude.
you have no skills remember.
this job is for some adult that has been on this earth long enough and has years of experience.
have a great day
I think I know what you mean (maybe not!).
Is the drain yours? I have 2 covers in my garden. One is mine and 1 is shared. The shared 1 belongs to the water company and I can do nothing with it unless I fork out a fortune to get them to do work to it.
When patio slabs were laid on the concrete surrounding my house, sand and cement was used.They could then be levelled correctly. Over my drain cover, I have changed the cover – you can buy ones in which you can insert patio slabs so it blends in. Over the water boards drain cover, all I have done is laid slabs over the top with sand as a bedding. They’re not cemented down, so if access is needed to unblock the sewer (happens occasionally), they can just be lifted and put down again afterwards.