Pouring BAGGED concrete for a driveway in sections, DIY. NO CEMENT TRUCK, 24x14. 4 inch slab.
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- Опубліковано 7 жов 2023
- Concrete Driveway in sections.
This was a challenge I could not pass up. The entire space I need to complete is a 24x14 feet driveway or 336 square feet. No cement truck was needed as I felt it defeated the purpose of a complete DIY project. There are too many videos out there that say DIY, but soon after, a cement truck pulls right up, which kills the fun.
With careful research and understanding of the basics, I was able to put a plan together and set everything into motion. This is my first time completing such a large task as I have done similar, but to a smaller scale.
The entire project will take 210 bags of 80 pound concrete, which is more than 16000 pounds. The concrete I had delivered from Home Depot, but not in its entirety as I had to go back and purchase more, making several trips.
The longest part of the project was the framing and setting everything up before I can start mixing. Thereafter, it was the curing process before I can lay another new slab adjacent to the previous one. I have taken careful steps to hydrate the concrete as it was curing. I was not going to take any short cuts with this project.
MAIN Tools I used:
Harbor freight 3.5 concrete mixer (used only once)
Concrete hand mixer (purchased on Amazon and used as my main mixer)
Steel and/or MAG float
Edger
15 gallon bucket
2x6 wood for the forms
Screws, power drill
Plate compactor
As you can see, I was unable to complete the last part of the driveway due the fall season and temperatures dipping down to the 30’s. I will complete the project next spring, 2024. For now, I am able to park my car, completely under the carport for the winter season.
I will give special thanks to my dad for teaching me concrete when I was much younger. Also additional thanks to the UA-camrs:
1. GREGVANCOM (allowing me to use a portion of his video on my channel and the brilliant idea of keeping things simple)
2. REAL LIFE TESTED (who did an excellent job and a much LARGER scale than my project)
3. ZEPLEON (who demonstrated what not to do when pouring your slab)
4. CREATING CONCRETE (who had given me the knowledge and basics of pouring and curing your concrete slab).
Do not ask about DRY POUR. I firmly do not believe that is a proper way, especially when the money is coming out of my back pocket. If I am going to do the project, I might as well do it the RIGHT way and not have to return to it again to do it ALL OVER AGAIN! It may work with some applications, but I was not willing to test the theory with this project.
Any questions/ comments, please let me know. Otherwise, Thanks for watching and I will see you on the next one!
AJ DIY
FYI, I saved close to $3,000 dollars for this project. My three estimates, just for the concrete ALONE was $4,500 on average. With the excavating, forming, tamping, gravel, etc., the total average jumped to $5,500, at best. My total cost as a one person job cost me below $1850. All other tools, I had on hand from previous projects, which I'm not including in the price. I will be selling my harbor freight mixer and plate compacter at the end, which would save me more. Either way, I am in the positives.
#driveway
#concrete driveway - Навчання та стиль
Im a concrete finisher for the past 22 years. I just want to say, what a great job! That’s incredibly hard work and you did it. Well done
I really appreciate that Jeff! Thanknyou very much! Have a great evening :)
This madman actually did it. Wow, Impressive.
lol. Thanks Connor! It was a B--h, but not done yet. :)
Heck yeah! Showing it can be done if you’re not scared of a little manual labor and have some patience! Good job dude!
I appreciate it! :). Thanks for watching!!!
5/16/24 your video is exactly the indepth guidance I require to do my home. Thank you for posting.
That sounds great!!! Thanks for watching James.
You did a phenomenal job brother. Even the little issues are just that… little. It was an ambitious venture and you successfully conquered the task. Fatigue begin to set in and you still persevered. Hats off to you new functional driveway.
Thank you for the nice words, Czar. I should have it completed in the next few days
Thanks for including many important details. Because the details are what make it successful ir a failure.
Of course. Thanknyou for watching!!!
Appreciate you taking the time to share your DIY experience pouring your own concrete slab. I got some good intel from it. I think the curve next time the wall is an added touch to the project! Thanks again for sharing.
Of course. And thanks for stopping by as well :)
Looks good! I Done almost exactly the same with my shop. 24ft x 32ft. Done it in 8x8 sections. Took me two months working on it during the weekends. I used 50lb bags way easier to manage. And what was weird, lb for lb it was cheaper than the 80lb bags! Just finished the last portion last weekend. Pulled in my mustang for an oil change yesterday! It was a ton of work but still way cheaper than hiring it out.
Hey that’s great!!!!! Definately a lot of work. Perhaps I should have used the 50 pound bags due to costs. Just had a delivery of 80 pounds once again. I should be able to finish this off and onto the next project. Have a great day!
Gives you a sence of pride and accomplishment doing it yourself
Absolutely. It does feel good 👍. As long as it’s not too too back breaking. :). Thank you for watching. 🙏
Wow. I can't believe this is cheaper than professionals .
A little time consuming, but if you
Don’t have any rush, then something that can be tackled :).
Brother, you earned that carport :-) ... Good Job!
Thank you max. Thanks for watching!
I will say of all the people I've seen do their concrete you pretty much went by speck and the correct way to do the job. You gave the person quality work that's for sure!
Thank you very much. Though some mistakes here and there, it should last a long while! :). Thanknyou for watching!
Honest Dude. Well done!!!!
Thank you very much. I still have the last section to go….. ughhh. Either way, thanks for watching!
Nice job!
It came out soo good! ☺️ you did an amazing job. Especially for doing it by yourself . & the weather definitely sucks
Thank you for watching! I’m glad the weather got cooler as I was getting burned out from this. Next year, you can help?
Bugger the hardwork. I'm just throwing down some old carpet on the ground for my garage.
You’re a MONSTER! Great job. Thank you for sharing. Now I’m not afraid to try to pour a large driveway, on a hill, in sections.
Thanknyou for watching , Kane. Have a great day!
Minor mistakes but a great job overall. I admire anyone willing to tackle a DIY project like this. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Christopher. I appreciate that!
It looks great.
Well done and inspiring! Thank you
Thank you for watching! :)
Impressive! thank you for sharing and giving me the inspiration to have a go myself.
Of course! You are very welcome!
Dude, boss hog ! WTG, patience and persistence rules the day. thx 4 video
lol. Hey thanks so much! I hope you’re having a great day! Thank you for watching.
You did a phenomenal job! Hard work and patience go a long way! Going to be pouring my carport slab this summer with my wife!
Hey Robert. Good luck with everything this summer. Definately send pics! Thank you for watching!
Nice job. Thank you for the video.
Thank you for stopping by and watching! Have a great day Meopen!
Like the different sizes of slab, looks great
Thank you! I appreciate that!
You did a wonderful job. People saying you could do it cheaper calling a truck and hiring a crew is not always true and has a lot to do with your location. By the time my local redimix company tacks on part load charge and mileage, it increases the amount per yard, to the point you can't afford it.
Thanks Blake. I love doing projects such as this. Reallly keeps me going. Cost definately is an issue for most, especially with location…. I agree! Have a great night and thank you for watching!
Nicely done!
Thank you!!!
Please consider subscribing so I can reach my goal to start donations to the ASPCA and Humane Society!!! Thanks for stopping by :)
Awesome shirt, awesome work! Great video, thanks a ton!
Thank you. Can’t find balut anywhere here! Thank you for watching!
good workout!
Did this about 15 years ago to increase the width of my driveway to park a car. Did most of it by myself. Was over a 100 bags of 80 lbs cement. Now we adding on to the garage and have to redo the driveway since it is torn up for sewer and water line. It will be done by a concrete crew with 4 cement trucks.
Good job. Saved a lot of money
Thank you for watching.
Looks great! I'm halfway done with a very similar project yours looks way better than mine does.
Would love to see how yall coming along! Thanks for watching!
Looks like a good to me, well done!
Thank you for watching, Random!
Wrt the forming method, I am starting exactly the same thing myself this week. 2 slabs: 13' x 10' x 4 inch (outdoor wood working area) which should be good practice for the larger one (22' x 16' x 6 inch where we will park our small tractor).
The reasoning for incremental pours for me is the same as yours : what can I achieve in a single day. If I got a delivery of a full load I would never be able to finish it properly. So, as long as I can get the mix reasonably consistent, we should be good, just as you've done.
I had not seen anyone else try anything like this nothing method, and so am very pleased to see it work.
I was thinking wrt the cutouts to introduce a vertically inverted V shape in case I needed to give the forms a bit of a wobble to lift out ... but your wider-than-rebar-diameter-notching seems to work just fine. So, will keep it simple.
The missus and I will work the mixer, and we use a sand/gravel ballast mix and add 42.5 portland.
We've done 4 foundations for a total of about about 100 feet of 18" x 18" foundations and so we're comfortable with the mixing and pouring.
Finishing is where I am nervous :)
Hello and thank you for the long comment. You are fortunate to have the help with the missus. It certainly sounds like a large project, but most doable. Pace yourselves and definately plan ahead and y’all
Will do just fine. I have done a months research and searching around to tackle pouring your own driveway and you are right. There isn’t much out there. The ones I see, a large cement truck comes at the end of the day. Gets the fun out of DIY…. Yes?
You Are right. Just keep things simple as well. Too many moving parts might pose an issue. Reach out if you have any questions! And above all, best of luck!
Good job. I did 6 individual 5'x6' slabs to make my patio. However, I used a 'Steele Mixer' (youtube it). It's a fully manual mixer that uses no electricity, just gravity & a rocking action.
I also attached a gate handle to the bottom so I could lift it out of the holder and dump the 60# bag when mixed. However, I used 2"x4", not 2"x6". Each slab (30 sq') used about 19 bags.
Hey! Great job!!! That sounds like a task in itself! Would
Love to have seen a vid. Either way, thanks for watching and have a great day!
Awesome work. Thanks for sharing this. I wanna do the same thing. Its just to expensive to order a concrete truck. Plus I would need man power also. Dont listen to the critics it looks good and to most people it looks like a standard driveway.
Thanks Jason. I appreciate that! Best of luck with your project!!!! Take video if you can :)
Awesome. I am making a 20x12 driveway and I’m getting quotes around 10,000. I’ll just do it this way! Good job
Defiantly get some help and make sure the weather is fair that day. I was fortunate because rain or shine, I was under the car port. Best of luck!!! Let me know how it goes!
That’s an insane quote for only 240 sq feet!!!
@@mattt6511 I totally agree.
@@mattt6511 yeah, I'm usually around $7 per sf plus any overage on concrete minimum for small jobs
Not really if it includes material costs and you have to pay employees to do it. A company will always charge you high prices bht hopefully with those prices worksmanship is guaranteed. With that being said i dont have that much money and dont want to make payments so i just bought a cement mixer to do it myself but if your time is more inportant definetley just hire someone.@mattt6511
Well played sir!
:). Thank you!
Really enjoyed your video, great job. Your voice is soothing, making me think I can take on this project 😅
Awesome. If you do, definately take vid!
Thank you for watching!
Great work. I am planning the exact same addition - carport with slab.
Best of luck with your project. Take bid or pics if you can!
Nice video !!!
Thanks for the visit Thomas!
Love the patience and dedication to get the job done. I have mixed pea gravel with bagged concrete to further the amount with good results. I believe you could have wrapped the round pillars with sheet plastic to separate the new concrete from the footer. Always love seeing people work and not just pay someone else to do it.
Thank you for the tip about the pillars. :). Have a great day!!!!
Nice job.
Thank you very much! Thanks for watching!
WOW!!!!! That is ALOT of work! Damn! Glad you got it done! That is awesome that you know how to do that. You can LEARN ALOT by watching other peoples UA-cam videos. I love videos like this & seeing different projects from Start to finish. Construction Projects are the best to watch cause you saw what it looked like at the beginning & then at the end, your like WOW! It's done & finished! I love working on projects. I finally built my own CUSTOM MADE Wall Unit a few years ago & I filmed it, but I did not edit it yet to this day. I have to send you the photos of that project that I worked on during my Summer Vacation in July of 2018. GOOD JOB with the Manual Labor. Like I Said, THAT IS ALOT OF WORK! I am VERY IMPRESSED! Yea, I hate going against The Time & with the weather with getting some projects done. Sucks that you had to stop & then something else happened. We all make mistake in a project & we just gotta learn from them. 🙂
That project left me with a lot of back pain…. Thank god I didn’t pull anything. Just good proper mechanics. I’ve seen other videos out there, but at the end, they call a cement truck to pour the cement. To me, that’s mot DIY. Anyone can build a form and pick up the phone. The titles are misleading too when they call their project DIY. I’m not bashing them, but to me, it’s not DIY. I still have more to do, but the weather started to get too cold. I light do a part 2. Not too sure yet because it will be more or less the same thing. Next year I’m going to attempt a smokeless firepit and a backyard bbq island. It’s in the horizon. :)
Oh god that sucks! Nothing like back Pain! Ooooooo, I don't dig that. Thank god your ok. I see what you mean about the filming part & getting more done without filming. My father has yelled at me a few times cause I was filming a project. When the project includes 2 people, I learned to be careful with how I film my projects. Glad your father was there to help get things started. I hear ya on the weather. It's either a race against time or the weather. That is when things gets tricky. That was me this weekend with the Christmas Lights. Yesterday was way too cold to work on it, then today it started to rain. I don't mind cause I go back to work tomorrow from my week long vacation, & I have til Dec 1 to get all my Christmas Lights Up at my parents house. I try to take it easy now & not over do anything. The more I am up & working, the more my back hurts now. So I hate having back pain for sure now. I just go at my own pace now. I learned not to have a competition with my self when I am working on a big project now. Yea!!!! I can't wait to see this smokeless firepit. I made a nice firepit at the summer place back in 2015. I rebuilt it a few times since then. I gotta get them videos up of my building my firepit. I made it from big river rocks. That was a back killer also for me. @@AJDIYNetwork
I Just Subscribed !! Your Voice is so pleasant!!
Hey! Thanks so much! :). And thank you for subscribing
You did a Great Job!!
Hey! Thank you so much. There is still a little more to go…. Just waiting for the weather to let out I’m unsure if I’m going to take footage of the last part just yet. Again, thanks for watching!!!!
@@AJDIYNetworkyou can just take a time lapse of start to finish. I think that would be really helpful. I want to make some driveway ribbons and I’m trying to get ideas on how to diy it. This is so helpful.
@@lfuentes4098 thanks for watching and best of luck on your project. I am waiting for it to warm up so I can complete mine as well
Good on ya mate!
I’d do the same, except I prefer the wheelbarrow, shovel and 3 bags at a time method 😅
Awesome. I hope your projects goes smooth! Thanks thomo 74
I love it! Thanks for sharing. I am curious about the pricing between bagged and truck delivery. I know, here in Canada, there is a small load fee, if you order under 2 or 3 yards, so, with that said, I would almost like to do the same thing, making my form area just big enough as to not have that fee.
Don't be too critical, I think it looks great !
Hey! Thanks for watching. I have been my own worse critic for sometime! I hope the video helps :)
I’ve seen guys just cut the rebar to fit inside the forms with elevation brackets. Almost looks like wire fence. To connect the slabs they just drill into one slab with three pieces of rebar at three different angles. I think you save alot of time. Saving money by using gravel and sand mixed with concrete.
Looks great brotha motivated to do my own now
Best of luck with your project!!!
A pat on the back and adda boy. Looks good. We are not all professionals and even they make mistakes. Good job and now enjoy.
Thanks mo! I appreciate that. Sometimes we are our own worse critics
Looks good! 😊
Thanks donuts.
Wow insane i was thinking doing concrete for heavy gym structure but after i saw ur video.
Will go for wood since the place is not permanent
Thank you ok for watching! Good luck with your project! :)
i just know some pro is cursing and saying stuff like "youre gonna be sorry in 200 years when it starts to crack because you didnt vibrate it enough." or something like "its gonna crack when you drive your 80 ton vehicle over it because you didnt tie the rebar enough." lol
it looks great btw. way better than the sorry pros my land lord hired to put concrete at my old house. those dumbasses leveled the concrete into the garage instead of away. so when it rained the garage flooded.
Oh geez! Water in the garage is never a good thing! Perhaps their level was a bit off ? ;-). Thank you for the nice comment. And Have a great weekend!
Woof ... 24x8 = bags. It looks great man, but ya feel for ya. I had to pour 48" holes for a deck like 8 of them .. 3 bags I think per hole. Was exhuasted.
Totally. I built my chain link fence down in Texas. That was a bitch in the hot sun!
Two words: Mud Mixer
Worth every penny to rent or buy.
You're welcome.
Nice looking slab!
Appreciate the thoughts around the expansion joint between the pier and slab. Have been wondering how that would be done.
We did have a harsh winter this year, and you can tell the slab did move a little from the freezing and thawing process. However, all is intact and no cracks to the slab or pier :)
I know how hard it is to use a electric hand mixer to mix concrete. I did that with 20 bags for a 5 by 10 shed slab years ago. I plan to do a 10 ft*46ft *6 inch drive way extension and a 12 ft *24 ft* 4 inch shed slab this summer, but I will not do that jobs with the hand mixer again. I purchased a kushlan 6.0 cu. ft. 3/4 hp 120-volt motor direct drive cement mixer and a CENTRAL MACHINERY 7 HP Plate Compactor for the two jobs. I also watched Greg's video you showed, but I am not sure I will be able to use rebars through the whole slabs even though I should be able to use them between sections since the Kushlan mixer is low to the ground, and the mixer will be hard to move within the forms with rebar grids placed. I know the driveway will not be strong as one with rebars all crossed, but I have to do what I can do. Thank you for the video.
Hello passion,,,, omg, 10x46?!?! Yikers! More power to you! I love your perseverance! Best of luck with your new project. Definately take video and send it over! Thank you very much for watching!
@@AJDIYNetwork Yes, the mixer can mix 4 80lbs of concrete bags at a time, and I will only finish 5 or 6 ft*10 ft a day, so the 10ft*46ft will take 8-10 days to complete.
Cost$? :) how much did it all cost
I missed it
it looks good. A few questions, how much did you save and would you do it again?
Hello Kevin. Thanks for watching! I saved approximately $3000. It was a nice challenge that was a bit intimidating, but I wanted to hit it head on. Would I do this again if my next house needed it? Of course, but I would have to recruit a set of extra hands. I had some extra time to spend working on this project. Albeit, it was a little tedious.
nice job! I'm going to attempt the same. did you use expansion joints between the slabs or just along the house?
Hi Steve. Thank you for watching. Only along the house I used expansion joints and around the piers. I could have used it between slabs, but didn’t feel the need as the area was not exposed to direct sun.
Bags are not actually any cheaper than readymix, more expensive usually and much lower quality. If you need to go dirt cheap what you wanna do is buy concrete sand and aggregate from a gravel supplier and bags of cement and mix it yourself.
Looks good. I am working on my front yard right now and I'm still debating between a concrete slab or a paver. I guess that will depend on how much class II roadbase I have left after I completed my retaining wall and synthetic grass.
I noticed you used the drum when your dad was helping but you switch to the drill mixer when you were by yourself. Is it easier to use the drill mixer when doing it alone?
Also how's the compactor that you purchased from Amazon?
Thanks.
I’m selling the drum. I only used it for 26 bags. I’m not tall and lifting the 80 pound bag,,,, or cutting it in half and lifting 40 pounds of concrete into the drum 50 times for one slab is back breaking for me. Some people online make it look easy, but I have to work what I am capable of. I felt the drum was a two person job as the mixer, I can work alone. The compactor works awesome! And a necessity for a job like this. I didn’t want to rely on a hand tamper for such a big project. I’ll be selling that off next year as I won’t be needing it after the driveway. I’m sure I’ll get close to what it’s worth :). Do a vid for your project! It’ll be cool to check out.
@@AJDIYNetwork I'm recording as I go but will need to do voice overs. It takes too much time to record while working on a big project. English is not my first language so I do a lot of retake and I get more conscious in front of camera that's why I don't show my face if I can help it. 😀
Which brand of compactor did you get. I usually rent but you got me thinking, if I can sell it after even for less it will be the same as renting and I don't have to rush. Is it 2 day delivery?
I recorded as I went as well. That way I don’t have to edit later. I must have watched the video many several times and cut out a lot each time. I try to keep my vids less than 10 mins to keep the audience engaged. This one took more than 17 min.
At first I didn’t want to be in the camera either, but my cuz in PI has his channel and he recommended I get in front of the camera to also engage with the audience. My first few vids, you’ll just hear my voice and not see me.
The compactor I purchased on Amazon:
BILT HARD Plate Compactor 2500-Pound, 21 x 14.5 inch Plate, 6.5HP 196cc Gasoline Engine 5500 BPM, Jumping Jack Tamper for Paving Landscaping Sidewalk Patio a.co/d/fT1W92q
I do hope this helps.
Great video. What type of gravel did you use? And how much did you use in one square ?
Hey thanks for watching. I used crushed gravel and some all purpose gravel, which ever is available at the local big box store. I believed in use 10-12 bags per section. Although I did not show video, I made sure i had 4 inches from the gravel to the top of the form. Everything was levels, though I did have some minor deeper areas. I do hope this helps.
Thanks!! I’m pouring a small slab and I want to do it in sections. Is it difficult to pour the second slab up against the first cured slab?? Any advice would help! Thanks for your videos
Hey Joe. It should be fine to pour up against the fresh slab. Be sure it’s cure atleast a few days. When screeding, place a thin piece of something in the fresh slab so it won’t scuff up the surface. I am going to finish up the last section soon. I’ll post some you have an idea what I mean. Thank you for watching!!!
💪
Thank you for stopping by to watch! :)
Just a correction, the rebar is 16 on center….
rally good job, can i know how man bags did you used for all this driveway?
Hi Sarkis, and thank you for watching. So far 150 bags, but I have to more slabs to go come spring. Each slab is approximately 24-25 bags So total with the last two slabs, it is 200-202 bags.
I was thinking of framing out the driveway myself, which I know can do. Hire 3 finishers at $35 an hour (4-5 hour minimum) and a concrete truck which will run me roughly between $1000 to $1300 for the size.
I just feel for all the time invested and money... am I really saving in the long run?
@AJDIYNetwork
@@Senorlatulla I think that will work! I like taking challenges on myself when it comes to creating a larger scale project. This one, though not finished at the time writing you, was going to take time and I was in no rush. If you can hire someone to do your project, then by all means :). At least I have given somewhat of an idea of what you may have done. Please read the description in the video for better detailed cost of what I have saved. Thanks for watching!
Great job! how many bags you use?
Altogether is 25 @ 80# bags of concrete
Per section. 200 bags total.
hi AJ where do you get the material you wrapped around the pier?
Hello. I purchased that at acme, but you can find it nearly everywhere. It’s like a foam expansion joint.
Good form work. A bit early on the brooming. GJ. Mixing that mutch concrete på hand is not fun
Thanks for watching. Yes. You are right about early brooming. Next time I have to wait a bit longer.
Looks good... 7 months later, how is it holding up?
So far so good. I will be adding a second video soon for the last sections. The concrete delivery (free from HD) just came over the weekend. :).
I plan on doing my driveway myself also , can i go slightly wetter on the mix to work it easier?
Hi Chris. Perhaps not as wet. You begin to lose PSI strength if you do. I actually used a fortifier to help with the concrete mix so I didn’t have to use too too much water. I didn’t show it in the video, because I was trying to keep the video under 15 min mark, which I definatley went over by a couple of minutes.
Also, if you make it too wet, the aggregate will Likely Sink to the bottom of your slab, thus weakening it the top layer.
You can, but the wetter it's poured the weaker the final slab
@@bobbymac3696 agree!
Incredible work much respect🫡 .
Thank you very much for watching!!!! I appreciate the comment
Any wet poured concrete slab will out last dry poured counterpart. Great job!
Thank you! I appreciate it!
Is using bag concrete cheaper than just having it trucked in .
Hi! It really depends on the region. Just have to do the math to see what works well for you. Thank you for watching!
do i need to put a rebar for backyard patio?thanks
Hello. It depends on several factors, thickness of slab and size is a couple of them. How big are you making it?
@@AJDIYNetwork 12x21x4
@@hammerridecycling7630 absolutely. If you want, I’ve also seen people using an steel mesh instead. I chose rebar as I will be parking my car on it.
Good luck! You can do it. It takes time, but if you have the help, It would be a lot smoother with the work as long as everyone is in the same page as you. Thanks for watching!!!!
What happened to the mixer you started out with? Also, unless you had to for code rebar is not necessary in driveways wire is all you need in my area professionals never use rebar.
Thanks for watching. I still have the mixer up for sale on Facebook. I did have a few bites, but was too busy with work to respond. I chose rebar for larger slab because I did not want to drill and cut individual holes through the forms to run the wire mesh to attach the slabs together. I did consider wire mesh initially, but felt rebar would be a better way to go.
@AJDIYNetwork I mean, why didn't you use the mixer to finish? Why did you use the hand mixer
@@kr5289 I found it hard to run the mixer being solo. Lifting the bags into the mixer, even cutting it in halves and putting in was back breaking for me. With the hand mixer I just had to pour it in like you saw in the vid. Either way works, but I found it easier with the hand mixer.
@AJDIYNetwork I understand thanks
@@kr5289 of course
Dont you have a concrete plant in town ?😉
Yes, but I wanted to accept this challenge.
You are better off hiring a company to come in and pour it all in one shot. Bagged concrete is like 3-4 times more expensive than ready mix
While I applaud your ambition to do the hard work and get the job done, I would suggest anyone who is trying to do their own slabs to save money should just call a local ready mix company and get the concrete there. The bagged concrete is significantly more expensive and by the time you go that route you use up much of the savings compared to truck mix and if you are buying tools like he did here you are the same price range that you can hire it done for and get a professionally finished job.
Thanks for watching!
Youll never be even close to the smount youd spend paying a crew to do it.
@@treefiddy2470 not true. I’ve been in the business my entire life and I can tell you that is not true. If you reach out to concrete contractors who predominantly work for individuals then you will not get close to the amount but if you reach out to concrete contractors who predominately work for builders then you will find their pricing is far more reasonable given their more production oriented model. You’ll still pay a little more but the difference will not be that great and in fact if you are buying any tools like he did here in the video then you will actually save money.
I have to agree the cost wouldn’t be much cheaper especially if he prepped the area first. Hiring a concrete crew to do the finishing work and using a ready mix supplier would generally be a better product long term. Though kudos to him for putting in the work.
What’s the fun in not doing it yourself? I’ll agree ready mix is generally a better product, but doing anything less than 4 yards (typical minimum order) bagged concrete cost is similar. On 5-17-24, 60# bagged mix is $3.42 at HD in my area. 60 bags x $3.42 = $205.20/ yard.
would have been much easier and a LOT cheaper if you had sand and 3/8 bits gravel delivered... 123 method make your own crete, ditch the bags
True. And thank you for info
You could have fixed that curve in the concrete. You were just too content not to. Nothing wrong with that.
Concrete already cured after it was noticed.
@@AJDIYNetwork You could have torn it all up and repaired it. It's not a debate on whether it could have been fixed. I simply corrected your wording brother because it could have and can still in fact be fixed. It would be more time and effort. I watched the video I'm cognitive and realized as soon as you told us in the video, you noticed after it was cured. You could have fixed it. You still can. Tear it up and pour a proper patch. It's okay you don't want to do the extra work for purely cosmetic reasons. I was just correcting your wording, as it's important. Saying what you mean and meaning what you say is becoming a lost art. I am not interested in replies stating something that was already noted in the video.
@@AJDIYNetwork this finish product looks, by all means, good enough. Some would argue the curve gives it more appeal. Good job either way my brother and glory to GOD!
I appreciate the correction and yes you are right. Perhaps I will take the advice once all is completed with the last remaining slabs! I also just noticed your user name. Thank you for your service, my friend! I actually worked at the VA for four years since I was unable to enlist with the Marines back in the day. I hope you are doing well. :).
Nice work mate, I really wanted to do my driveway but didn't want to do it due to the size, but doing it in sections is the way to go forsure, beats paying a couple thousand dollars for a contractor
Absolutely. Thanks for watching. Hopefully I was able to help out. It is totally doable, just have to have patience. Good luck!
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Fantastic work! Can I ask - how did you ensure that each slab would be the same height as the next? I’d be concerned I would make one taller/shorter than another and they would not be level. Clearly you didn’t have this issue as it looks amazing! Nice work…
Hello! I had purchased a 6 foot level. I was able to to stretch it between each slab to naked sure the FORMs were leveled with each other, but made sure the pitch was lower. That way there is water run off towards the driveway.thank you for watching!