Concrete Driveway - First Time

[crashnscar]

Are there any good threads with a comprehensive do/don't for a first timer putting in a concrete driveway?

I just bought my first house and need to increase it's parking capacity greatly! I've done a good amount of reading on this site, but still am not sure on the best method. I hope to be able to frame it up and lay the rebar myself, then bring in a readymix truck to pour it all. I've attached an overhead shot of my place, the rectangle on the right is where I plan on pouring concrete; yellow line is where a fence/gate will be. I plan on parking my 28' race car trailer behind the fence, and my truck will sit just outside the fence in the newly widened driveway.

Some questions I still have:
Should I do it all as one pour or separate?
I have a brick driveway currently, what is the best way to deal with the joint between these two?
I'm in California, so it doesn't get too cold here. Is there good reason to do rebar or would I be fine just doing a thick slab (say 5-6")?
How much can I expect to pay for the pour (so I know how much I'm getting fucked when I call the first few guys)? (approx 80' x 16' area, assume 5" thickness)

Thanks!
-Nick

 

[brownbagg]

dont do ,more than five yards at a time, that be 20x20. too much and it get away from you. five yards, two people can do on a saturday, no problem. ten yards it get hairy

 

[darkk]

Internet research, lots of it. Curing is critical, read, read, read, then read some more...do it right and do it once.

 

[AETD]

give your local concrete mixer a call. they could tell you what to do with knowledge.
If he cares his truck he will not even bring you one load if there are no workers on site.

Doing this as a first timer, in 1 pour. and no pro workers on site. is a little overkill i think.

 

[Falcon67]

Hire it out - it's too big for you to work. You'll need at least 3-5 guys to do that in the time required. I count nearly 21 yards. Price depends on the area - around here, flat work like that runs $5~7 a sq/ft but concrete is under $100/yd too. And yes, use rebar. The contractor can buy it way cheaper than you can anyway, unless you go directly to a metal supplier.

I planned to to the forming and rebar on my shop. Nearly $1000 in material plus all the *** busting labor. Once I got a price quote, I said "screw that, here's a check".