concrete driveway?

[ridenrace6]

what is the standard for residential driveways, 2 inches of rock, gravel or slag and 4 inches of concrete with fiber?
my mom has had a hard time getting someone to do the area between her shop and house which is part driveway and part parking area.
the guy that finally showed up did a poor job or dirt prep in my opinion, doesn’t look level or even at all and used 2x4 studs for the forms and has said nothing about any gravel, rock, etc, and is supposed to pour it in the am.
i’m going to be there to see what is done and would like to know how it should be done.
location is north alabama if that matters as far as weather and temps.


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[jkeyser14]

There is no single answer, other than she should get whatever was in the contract.


Tract home builders will pour exactly as this guy is doing. Someone building to guarantee no problems will put down geotextile fabric, 4"-36" of gravel (depending on soil conditions), and then pour 4"-6" thick rebar reinforced concrete depending on what the customer will be parking on it.

 

[ConCretin]

The amount of base material depends on the quality of the existing soil and the desired grade. There is no need to dig out good soil and replace it with a different good soil,.

Fiber is basically useless for a residential driveway. Fiber combats shrinkage. Steel reinforcing combats movement. Lots of ways to deal with shrinkage. Not so with movement.

Take a look at my Guide to Floor Slabs in the link below for some additional thoughts on the subject.

 

[Renegade1LI]

For a drive way that can potentially see heavy loads I would ask for a 6" compacted aggregate base on top of a good compacted subase with 6" inches of concrete, exp jts at 20' intervals. What makes a difference is the type of concrete used, without a design mix you should see what your town or county hwy dept specs for concrete roadway. The cement ratio, entrained air, amount of water all contribute to how the concrete will fair over time. Even for a residential driveway using the correct mix can make a difference, also use 2.9, 6 x 6 reinforcing mats, don't waste your money on fiber. We pour thousands of yards of concrete for DEP, NYCSCA, MTA projects & I have never seen fiber used. Also once placed & finished it's important to properly cure the concrete, you don't want it drying too fast, a good curing compound applied with a pump sprayer or water & plastic, but keep it wet for a few days. I know this is a lot to ask for from a residential type contractor but you get what you pay for.

 

[ridenrace6]

ok thanks, i see if i can’t get them to put some wire in it and make sure everything is at least 4” thick


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