So, I've got this gravel lot, about 150 square feet of it. I want to level the ground so maybe I could pour concrete or asphault later. I thought about packing dirt, but I don't think that would be resistant to weather. Any suggestions?

I thought of a few options:
1. Rent a Bobcat and dig crap.
2. make frame, pour powdered concrete, then add water and mix in form.

Also, you know those huge concrete slabs they use for driveways? How much do they cost and where can I get them?

Muchos gracias,
Ambert

 

i'd suggest talking to a contractor. This is not a do it yourself project. where are you located?

 

is the end result a level slab of concrete? if so use self leveling cement. stuff is awesome.

 

what' the end result or thing are you looking for?

for a slab, usually, you make forms with wood. level the form and then pour concrete.

use rebar to strenghten the slab.

 

you dig out your area, add a base of type II aggregate (usually to about 90% relative compaction) then add your structural section of concrete to that. for a driveway usually 3-6". rebar is only used for free standing structures, not driveways. rebar gives the concrete tensile strength which isn't needed in a driveway as it deals primarily with compressive forces.

as for those "slabs" you can't buy them you make them. the concrete is poured in place.

as for leveling the ground, stake out your area and use either string or wood and a level to define your finish grade

 

Where do you live? If you're talking about building a patio you'll have to dig below the frost line so that the concrete won't heave and crack. If you're doing that much excavating it shouldn't be much extra work to make sure stuff is flat.

 

I don't know a lot about this, but recently I helped my dad extend the concrete slab in the back by adding a 10ftx15ft slab (we did some other concrete stuff to, but thats the part that seems to pertain to you) First We dug a hole about 4-6 inches deep (I kinda forget) and put boards around the three sides (fourth was against existing concrete). We "leveled this wood (by level I mean graded cuz you NEVER want it to be truly level or water will collect and stand on it which isn't good). We then layed out a rebar structure (it helps prevent cracking, and as far as I know, at least in sunnyvale, is required for any structural stuff (like foundations) and it'l help hold the concrete together. When this was all done, we got a concrete truck (nearly impossible to hand mix, and a mixer trailer thing would've been an option but since we were doing other concrete too, this made it easier and cheaper. Then you go with a long piece of wood and make the concrete level with the frame and existing stuff by dragging it back and forth, then smooth it with whatever those long things r called. Finally since it was a big slab we put one of those break groove things in the middle (using the tool made for it) and voila, we had a professional looking slab in back without a whole lot of effort.

The reason you probably thing that you buy threads is cuz of the fracture joints they put in, they are to make it so when it cracks (no matter how good you are it probably will) it'l crack along these joints and will therefore be invisible.

Hope that helped some

 

Most driveway's I've seen poured use a 4 to 6 inch square wire mesh embedded in the concrete. The wire is about 1/8th inch.

The cheapest way to level the lot (apart from getting out there with a shovel) would be to add more gravel, grade it and possibly compact it. This may also involve getting out there with a shovel but moveing loose gravel is somewhat easier than moveing compacted gravel and dirt.

How long this will last depends mainly on how well the site drains and how well you compact the gravel. Crushed rock compacts more easily and is cheaper I believe. It doesn't drain as well though. If the lot has drainage problems you may need to add some french drains to get rid of the water.

Depending on the site and where you live you may be able to get away with pouring the concrete or laying asphalt directly on top of the gravel without further excavation but you should consult the contractors. It will depend on how much you can practically raise the grade, drainage, how much gravel is there and what's underneath it

Also you may want to consult your local planning department. Some cities have limits on when % of a lot can be paved.

 

I agree with what the other folks posted, but if you want to do it on the cheap, get a bobcat and level it. Then call lyngso and order a load of gravel. Voila, super cheap parking.

 

"self levlying cement"? How come no one else suggested it, this sounds awesome.

Thanks for the reply folks. Ok I'm sorry I was a little misleading in my question. I wasn't talking about my house, I'm actually a student, who started a university car club, and we obtained space (shacks formerly belonging to the physics department) to make a garage out of. The space consists of 2 sheds of approx. 15 x 20 ft. in dimension on a concrete pad.

We want to knock down the walls and connect the 2 shacks, as well as extend the concrete pad so we can work on /park our cars outside.

 

if that's the case, then dont forget to install the rebar and some mounting setup for the garage.

IIRC, earthquake requirements these days say the house/building must be physically connected to the foundation....

good luck on the car club setup. sounds like a hella of a deal with the school... what school is it?

 

I've never heard of it... But you don't want perfectly level cuz it won't drain right, and u'll inevitably get small pools of water, especiallyy as it ages. You want a 1-3% grade so water'll run off it fine. If u've got a bunch of fellow students to build this with, you should be fine, but it'd definently be better if you could find a professor, or someone who's made a concrete slab before. Good luck

 

Really depends on how much money you have to spend. Pads take some work and expertise plus you will most likely want to have the concrete delivered. Probably look at several thousand dollars to have it done.

A cheap and relatively easy solution might be to pour two parallel concrete strips to make a roadway for the car wheels. The center can be dug up to make a shallow pit. Just need to be carful about drainage. This would be easier to do yourselves than a pad and would have the advantage of working under the car for some jobs without the need for jacks and stands.

You can mix the concrete your self in a wheel barrow or on a sheet of plywood. Just need to excavate and buit a form around the strips. You should lay a bas of gravel and compact it as best you can.

You can always break up the strips if you get the money to pave it later.

Just an idea

 

I have used self leveling cement on many projects. The last time I used it was to lay new subfloor for my Mom's bathroom. There was quite a slop and I wanted to lay tile because the bathroom was part of a garage conversion the slop was about 2" over 5'. My contractor friend told me about it years ago, but I was skeptical until I tried it. Just mix it up like other cement, pour it and once it settles you have a smooth level solid surface.

From what you described, basically you want to make a garage floor. Depending on the condition of the existing structure and how much you want keep, you can certainly use this stuff. But it is more expensive than regular concrete. you can buy this stuff at home depot.

Personally, if this is a garage where you will be working on cars, wouldn't you want a level surface to safely put the cars on jacks?

 

also, dont forget about those concrete sealers/surfacers that lays down a layer that gas/oil/etc cant go through.

wish i done that to ours...