Anybody here know anything about cement work
 

Want to add to my patio about 240 sq ft. How hard would that be to do yourself

depends on what your yard is like. the biggest bitch about cement work is getting everything level. ya know you're gonna have to tear up your yard, make sure it's perfectly level. build your frame, pour your cement, and level again.


it's a big project, but certainly something you can do yourself.

you ever do any other kind of home improvement work yourself before?

i would suggest hiring it out if you dont know what you're doing, if you want to get a good job done.

Concrete, not cement.

my wife said the same thing lol

Thank yoU!

lol you beat me to it, its not hard to do figure out, but since you dont have a clue get someone smart

Yeah.... hire that out.. Its a bitch and if ou fuck it up, its very expensive to fix it.

The yanks call concrete 'cement'. Does beg the question though as to what they call cement :1orglaugh


OK, you want to do a patio that big, the depth (of concrete/cement) has to be at least 6inches and it MUST be reinforced if you don't want fick f/o cracks to appear. You'll need welded trellis reinfocement: the main rods should be 10mm diameter (8mm at the very veyr minimum) with connections of 6mm. The concrete/cement should be poured onto a 2-3inch base of 10mm gravel.

A mix of 3:2:1.5 (gravel:sand:cement) will suffice.


Happy mixing

OR, if the patio is reasonably accessible, order it ready-mixed. The lorry turns up and pours it into your pre-dug hole (you'll still need the reinforced trellis mind you)

If you want to do this yourself you can give me a call and I will help you out with the details....If you are handy at all and dont mind getting dirty I would do it yourself, just for the satisfaction if nothing else :)
You can ICQ me (69134267) with your number or ask for mine if you want. May take me an hour or so to get back to you but I will.
There is a reason my nick is what it is....lol

peopel talk about everything here man

good advice to have a cement finisher handle this, especially for patio.

there are certain things you should be aware of:

1. depending on outside temp you do not want to pour when it is very cold (below freezing) this can cause problem with cracking later.

2. the concrete must not dry too fast, you need to keep it a little damp first 36 hours or so for best hardness.

3. make sure the slope is correct, especially for patio, this will require very precise form work (rain water must drain away from your house).

4. make sure the finisher is using wire mesh to avoid cracking, and make sure the slap is think enough, and the sand bed is drained properly---when you bid the job get a thickness spec, and make sure the finishers pull the mesh up off the sand during the pour so it is in the concrete, not laying on the sand bed. for patio work consider using a fancy aggregate top layer or colored layer, this will add value to the home, and not cost too much extra in materials---go to home depot and buy the book on patios---you have many choices.

it could get into the finishing part, but no time now.

main reason you want this done by a pro is that it is a PATIO, not a driveway, and you will spend time sitting out there, and if the job is not good everyone will know, and it will depreciate your prop value if poor job.

Had a few friends that laid concrete for a living, You can do it yourself just remember to use rebars or get that expensive cement with this metal mess shit in it that will prevent it from cracking, its less hassle than laying rebars, really isnt hard to lay it, just some hard digging thats about it, if you can cut some 2x4's and read a level then your good to go, just call a mixing place and have them deliver it and pour it then all you gotta do is smooth it out.

my wife says I cant do it ,we will hire someone. :(Thanks everyone for your imput

does it have to be concrete?
how about patio bricks laid on a sand base....

just hire an expert to DO such job for you...so that there won't be any hassle...
you've got NO worries at all...:)

You might also want to have someone check and make sure you can "add" or if you need to redo the entire patio.

I certainly wouldn't even think of doing it yourself - too many variables involved, especially with the ground below, the right mix, etc.

I don't know why, but it's friday evening, so I picked a random thread from my early days to bump and this just fit the "wtf" bill for gfy - only on gfy can you learn how to seo a porn site and mix a concrete slab for a patio on the same forum :thumbsup:thumbsup

I could help ya do it but its a bigger job than you think....mixing the concrete is back breaking work. the key is to get it level (with a slight slope for drainage) and that means hard work with a shovel.

lmk if ya want me to help ya my kid bro is a contractor he might give ya a better price too

wait...nm thats a 6 year old thread
dammit

How is the patio holding up Tony?

Find yourself a one man crew that knows his shit and then help. You learn and get it done right.

I did say it was fun to bump old threads from time to time :winkwink:

this one amused me cos it shows the depth of knowledge on gfy :thumbsup