If you're
a newcomer to concrete projects, you'll find that building a concrete
walkway is a super introduction to working with this hard material.
Concrete walls are well within most do-it-yourselfer's to suit your
situation. You can make it as wide or narrow as you need. However,
in most cases it should not be narrower than 2 feet A walk doesn't
need to be more than skills and the scale of the job is much less
than a project such as a concrete driveway or large patio. The first
step is to design the walk 5 feet wide, unless you have a wheelchair
user in the family. Most municipal sidewalks that front a property
are 5 feet wide , while sidewalks to front doors are from 3 to 4
feet wide. The sidewalk you plan may be subject to local building
codes. Check this with the building department in your community
.
A sidewalk
is almost always 3-1/2 inches thick, although it is called a 4 inch
slab This is because the width of a 2X4 is used for forming the
sidewalk and the actual width of a 2X4 is 3-1/2 inches. The thickness,
of course, can be about any size that you want.
EXCAVATING
PROCEDURES:
The depth of the excavation can vary a great deal, depending on
the climate in your area, the desired height of the walk above ground
level, and the type of soil conditions.
If the
soil is extremely hard and dry packed and you live in a temperate
climate free of ground heave and erosion, you may not want to excavate
at all. In this case, scrape back the grass or roots and debris
and then level out the area for the walk.
However,
contractors usually excavate to a depth of at least 2 inches, skimming
off the sod and some of the top soil. Then, when the 2X4s are set
on edge, the top edge of the form-and also the sidewalk will be
about 2 inches above the ground level.
If, on
the other hand, the soil is wet or poorly drained, it is best to
excavate at least 6 to 8 inches and lay down a base of gravel or
crushed stone that comes to within 2 inches of ground level. The
form board will again extend 2 inches above ground. For example,
if you dug down 6 inches into the ground, you would then need 4
inches of tamped base to bring the form board up to the correct
height. If there is a lot of excavating to do, it is recommended
that you have a professional grader excavate for you. The price
will not be prohibitive; get at least three bids for the job and
a definite time schedule for the work to be done.
To mark
the walk's location, use stakes and two parallel chalk lines. Measure
the width carefully. Excavate an area that extends 6 to 9 inches
farther (or even more) on each side of the location of the sidewalk
so you can have room for the form boards. You can later fill in
against the sidewalk edges.
