driveway removal
Whether planning to remove your driveway or make a few changes, it’s essential to learn how to do it properly. Removing a driveway is a daunting task, but with accurate preparation and knowledge, you can get the job done with minimal effort.
In this blog post, we’ll look at some tips for removing a driveway that will help ensure the process goes smoothly.
1. Understand Your Driveway
Knowing what kind of material your driveway is built of is the first step towards removing it. Most driveways are made of asphalt or concrete, though materials like brick or stone may also be used. Knowing the type of material will help determine what tools and safety precautions need when removing the driveway.
2. Decide If DIY can Work (and Worth It)
Call a concrete removal Melbourne professional to see whether any utility pipes are underneath your concrete slab before you start chipping away at it. If so, you’ll need a local expert in concrete removal to do it for you.
You can save money by doing a DIY job yourself if it requires renting a jackhammer, a heavy-duty wheelbarrow, or a construction dumpster and providing another pair of hands. But to guarantee safe removal, you’ll need to be skilled in DIY tasks and at ease using a sledgehammer or jackhammer.
However, it can make more sense financially and practically to let the local concrete firm remove your existing concrete if you’re employing them to install new concrete.
3. Select the Right Tools
The finest instrument for you and your do-it-yourself concrete removal endeavour is one of two hammers: a sledgehammer or a jackhammer. Experts of concrete removal in Melbourne use sledgehammers to break concrete slabs that are 4 inches thick or less. It’s always worthwhile to put it to the test for yourself when you’re preparing.
You are attempting to determine if the top layer is being broken into little pieces by the sledgehammer or if any large cracks appear. Consider hiring a motorised jackhammer if your labour takes more than a few minutes to provide results (such as with little chunks of concrete) or if the concrete is thicker than 4 inches.
4. Plan Disposal
After considering all the steps mentioned above, you might have removed the concrete. Although it would seem like a simple fix, you cannot simply throw the concrete out with your trash for rubbish pickup.
You are not, however, forced to continue with it. Following DIY removal, you may dispose of concrete in several different ways:
- Rental of construction dumpsters nearby
- No-cost curbside pickup
- Use a recycling service for concrete
- Call a regional rubbish removal business
- Self-transport it to a dump
- Use it in new ways around your house and yard.
5. Phone a Friend
Even when you might be eager to remove your concrete, the work is physically demanding and can easily result in fatigue. Because of this, the professionals recommend DIY. Contact a few family members or friends that can help you out. Once the concrete breaks up, one may concentrate on hauling it away while the other prey it apart.
6. Control Dust
Crystalline silica contains concrete dust that can cause silicosis, a lung condition. So, in addition to wearing protective gear, you may spritz water to reduce the dust and concrete particles.
To hold dust and concrete until you are ready to pry it, you may also cover your work area with a 6-millimetre plastic polythene sheet.
7. Prey Concrete
While prying may appear to be an additional step, it may ease the procedure and save you time. Prying helps break big chunks of concrete into smaller ones and isolates it from its support system—sand or earth. As you pry, exert a little force to drive the pry bar into the broken line. You’ll have some room to manoeuvre to make separating the components easier.
8. Prepare Wire Mesh
Many concrete slabs have wire mesh or rebar for reinforcement, which makes them essential to disassemble quickly. Bolt cutters are required to cut through the wire mesh as you go, and a reciprocating saw should be adequate for cutting through the rebar. By cutting off a portion of the edge and peering beneath, you may determine if you have wire mesh or rebar.
9. Hauling Equipment
You will need a wheelbarrow to move concrete debris. A lightweight model won’t hold up for more than a few loads. Additionally, we advise splitting up the loads and taking turns with your coworker.
Otherwise, once you start the DIY project, you won’t be able to finish it and will have to drag yourself away with the wheelbarrow rather than the concrete.
Renting a fuel-powered wheelbarrow may be worthwhile, depending on the route and the expected amount of debris. By doing it this way, you won’t need to lift the concrete and move it; load it into the wheelbarrow.
10. Take Breaks
Jackhammers are challenging to control, concrete is heavy, and swinging a sledgehammer requires a lot of muscular effort. Take frequent pauses since no component of DIY concrete removal is simple. Even if you’re in a hurry to finish the task, working too quickly might cause you to handle the concrete or tools incorrectly, which could result in harm.
When your body tells you it needs a break, take a few minutes—or hours—to unwind, sip some water, and then resume your workout. When you return, the concrete will be where you left it.
Contact P & S Concrete Removal for Best Results
Removing a driveway can seem intimidating, but with proper preparation and research, anyone can do so safely and effectively. By understanding what type of material your driveway is composed of, gathering necessary tools for removal, researching disposal methods beforehand, and hiring accurate concrete removal services in Melbourne, anyone can save time and frustration when taking on this project! With these tips in mind, anyone can confidently tackle their next driveway removal project.
