House

Depends where it’s for,at home we have flags on the the bit the car doesn’t park on and gravel where the car parks,gravel is ok the noise of it crunching lets you know someone is here,as Hc posted it gets everywhere,feckin kids take it on the lawn,put it down the drain,take it inside and paint it etc....

Our one let out in the village has concrete,good to keep clean and no weeds,let properties aren’t great for tenants weeding and such,I did look at dyeing the concrete when I laid it but decided against it due to not having to look at it myself.
 
Depends where it’s for,at home we have flags on the the bit the car doesn’t park on and gravel where the car parks,gravel is ok the noise of it crunching lets you know someone is here,as Hc posted it gets everywhere,feckin kids take it on the lawn,put it down the drain,take it inside and paint it etc....

Our one let out in the village has concrete,good to keep clean and no weeds,let properties aren’t great for tenants weeding and such,I did look at dyeing the concrete when I laid it but decided against it due to not having to look at it myself.
I studdied dyed concrete and its not an easy job.
Ideally you need to lay most of the slab as normal, and top it off with dyed stuff. As more than one mix may vary in colour.

Unless you can get enough in one load of course.
 
chunky grips under your boots etc drag the chippings everywhere
we were finding them in the house in the car in the pickup absolutely everywhere

was glad when i tarmacked the drive
X2 on the chips getting everywhere.
I concreted a path and patch in front of the door. Gives the chips a chance to fall out.


One advantage of a big solid surface os that it's good for kids when the grass is too damp.
Good for bikes or skateboards, whatever really.


No matter what is there it will need some kind of cleaning.
 
Just went with gravel here when we built 10 years ago.

No kerbs, just ran the lawn down to it.

Nice looking, no issues with water and drains, cheap.

Just spray for weeds a couple of times a year. Have footpath on back & sides of house. I’m glad I didn’t do a path along the front.

View attachment 80681

I was of the opinion that all new build houses had to have 1 metre footpaths , and wheelchair access, eg if necessary a ramp ?

Looks very very well what you have there . Like an older farmhouse .
 
I was of the opinion that all new build houses had to have 1 metre footpaths , and wheelchair access, eg if necessary a ramp ?

Looks very very well what you have there . Like an older farmhouse .
Perhaps they do? I don’t recall that requirement when we were building.

Thanks, we’re getting there. I’d like to have more time to give to the garden, all in due course.
 
Recently got planning approval from kildare county council, one of the conditions is a gravel driveway, no tar mac or concrete!
 
Recently got planning approval from kildare county council, one of the conditions is a gravel driveway, no tar mac or concrete!
They probably want to reduce the amount of rainwater runoff onto public roads. (& they know that you’re a gentleman).
 
They probably want to reduce the amount of rainwater runoff onto public roads. (& they know that you’re a gentleman).
No public roads near this place, up a private lane but yes that could be the logic, to be honest I wish they spent more time on things like that than all the messing that goes on with local needs etc, some god awful ugly houses built around here in the last 10 years!
 
What depth of concrete would want to be laid for a yard in front of a house? It would be mostly cars and jeeps on it parking and turning
I think you would need 6 really, the problem is you can never say never as regards heavier gear going on it (even as a once off) so you need it to be able to withstand it
 
Choose you chippings wisely.approx 20 mm broken chip is ideal. Wont stick in shoe grips and won't roll.in to lines like round chipping
 
We always recommended 5-6”, you will maybe have an oil lorry or septic tank lorry on it at a time, these are also important when laying out the drive and turning areas

would there ever be any need to add reinforcing steel mesh to the concrete ?
 
One third of the dept up from the bottom if you have one layer of mesh I believe is the correct height for it.
 
One third of the dept up from the bottom if you have one layer of mesh I believe is the correct height for it.

The upper third according to this

https://www.forconstructionpros.com...e-concrete-slab-on-ground-to-control-cracking
Location of reinforcement
Steel reinforcing bars and welded wire reinforcement should be positioned in the upper third of the slab thickness because shrinkage and temperature cracks originate at the surface of the slab. Cracks are wider at the surface and narrow with depth. So, crack-control reinforcement should never be positioned below the slab's mid-depth. Reinforcement should also be placed low enough so saw cutting does not cut the reinforcement. For welded wire reinforcement, the Wire Reinforcement Institute recommends steel placement 2 inches below the surface or within the upper third of the slab thickness, whichever is closer to the surface. Designers typically specify the reinforcement position by specifying concrete cover (1 1/2 to 2 inches) for the reinforcement.

Positioning a single layer of reinforcement in the center or at mid-depth of the slab is not recommended (except for 4-inch-thick slabs). This is an all-purpose location where the designer hopes to increase the load capacity of the slab in addition to provide crack-width control. However, positioning reinforcement in the middle of the slab will not effectively accomplish either objective.

Steel reinforcing and welded wire reinforcement should be supported and sufficiently tied together to minimize movements during concrete placing and finishing operations. Otherwise, reinforcement may not be properly located in the slab. Support reinforcement with chairs or precast-concrete bar supports. Chairs should have sand or base plates and bars should have at least a 4-inch square base to ensure they don't sink into the subbase. Use support spacings that ensure reinforcement does not sag between supports or is not pushed down by foot traffic or fresh concrete. Flexible reinforcement including welded wire reinforcement requires closer support spacing. In addition to specifying the type and amount of reinforcement, designers should specify the type and spacing of supports to ensure proper positioning of the reinforcement.

Welded wire reinforcement should never be placed on the ground and pulled into position after concrete placement. The "hook and pull" technique always results in improperly positioned reinforcement. How can workers uniformly "hook and pull" welded wire reinforcement into the specified location while standing on the reinforcement?

Reinforcement partially buried in the subbase does not provide crack width control. Without supporting chairs or pre-cast concrete blocks, reinforcement typically ends up in the bottom of the slab or buried in the subbase.

Placement tolerances
Vertical placement tolerance for reinforcement in slabs-on-ground is ± 3/4 inch from the specified location. For slab thicknesses 12 inches or less, the concrete cover tolerance is - 3/8 inch measured perpendicular to the concrete surface and the reduction in cover cannot exceed one-third of the specified cover. In many cases, the cover tolerance overrides the vertical placement tolerance. Properly placing and supporting reinforcement will help ensure compliance with these vertical placement tolerances.
 
That is a well detailed article. I had always thought it was in the bottom third so that it was in tension with loads on top.
I stand corrected.
 
I remember talking to an Engineer that was building a Jetty in Waterford and the foreman kept putting the steel in the middle of the concrete columns to keep the sea water away from the steel.
 
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