Building a Driveway

When considering building a driveway yourself you need to realize that it is long, hot, heavy, work. You need to make sure that you have the time to plan how to build your driveway before you even start building it. Planning the driveway is a crucial part of the project. You will need to know how to treat the soil before the concrete pouring company puts down the concrete so the driveway does not buckle and crack, you need to know the local building requirements, if you need permits, etc. Hiring a professional drive way construction company would know the answers to all these questions so hiring them might be a better choice. Although it will be a more expensive to hire a professional they have the experience, knowledge, and tools to do it correctly and correctly.

If you decide that you want to tackle the project instead of hiring a driveway contractor here is what you need to do. The first thing to take into consideration is location, which should be uphill for the best drainage. If this is not possible you will need to install culverts under the driveway, especially if there is a low area of ground around your where the driveway will be built. You may also need copious drainage around your garage. You want to make sure that there will be no water pooling around or on your garage or driveway. If you have a garage the driveway entrance needs to be lower than the garage to avoid water seeping into the garage. The driveway will also need pitch which can be done by creating a high point in the middle of the drive that slopes to the side. Most single car driveways are eight to ten feet across and the thickness of the drive needs to be a minimum of four inches for a regular car.

The plans have to be approved by the planning commission before you can begin to build your driveway. You also need to find out what your local building requirements are so when planning and designing your driveway you following the requirements. There will be codes that will specify what materials you can use, the grade of the driveway, how your driveway will connect to the road, etc. In order to get a building permit to build your driveway you will need to take the drawings of your driveway with you so they can see if everything is up to code.

Once you have all the permits you can start your excavation. You will need to either dig out the area for your driveway or hire someone to do it. You will also need sand and gravel to put in the dug-out area to create a smooth service for the concrete pouring company to pour the concrete on unless you are going to mix and pour it. The sand and gravel will also help with drainage. Many steps are involved when pouring the concrete so at this point it may be wise to hire a driveway contractor to finish building your driveway.