primitive wants to move sidewalk

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x7067

Oh my.

The primitives, as usual, making life more difficult for themselves than they have to.

TheBorealAvenger  (1000+ posts)        Mon Nov-17-08 09:17 AM
Original message
 
I have the pinch bars. Now, how do I move a sidewalk slab?

Hi all. I have a tilted sidewalk slab that accumulates water on top of it during a rain. I want to lift it up, move it, put some sand under it, and set it back in place.

I am imagining prying it up and sliding it onto the next segment. I am imagining using logs for rollers as I vaguely recall doing at a friends house. Or maybe we could just lift it up from one side like a trunk lid while we work on it.

It is a small sidewalk panel, maybe 2 feet x 4 feet. Any ideas?

Lift up the slab with the hands, kick some dirt in underneath it, and then lay down the slab again.

One minute, tops.

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Mon Nov-17-08 11:42 PM
Response to Reply #2
 
3. Have you thought about floating over the top of the entire slab ?

Take a look at some of the concrete refinishing products. There is some fairly new stuff around that dries quick and is made to correct that problem.Concrete products have come a long way in the same way latex paints have. Take a look at home depots repair/refinish concrete line and get yourself a consult. By the way, why is it that the slab is tilted do you think? I ask that question because there is a reason and I wonder if you have thought about that.

Given the size of that slab ,if you are insistent upon putting sand under it to bring it back up to grade, you might be better off just propping one side at a time up,and put your sand in there . Unless you have enough man power to actually manipulate that slab.

And of course you break it,and you will be doing patch work with concrete anyway.

How hard is really to build a 2 ft. by 4 ft. form and mix up five six bAgs of sack crete,or ten or twelve !, in a wheel barrel and float in a new slab.Or rent a cement mixer. I ask this question because ,it is most likely easier to poor a new slab than it is to level or bring your existing slab back to grade.Although I may be wrong.

Now, with some of the new stuff I recently did a driveway repair as a result of a greater plumbing problem, the thing of it was ,it was all and important that the drive way be usable asap and sooner. The tall order came from a star client . VIP. So I told them about this stuff that you can drive on in three hours at about 20 dollars per 55 lb' bag ! Used about six of those, there there about ,that should tell you the size of the patch. Added a little black concrete dye to bring it in a close as possible to the existing concrete ,and to them it was perfect. Grant it now the patch ran along the edge and close to the foundation ,so,it does not draw the eye to it. Here is the thing, it all took less than five hours.The plumbing situation is a different story.

Bottom line, functional driveway was more important than beautiful perfect concrete patching. And I found out the product does what it says it does. No cracking, no shrinking ,drive on it the same day.

Why don't you go to home depot and get a consult ?

TheBorealAvenger  (1000+ posts)        Tue Nov-18-08 06:15 AM
Response to Reply #3
 
4. Our plumber dug a hole next to the slab and the sand under the sidewalk squeezed into the hole

...after the hole was dug. Henceforth, the slab sunk down a few inches and tilted in such a way that water ponds on half of the sidewalk slab. I hope that one to three inches of sand will bring the sidewalk slab back up to grade level.

JimDandy  (1000+ posts)      Tue Nov-18-08 09:32 PM
Response to Reply #3
 
10. It was like that when we moved in.

The sidewalk has dirt level with its right side but on the left it is a foot above the ground level next door. There is another sidewalk that perpendicularly abuts the slanted section of the main walk. This one slanted section has had the sand and dirt washed out from under the left side. (Perhaps from the pressure of the abutting walk?) This made the left side sink and the right side rise. I slide right off of it when it's icy, unless I hold on to a fence post - really dangerous.

sam sarrha  (1000+ posts)        Tue Nov-18-08 10:21 AM
Response to Original message
 
5. pry it up a little low side, block it, repeat other corner, add some to the fulcrum.. 

repeat till it is up enough to level underneath. pry up,remove blocks a little at a time to lower it level in place.. if it is a little high water it..jump on it.. if that doesn't work.. repeat

have some 2x4 or better 2x6 an 1x4 pieces for blocking, check and make sure its stable as you go

this is assumong it low.. if it has a high corner, block it up and remove dirt.. just use a metal bar or pipe to rub the surface down, brush out the lose material.

Robb  (1000+ posts)        Tue Nov-18-08 10:27 AM
Response to Reply #5
 
6. Yup. And at least two good prybars

Every time I pry something, it takes me about ten minutes to remember how much faster it goes when I have one in each hand.

The robbery primitive must be a wimp; can't lift up a tiny slab with his bare hands.

TheBorealAvenger  (1000+ posts)        Tue Nov-18-08 04:19 PM
Response to Reply #5
 
8. Just go "straight up", is that it?

Please understand that I need to raise the whole slab up by 2 inches, and ~4 inches on the "low" corner.

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Tue Nov-18-08 10:09 PM
Response to Reply #8
 
11. You might rent a concrete saw

do a cut and pry it completely up in two pieces. Than do the leveling at ground level.

Than reinsert the slabs.

[JohnnyReb]

2'x4' maybe 4" thick ('bout standard for household sidewalks) ....hmmmmm..... Hell, someone has already stated the cure....PICK IT UP....WHIMP! Dig a little hole under it on the short side and pick up one end, walk it along by rocking and twisting from corner to corner....sheeesh. I'm old and useless and I believe I could do that. 

Oh, excuse me, you're a DUmmie. You need to call the gummint for help.

[Chris_]

2'x4'??? Log rollers to move it? Sheesh.
Sounds like a pick, a brick and one's foot will do the trick.

[formerlurker]

If the sidewalk belongs to the town/city then he can't touch it, and if he changes the flow of water by making his dirt adjustments and that change is to the detriment of his neighbors or the city/town, then this halfwit is s-c-r-e-w-e-d.   

He should contact his DPW department to ascertain what his options are before he does anything.