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Landscape Design

How to find broken concrete for a patio

15 years ago

I really appreciate everyone who replied to my post on the cheapest way to build a patio. I think I've decided to go with the broken concrete pieces for it. My question is other than Craigs List which doesn't have any for my area how else can I find to get free broken concrete pieces. Also does anybody have any links as to how to prepare my base for doing it this way.

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

7 years ago

"if you do not have experience, you will have problems"

Really?? I doubt the OP from this very outdated thread would have had trouble laying recycled concrete. It is no different from laying flagstone or concrete pavers and both of those are simple, if time-consuming DIY projects. And there are many, many online sites providing very clear directions on how to accomplish this. I am a designer, not a mason, but I have laid recycled concrete for several projects and all turned out great.

btw, these forums are intended to answer questions or provide advice, not to solicit business. If that is your intent, sign up as a Pro and any interested potential clients can come to you!

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Comments (6)

deviant-duhziner
15 years ago
Check with your local recycling centers, masonry contractors and the dump.

Get ready for some back breaking labor.

The weight of concrete is extraordinary heavy - somewhere in the 150 pounds per cubic foot.

Most sidewalks and patios have been poured to a thickness of 3.5 to 4 inches, So this will be the most commonly found thickness ( plus or minus )

Let's figure you found some broken concrete that was 4 inches thick.

The sub base that you prepare is directly dependent on the type of soil that you have and the climate.

In my area we have mostly clay soil , which is highly expansive.
A 2 inch sub base of compacted class II aggregate would work out fine.
I also have no freeze and thaw conditions.

So that means I would have to dig down 2 inches for the setting base ( the sub base ) and another 4 inches for the thickness of the broken concrete pieces in order have a finished grade with the surrounding existing grade.

If you have sandy loam soil you may be able to get away with just a leveling bed of sand, in which case you only need to dig down about a half to one inch plus the thickness of the 4 inch thick concrete for a total of 4.5 to 5 inches.

You'll need a couple of stakes, some string, and a carpenters level as well as a shovel and a wheel barrel.

Basically you're going to dig out the outline of the patio by about 5 to 6 inches, lay in a setting base, lay your broken concrete pieces ontop of the setting bed, level them and then back fill in between them.
After which you will promptly make an appointment with a massage therapist or a chiropractor.
alohamillion123
15 years ago
Our local concrete supplier also takes it back in to recycle, so maybe check w/ your local company. Also, freecycle. org. I rec'd some a couple of years ago...the owner was so happy I was hauling it away that he and his neighbor helped load it =)

Responding to the previous poster: I agree it is hard work but you cannot beat the price...and any patio laying will be very labor intensive so I would not be shying away from this project- just expecting to work hard for a great result.

Good luck! Hope you will share pics once it is completed.
Stacey =)
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Yes to the above! Also consider inquiring through your local Craig's list or freecycle website. Look for architectural/landscape salvage yards as well - they often recycle old building materials. You also might want to inquire with contractors and stonemasons that specialize in drives, walkways and patios - old concrete walkways and patios that are being removed for a new application are a good source of this material and it tends to be of a more manageable and uniform thickness and quality than other concrete demolition.
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Thanks for the offer Botann! I'd like to take you up on that. Just need to figure out the schedule and a good place for the vine maples. I've transplanted the ones I have from my aunt's propery on the south side of Tiger Mountain. So Maple Valley is just around the corner from her place. Doing this I've learned I need to watch the size of the trees. 8-10 ft including the root ball is about as big as I "should" go. And transplanted before leaves are out or after they drop in fall seems to have worked out best for me. I'll drop you an e-mail. Material Sources / Costs As for anyone else. The material is "almost" free. My aunt has used tons of it to build hundreds of feet of retaining walls on her farm. She keeps in contact with an excavator and basically pays for his fuel costs (~$80 / load) to have an entire full dump truck of the concrete dropped off. My aunt would let me take as much as I wanted, no cost. Watch on craigslist, too. Sometimes people will post "broken concrete free, u-haul" or something like that. I also picked up 2 - 3 pick-up truck loads from a lady who was an acquaintence of one of the people working at a local nursery. She had a broken patio she wanted to get rid of. I got the material for free and probably saved her $300 in dump fees for the tonnage. New Concrete Project As it is, I'm planning a new backyard patio design that uses the concrete as regular retaining wall cut into a small bank in my back yard. The trick to getting to look good is to keep the joints tight. I think I've also figured out how to use the Lowes / Home Depot low-voltage lighting system I have to have in-set lighting into the retaining wall. I threw some stuff together in the 3D design software we use in our firm and did some sun/shade studies to determine the optimal location of the recessed seating area to maximize spring/summer shade. Otherwise, the existing patio just gets baked in the sun in the late afternoon. . . . . . . . . . . .
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a couple years ago we posted a question concerning our patio the had an area where about a 6' x 6' area of the concrete had crumbled/broken up ,,, due to temp. or moisture when it was poured? Some one gave a procedure that we followed & the area to this day has held up fine. Now we can't remember the procedure?!! First we cleaned it up as much as possible of the loose rubble & then we remember we poured muriatic acid on the area... but after that we don't recall the next steps we used & the final mix of concrete poured on the area. Would anyone heard of this or have any idea how this procedure worked? Neighbor has the similar concrete problem & would like to tell them what we did! Thanks for any ideas!
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gregbradley
7 years ago
The only reference to the word "experience" or the word "problems" is your own post. Since the last post above your post is dated 7+ years ago, what post are you complaining about. Must be some other thread than this one.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
The response I was referring to was posted on the same day I replied and since has been deleted. It was from a mason offering his services (with phone number!!) with the excuse that this was too difficult a project for a homeowner to handle on their own.

I assume the Houzz powers that be deleted the post as it was pretty obvious spamming to generate business.

It gets a tad confusing when posts are deleted........:-)
gregbradley
7 years ago
Yes, I would not be happy with them for just making it disappear. They should have removed the offending text and stated the reason. THEN it would have all made sense. Sorry to add to the confusion.

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