How to concrete the side gap of our house?

[kevdjoyce]

Hi 

We have a 300mm at the side of our house that was considering concreting either up to or close to the colorbond fence.

Haven’t much experience in this but willing to give it a crack and see if it works or not but would appreciate any times on simple to mix concrete or what to use and how to set out the form in the narrow gap 

may be hard to see in the photo as still  have fake grass on top but have dug out the channel - was originally laid with bricks and thin concrete that kept cracking. It’s an or two deep and runs from the front of the house to the back along the fence .annoyingly the existing slab also curves at the end to

thanks

kev

[EricL]

Hello @kevdjoyce 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about concreting the side gap of your house.

I suggest having a quick look at this featured project - Side yard access improved with concrete path by @Nham. It's a great example of what your side gap can look like once covered in concrete.

I also suggest having a look at this discussion - How to pour a concrete slab by @tom_builds. The steps shown are very similar to when you are pouring concrete for a path. 

However, please keep in mind that drainage is very important when concreting an enclosed area. There must be a way for water to get out otherwise the water will flow back into your yard causing a flood. There must be a fall on the concrete, this is to prevent water from pooling on the surface of the concrete becoming a slipping hazard. The surface must be rough to prevent people from slipping on its surface.

If the area is prepared properly and the pour executed correctly the concrete should last a long time. Done incorrectly and the concrete will crack, split and sections will sink into the unprepared soil. If the area is quite big, I suggest engaging the services of a concrete trade specialist.         

They will be able to tell you how thick the slab needs to be, and they'll be able to prepare the area for concrete pouring.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @kevdjoyce

Id be paving it, Level the path, gravel base then pavers to be exact. I can see trees nxt door and downpipes against the wall of your place. Only reason I suggest gravel and pavers is to allow water to drain and allow for having to remove it for fixing stormwater pipes (Yes I had to remove my old concrete path)

With the gravel and pavers it stopped water from travelling subsurface wise to under the house I have noticed. The water now takes the path of the stormwater pipe as it ghas gravel in teh chanel as well as 100mm pipe.

Roots from trees are just part of life, roots growing under thin concrete paths with no expansion joints... Well roots will win everytime.

Dave

[Jason]

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @kevdjoyce. We're looking forward to seeing how you can transform this space.

I'd recommend taking a look at our Top 10 most popular side yard projects for some inspiration. 

How to lay paving for a path by experienced member @Adam_W would be a terrific guide if you're keen to go with paving as per Dave's recommendation.

Jason