Busting up concrete patio

[sbump26]

I would like some opinions please on how to remove a concrete patio about 8ft X 9ft. It is not a part of the house foundation, but it does butt right up to it on one side and the patio that is part of the house foundation on the other. The other two sides face into the yard. I would like to remove it because a tree root pushed it up about 3" on the front. The previous owner planted a fast growing tree right off this patio and the tree trunk/roots pushed it up. I cut the tree down a while back, and now I would like to remove the patio and put a deck there. But i don't want to damage the house foundation removing it. Any suggestions? I thought about renting a skid steer front end loader and getting under it and lifting it up, then busting it up, but was wondering if that would put the house slab in a bind and crack it. The other idea was to rent a jack hammer and bust it up into pieces a little at a time. Any other ideas?? Thanks.

 

[SlowlySinking]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

Rent the jack hammer. OR, do what I did, I bought a good quality electric jack hammer and ear muffs and busted up 75 feet of 2 foot wide sidewalk with it, whole job took about 4 hours including loading the dumpster. A contractor estimated $1000 plus the dumpster rental, the do it yourself savings paid for the jack hammer & dumpster and a load of beer/chow for my helpers and some money was left over, and I own the jack hammer to boot. PS: needless to say I was sore for days.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

I find it hard to picture a patio slab being an extention of the house slab. Usually the perimeter of the house slab stops at the outer edge of the footing for the exterior walls. If it is a continuous pour, I would rent a saw and cut it as close to the exterior wall as you can. Even if you can't cut all the way thru it, it will provide a breaking point.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

Leave it there,+ Build Over it.....<br />You'd Never know it's There............

 

[BinLurkin]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

This is good stuff, even Boomer has a point for once. It's gonna' provide the breaking point all right because it ain't all one piece according to anything I ever seen. If your putting a deck on, go for it, right over the top or just cut out a square & sink a support post if you need the assurance. Should be okay. Butt, what I want to know is how to remove the top of a well. It's a concrete round structure about 5 feet in diameter. It protrudes from 0 to 5 inches above the existing patio cement. I want to scrape it off level with the surrounding cement. What's the best way to do this? I am sure I will have to rent something, but what? A jackhammer?

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

There is a tool that looks like a chainsaw with a 14" cutoff whell on it. You canuse it to make the score mark. It can also be used to cut the top of the well off.

 

[ED21]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

One reason for the protrusion of your well above the patio is to keep any surface run off out of the well.

 

[jajeeper]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

I busted up my patio recently. It was very similar to what you are referring to. It is not connected to the house and as long as you are careful, you won't damage the foundation or brick on your house. Your patio will have reinforcing mesh embedded in it. You will have to rent either a concrete saw to cut it into pieces first, or a jackhammer with a good pair of wire cutters in order to get it into managable pieces. Besides tool rental stores, which I don't like dealing with, Home Depot also rents everything you will need, inlcuding a walk-behind bobcat, if you have one in your area.

 

[sbump26]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

A walk behind bobcat sounds interesting. Renting from Home Depot is also better to me than those rental stores. Quick and easy. I think I will rent a jack hammer and the bobcat to load it up into the dumpster I will have to get also.

 

[flashback]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

In most cases, the patio is poured separate from the rest of the home. also it is rare to find reinforcement mesh in the slab. if you have a bobcat you probably won't need a jack hammer, I have seen many driveways just broken up using the bobcat...but renting a bobcat is quite expensive..good luck with your project

 

[DJ]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

I'm in the build over it camp. Been there, done that.

 

[BinLurkin]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

Thanks for the well stuff. The well has long since been filled in with sand & I'm cementing over it now. I have seen those chainsaw like deals with a big carborundum type wheel on it. I even owned one once but had forgot about that. Regards, Been.

 

[dogsdad]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

If you need the concrete busted up pronto, I'll send my nephew over. You can lock him in a room for half an hour with a steel ball and a rubber hammer, and when you open the room up there's nothing left of any of it.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

Leave it there,+ Build Over it.....<br />You'd Never know it's There............<br /><br />

it will make a decent storage place for yard gear.

 

[dhammann]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

Save yourself alot of money by just using a sledge hammer, it is not as tough as it sounds. I busted up my front porch of about the same size in no time at all. Of course this won't work if there is re-bar in the concrete but I doubt that is the case.

 

[timfromfc]

Re: Busting up concrete patio

Busting it up is pretty easy. The hard part can be figuring out what to do with it when you are done. Who is going to load it up? Where will you take it? How much will it cost? Factor those things in if you are also considering having someone do it for you. It may be worth the extra money to have it removed. Your back may thank you too!