Bought a new house and I need to get rid of this concrete to start my landscaping. What’s my best option?

by NOMAD8192

21 Comments

  1. GuardOk8631

    Do you have any other hard ground out there? I’d be inclined to clean it up and put some patio furniture on it

  2. Enough_House_6940

    A jackhammer or sledgehammer, a week, a wheelbarrow, and a large garbage container.

  3. Desperate_Set_7708

    Renting a jackhammer will help you keep your sanity. Think about how you’re going to dispose of it. That’s the second pain in the ass with a job this size.

  4. 1OOcupsofcoffee

    We had some of our driveway replaced recently and the contractor had a little mini excavator with a chain and hook attached to it. The guys would get the hook under the slab, flip it up onto the bucket of the excavator in one piece, and dump it into a dump truck. They were finished with the tear out in under an hour. Hire a professional. If it’s just removal I can’t imagine it’d be all that expensive.

  5. You have alot of shade there, a nice lawn will be tough. Your 98% of the way towards having a pristine artificial lawn surrounded by landscaped plants. You will thank yourself in 30 years for doing this.

  6. MidLyfeCrisys

    Are you 25, strong, and very fit? Sledgehammer, wheelbarrow, pickup.

    35, reasonably strong, no injuries? Jackhammer, wheelbarrow, dumpster.

    45, experienced with running heavy equipment? Rent a mini excavator.

    None of the above? Hire a pro. They will have it all gone in half a day.

  7. Slabcitydreamin

    Pickaxe, and large sledgehammer. Start it one corner and once you lift it up, it will break easy.

  8. electrodan99

    Don’t DIY that. Measure the sqft and guess 4″ thick. For every 100 sqft you have 5000 lbs of concrete. That would be a ton of work.

    I had 210 sqft of driveway removed last fall and it was $575. They brought in a dumptruck, a skid steer with a jackhammer attachment, a fork and a bucket. Took it out in a couple hours.

    I could not have rented a dumpster and equipment for that much.

  9. ProfitNowThinkLater

    With that easy street access, I would personally rent an mini excavator. Be careful about underground lines and your foundation. Alternatively you could hire it out. I really don’t recommend doing this by hand, that is a huge amount of concrete and a ton of weight for 1 person.

  10. OneImagination5381

    Rent a concrete saw, cut it into manageable pieces and stack it out of sight for now. If you have no use for it later, post it as Free on FB AND, Next-door or Craigslist.

  11. OP, please think long and hard about how much energy, effort, and $$$ went into pouring that concrete. Think about whether your kids will ever want a wading pool or other water to play with as others have mentioned.

    ​

    I’d pressure wash the concrete and experiment with groundcovers and such on your already open ground. After a year or two, see what’s working and whether that concrete really needs to go.

  12. nplease123

    Don’t – just power wash it and landscape on the edge of the path.

  13. Old-n-Crusty

    I’ve seen people get a concrete grinder, take it down to expose the gravel/stone, cut into useable sizes, and sell what you don’t use

  14. gagunner007

    Concrete saw or a jackhammer, a skid steer and a roll off dumpster.

  15. Practical-Tap-9810

    I’d clean the cement and leave it, personally. Landscaping can go on the grassy strip, it’s enough space for vegetables for more than just your family.

  16. OldBikeGuy1

    Have been gardening professionally, on and off, for over 60 years. One of the first rules about designing for change is to ‘first’ work with what you’ve got. Second rule is start small.

    On the other hand… I’d bust it up with a sledge, hoping for no rebar 🥴, and put a few rocks in the garbage every week untill…

    It’d be great exercise!. Have a Busting Party!

    Good luck with it all 👌🤞🍀. Have fun 💪👍👌.

  17. Vantabrown

    Hire a concrete company. Thet always do demolition, they get it done quickly. You can really hurt yourself doing concrete demo.

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