Driveway DIY - What You Should Know!

Digging up the driveway is an ambitious task; it requires a lot of work but the rewards can be great. Whether you need to replace your cracked old driveway, lay down new lawn, build a fence, pool, or an addition to the house, digging up the driveway can be the perfect way to change the whole landscape of your section and rejuvenate your home. Getting in professionals to do it can be expensive, especially when with a bit of hard work, the right gear and a few mates you can get the job done yourself. Before you start digging up your driveway, there are a number of important things to consider before you begin. 

We'll cover: 

Tip 1 - Know What's Below 

Tip 2 - Think About The Volume of The Debris 

Tip 3 - Think About How to Dispose of Debris Responsibly 

Tip 4 - Choose the Right Tools for The Job 

Tip 5 - Safety First

Tip 6 - Round up Your Mates

Get Started

Tip 1 - Know What's Below 

Digging up a driveway is certainly a hard job, but something that makes it far more difficult is hitting a water pipe and causing thousands of dollars in damage in the process. Knowing what’s below your driveway is an important and essential first step of knowing whether you can dig up your driveway or not; imagine the horror of destroying a pipe, cable, or your Grandparents hidden time capsule. Luckily, you can easily find out what lies below your driveway and property; beforeudig.co.nz is a free online service that lets anyone planning any excavation works find out what exactly lies beneath the ground that they plan to work on. Knowing what’s below can seem like a chore, but five minutes is all it takes to ensure that that water pipe isn’t hit!

Tip 2 - Think About The Volume Of The Debris 

Driveways are big, and the bit of concrete you see is only the surface level; your local rubbish collector can’t conveniently come and cart it all away. Thinking about the volume of the debris and planning a way to get rid of it is a necessary precursor to creating the debris. There are a handful of tools out there to help you work out the exact volume of the debris you’ll make; volume and weight can be worked out through online calculators. Concrete breakers or jackhammers, as well as a variety of other tools can be utilized to help break the concrete into small pieces to make it easier to dispose of, but either way it is important to first know the exact volume. When it comes time to refill areas of your driveway, this knowledge will come in handy- concrete suppliers in NZ charge by the m³ (cubic meter), so make sure you know the exact volume that will need to be refilled.

Tip 3 - Think About How To Dispose Of Debris Responsibly 

Now that you know how much concrete needs to be broken up, it’s best to start thinking of ways to get rid of it! Thankfully, there are several ways that concrete can be disposed of (even if all of them are slightly more difficult than simply passing it over to the local rubbish collector). 

Hire A Skip Bin

Skip bins can be easily hired from most towns and can be a convenient way of getting rid of your broken up driveway (just make sure it is broken into small pieces, as lifting large chunks of concrete into the skip is never going to be easy work); 

Hire A Trailer And Transport To The Tip

Hiring a trailer and using this to transport the concrete to your nearest landfill is another option if you’re tackling this project over a weekend. Hirepool have a range of trailers for hire, but it pays to check that your vehicle and trailer can safely transport the weight of your debris. Be sure to give your local landfill a call to check they can accept your materials. 

Recycle Your Concrete  

If you’re breaking a large area, you could consider recycling your concrete; you may be surprised to learn that buyers on TradeMe may be interested in using your debris for their own project. Broken concrete can be used by local landscaping companies, nonprofits and community groups, or even other DIY’ers for projects like garden paths and walls. If you do find yourself stuck for options, reach out to your local council for advice; they will often know handy contacts that can get rid of your unwanted concrete for you. 

Tip 4 - Choose The Right Tools For The Job 

Now that you’ve sorted the preliminary stuff out, it’s time to contemplate the job itself! Finding the correct tools for any job can be a hassle; purchasing them can then be unnecessarily expensive, especially as you try and shop around to find the cheapest options. Hiring the tools that you need instead can be an efficient and far more cost-effective option; Hirepool can provide you with a single place from which you can obtain just about any tool you could ever dream of. Just some of the essential tools you may need include concrete breakers, which do exactly that- break up concrete easily; angle grinders, which can cut pavers, tile and stucco; sledgehammers, which can be used as large heavy hammers to break up concrete easily; and wheelbarrows, which you can use to ferry concrete in. To use these tools to their greatest effect, check out our guide on how to break up concrete effectively. 

For bigger jobs or large driveways, it may be worth hiring a mini-digger with a breaker attachment to make light work of the job. 

Tip 5 - Safety First 

Breaking concrete is a job with a few health and safety risks, ensuring that you and your crew are well prepared and equipped will lessen the chances of injury. After all, someone getting their foot crushed by a giant chunk of concrete can really slow down a project. Make a note of every potential hazard such as large heavy pieces of concrete, moving machinery and trip hazards and make sure that everyone involved in working at the site understands these hazards and how to mitigate them. Make sure that whoever you rope in to help is equipped with the right protective gear like: 

• Appropriate steel capped boots or covered footwear

• Safety goggles 

• Suitable clothing or overalls

• Earmuffs

• Gloves

• Respirators or dust masks 

Tip 6 - Round Up Your Mates

If the thought of spending all week hauling pieces of concrete into a skip bin by yourself doesn’t get you too excited, then try thinking of it as a fun group DIY project; by rounding up your mates and loved ones, digging up your driveway doesn’t have to be a bore! If you’ve worked out a way to get rid of the concrete, sorted out tools for everyone, and gone over a comprehensive safety plan, then you may find the only thing you need to dig up your driveway quickly and efficiently is a few bottles of beer to share around after the job is done! 

Get Started

Now that you’ve worked out the details, how to get rid of your concrete effectively, have a safety plan in place, have the tools that you’ll need, and called on the mates that you’ll spend the weekend with, all that’s left is to get started on the job itself! The team at Hirepool are always happy to chat through your project and can set you up with all the tools and advice you might need for the job! Before you know it, that pesky driveway will be all dug up, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving your dream home.