Using old concrete for sub base

[jell1234]

Hi there,

I've got a big pile of old concrete from old paths and patios that I dug up. I want to lay a new patio, probably with some form of slabs, and also a new path probably with brick pavers.

I was hoping to use some or all of the old concrete to use as a sub base for the new patio and/or path, is this a viable option? I know I will have to break it up quite small and also add new sub base material to fill all the voids, but I was thinking it would save on some material costs and also avoid the cost of disposing of all the old concrete.

Trying to keep costs down, so what do you think would be the most economical approach?

Your opinions would be much appreciated!

[dig dug dan]

where exactly are you??

[jell1234]

where exactly are you??

I'm in Surrey, why do you ask?

[dig dug dan]

you could hire my crusher. not too far from me surrey!

thats the only way you would be able to make any good subbase out of the old stuff, unless you want to just smash it all with a sledgehammer. Either way, its a great idea

[jell1234]

you could hire my crusher. not too far from me surrey!

thats the only way you would be able to make any good subbase out of the old stuff, unless you want to just smash it all with a sledgehammer. Either way, its a great idea

Hi Dan,

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. Looked at your website - It does look like a good bit of kit! So a couple of questions:

- I've got a gateway that's just over 1m wide (107cm to be precise) - would it be able to get on site?

- Once I've finished digging up all the concrete around my house I reckon I will have about 10-15T in total (about 40m^2 at 100-150mm depth. How long do you reckon it would take to get through all that lot?

- Is the resulting material good to use as sub base as-is for both paving slabs and brick pavers, or would it need to be topped up with new stuff?

Many thanks!

[Mikey_C]

Having rented Dan's crusher twice before and being DIY'er myself I may be able to answer some of the questions.

width wise I think you'll be alright, but Dan should confirm this.

I loaded 14 ton bags worth through the crusher in one day, by hand, with the help of my old man.

the product I produced was better than the 20T of material I purchased to make up the rest of the quantity I needed.

I have used the output for subase on both a driveway (block paved) and a patio, with no issues.

it is also a lot easier than getting type 1 delivered, shovelling it into a barrow and then redistributing around the site.

[jell1234]

Having rented Dan's crusher twice before and being DIY'er myself I may be able to answer some of the questions.

width wise I think you'll be alright, but Dan should confirm this.

I loaded 14 ton bags worth through the crusher in one day, by hand, with the help of my old man.

the product I produced was better than the 20T of material I purchased to make up the rest of the quantity I needed.

I have used the output for subase on both a driveway (block paved) and a patio, with no issues.

it is also a lot easier than getting type 1 delivered, shovelling it into a barrow and then redistributing around the site.

Thanks Mikey,

It's certainly sounding like this is the way to go for the cost of 1 day's hire compared to disposing of the lot and buying it back in! Should save a load, and I much prefer the idea of recycling what I've got anyway.

I think I'll be getting in touch with Dan once I'm in a position to do it all at once!

Many thanks for your replies. Much appreciated.

[dig dug dan]

mikey is correct on all counts. the machine needs just 700mm width