Cutting Curbs and Sidewalks

cutting sidewalk

Following slab placement, form wreck and lot debris removal, you should schedule your tractor man to cut down the flatwork areas for concrete placement. This is also when the contractor responsible for cutting the curb for driveway and sidewalk placement will be ready to come to the jobsite. When building your own home, you should use the plot plan as your guide when having the walkways, driveways, and the patio cut down for concrete placement.

Concrete Curb Cutting & Cutting Sidewalk

You should bring in flatwork sand at this time to ensure that the flatwork forms will sit level (or slope as desired), and to keep flatwork thickness no more than 4 inches. Enough flatwork sand should be ordered (with sufficient lead time) so the tractor man needs to only make a single trip (this will save you money). Spread excess sand over the yard rather than piled on the lot or next to the street.

Cutting Sidewalk & Concrete Curb Cutting

Maximum driveway slope must be no greater than 14% (approximately 1.68 inches per foot). If you are building your home in a community with extreme lot gradients ensure a 14% slope is not exceeded. On lots that drain from front to back (FHA drainage type “C”) where the street is higher than any portion of the lot, ensure the driveway reverses slope at the established front drainage swale to preclude water runoff entering the garage.

Checklist for Cutting Curbs and Sidewalks

1. Check public walk location extends to the property lines on both right & left sides of the lot (in communities with public walks)
2. Ensure the finished height of the public walk is 1 – 1 1/2″ inches above the curb, but is adequately recessed to comply with lot drainage requirements. Do not accept situations where the flatwork creates a dam (especially between the entry walk and the slab)
3. Confirm driveway slope is less than 14 degrees (use the tables to help determine)
4. Ensure the driveway is cut so the form sits 1 inch below the lip of the garage trough
5. Check entry walk location cut per plan
6. Ensure the flatwork sand is spread to restrict flatwork to a nominal thickness of 3 1/2″ – 4 inches.
7. Check patio location for proper sizing & orientation, if applicable
8. Check slab for damage to the live ends of post tension cables (can be a factor with certain slab configurations)
9. Check the water meter, water service line, and front sewer clean outs for tractor damage.

Concrete Curb Cutting | Cutting Sidewalk