Sidewalk question

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Underdog

Underdog

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My wife is onsite manager at an apartment where some concrete is being laid. Is there any way this could be correct? Doesn't the rebar need to be secured to the porch and connecting sidewalk?
Does the form need to be level or submerged in the ground?
I hope to save her management company some problems in the future, unless I'm wrong.

Concrete-rebar-chipped-porch.jpg

Concrete-form-height.jpg
 
The rebar doe not need to be attached to the porch.
The forms need to be the correct height for sidewalk. If it is below grade the sidewalk will be below grade and have water on it in rain storms.
The rebar does need to pulled up into the concrete when it is poured. It needs to be suspended in the concrete not laying in the bottom. Most often they put blocks under it before pouring to hold it up.

Rebar properly suspended on blocks.

firstlayerdone.jpg
 
The block (we call them "adobes") method is preferred. Frequently, the rebar is lifted during the pour but this is a sketchy technique .... you usually see this with wire mesh, not rebar.
 
JoeD said:
The rebar does not need to be attached to the porch.
The forms need to be the correct height for sidewalk. If it is below grade the sidewalk will be below grade and have water on it in rain storms.
The rebar does need to pulled up into the concrete when it is poured. It needs to be suspended in the concrete not laying in the bottom. Most often they put blocks under it before pouring to hold it up.

Rebar properly suspended on blocks.
Click to expand...

Then what would keep those sections from floating up and down in rain and dry times?
We get some severe drought down here in S. Texas.
 
Thank you for making us aware of the suspension factor.
Thank you very much.
 
I have not lived in Texas so I don't know your conditions. You can certainly bore into the sections beside the pour and ad pins. That would be fine. Where I live that is not usually done, unless it is structural like a driveway or garage floor. We probably wouldn't use rebar for simple sidewlak either. Wire mess if more than good enough.
It is certainly not done to a sidewalk beside a house foundation. The walk needs to be able to float independent from the house for frost heaving.
 
JoeD said:
I have not lived in Texas so I don't know your conditions. You can certainly bore into the sections beside the pour and ad pins. That would be fine. Where I live that is not usually done, unless it is structural like a driveway or garage floor. We probably wouldn't use rebar for simple sidewlak either. Wire mess if more than good enough.

It is certainly not done to a sidewalk beside a house foundation. The walk needs to be able to float independent from the house for frost heaving.
Click to expand...




Lol, had to look up "frost heaving". We DID have a snow back in 1985, I think it was. Our ground gets so dry that it's common to have huge cracks in regular, level dirt that you walk around on. I'm talking cavernous cracks.
It hadn't occurred to me that different regions could have different techniques or requirements, thanks for that.
Ontario; must be nice up there to have moisture.
 
Sounds the drying ground is a similar issue to frost. I think I might like the dry ground better than the frost.
 
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