How hard is to remove part of a concrete patio? It's about 20 by 10 ft and around 3 to 4 inches think. Would I be able to break it up with a sledge?

Does anyone know about how much it would cost to get rid of?

Also I might want to save part of it, so i would need to make about a 10 ft straight cut. Should I rent a concrete cutter or can a circular saw do this?

 

Before you even look at a sledge hammer, call a dumpster company and get a price. If you still want to do the job, rent an electric jack hammer and hire some helpers.

Don't try to do the job yourself if you are over 25 years old.

Finally, don't use a circle saw.

 

Age has nothing to do with it. I'm 45 and still routinely break up concrete with a sledge hammer, outlasting any of my 25 yr and under employees. It depends upon what kind of shape you're in physically.
To answer your questions:
1) Yes, you can break concrete with a sledge hammer, but not an 8 pounder such as you'll typically find in a hardware store. I use a 20 pound sledge. It's a lot easier because the tool does almost all the work when it falls. You'll need a spud bar (long pry bar) as well.
2) a 10 x 20 patio at 4 inches thick contains approx. 2.5 cubic yards of concrete. Call a local handyman or light hauler and find out how much they'd charge to haul it away after you break it up. A few hundred dollars should do it.
3) A circular saw won't do it. You can rent a concrete saw (with a diamond blade) for a couple hundred dollars. It would not only cut deep enough, but would save you a ton of time and headaches. Good luck.

Pecos

 

i'm 56 and I'm not going to use a sledge hammer when I can rent a jack hammer. My sldge hammer days are over.

 

How hard is to operate a concrete saw? Is it something a homeowner can handle? I got a price of 110 to rent a gas powered one or an electric. Which is better?

The concrete is about 4 inches and I was think I can use it make several cuts to make it easier to break up.

 

Fairly simple to use, but make sure to get a diamond blade and not the fiber-reinforced carborundum (sp?). A diamond blade will cut through it a LOT faster and easier, but costs more. You can rent them with the saw. MAKE SURE to wear protective gear including a respirator, goggles or safety glasses, earplugs, and gloves! These things kick up a hell of a lot of dust, so cover anything you don't want dusted and tell your neighbors the same. Gas is far better and faster than electric.
Really though, if the concrete is only 4 inches thick, you'd be wasting your time sawing it first. 4 inch thick concrete is simple to break with a jackhammer or a heavy (16-20 lb.) sledgehammer. When I say jackhammer, I'm NOT recommending the electric ones. They are crap and it will take 5 times as long as it would with an air-powered one. Good luck.

Pecos

 

I agree with Pecos. A jack hammer is better than a saw. I would also have a digging bar (pinch bar) whatever name you prefer and a pick.

 

Thanks for the replies. The reason I am going to get a saw is because I am only removing part of the patio, so I need to only make one straight cut. I just figured since I am renting it why not make a few more cuts to make it easier to break it up with the sledge.

Should I get the kind you walk behind or the handheld? I am think the walk behind looks easier to cut straight.

 

If you are only removing part of the patio then you are correct it renting a saw. However, I would still rent a jack hammer too.

Snap a line in order to make a staight cut.

 

Agreed. The saw will prevent damaging the part you're going to leave intact, provided you cut deep enough. Whether hand-held or walk behind, make certain that you cut entirely through the concrete, or at least as deep as the blade will allow. Also, ask if the saw is a wet-cut saw or if it can be run dry. You could ruin (and consequently end up buying) an expensive diamond blade by doing it wrong.
I still think sawing the other part before breaking it out will be somewhat a waste of time. The chunks you tear out will be so small that you'd have to do a LOT of sawing to help any, like 1 foot each direction. If the chunks you tear out are too big, say over 18" x 18", you won't be able to move them without a machine.
I also agree with Pulpo about the necessity of using a pinch bar to aid in demolition.

Pecos

 

Damn, I wish I read this about 8 hours ago. I went out and bought a 10 lb sledge and went at my patio (20 x 20). I took out about a sq ft before I gave up. It cracked the cement, but I could not get it out. I was trying to use a shovel, but was afraid it was going to break, so I gave up for the day. The cement did crack fairly easily with the 10 lb hammer, but now I'm wishing I bought a 16.

Does anyone know what it would cost to get someone to break it up and haul it away?

I was thinking a cement company might like to have it back. Is that just wishful thinking?

How about using water to loosen up the ground? Is this just going to make a big mess?

I too have to make a straight cut at the end of the patio to create a small pad for my A/C units.

Thanks for the advice,

Steve

I forgot to add that I am going to have a curb poured around the area and plant grass. If I'm going to need the curb and the sprinkler system, would it make more sense to just have some company come and do the whole thing? I know I don't want to pour the curb myself, but I could probably do the sprinkler system, though I don't know that I want to.


I will also probably have to have dirt hauled in since the cement is 4-5 inches thick.

I am in phoenix.

Thanks again,

Steve

 

It's always easier to just pay a professional to do it, but it just depends upon what you WANT to do, or if you can afford it.
Someone who does it for a living would use some equipment like a bobcat or at least a jackhammer to get it out, and a dump truck or dumpster to haul it away. A concrete company will NOT want it back unless they are in the recycling biz, and that is very rare. You will most likely have to pay to dump it in a landfill.
Since you need dirt hauled in too, the same company could do that as well with their bobcat/dump truck. In all, the tearout/haul away/dirtwork would take about half a day. Depending upon the type of curb, that could be done in less than a day as well. Uncertain about the sprinkler system since I don't do those, but I've seen whole systems installed in a day on a large project.