Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Adding to previous patio

:confused: I live in Texas. I want to lengthen and widen my back patio. I will be doing this by hand, mixing the concrete in the wheel barrow and so forth, so what type of concrete should I use? Should I put sand at the bottom, if so, how much? Does it need to be reinforced with rebar or anything? One portion that I want to cover with cement already has a lot of small rocks, can I just cover them up? If you have any suggestions please let me know. Thank you very much.

Curtis Stowell
xtimess@yahoo.com

Hmm!! You must want a good workout? This is something that you will want to do in one pour unless you plan on using Wood or some other type of Joint to break it up in sections.

As far as Soil prep you will want to consult your local Building codes. I would imagine since you have no real Freeze\thaw cycle that it would not require much prep. Better just check just in case.

Reinforcement: I would not bother with Rebar. Maybe just a Rolled Wire that is designed for Decks and such.

Ask 50 contractors whether to used rolled wire or rebar, and they'll split 25-25. Sort of depends on how large the sections are. Cracks are more often the result of improper mixing, curing, and soil prep than type of reinforcement.

Also, consider doweling the new to the old, or you'll likely get a crack at the interface.

Never heard of doweling, what exactly is it and how do I do it? Thank you.

Curtis Stowell :confused:

Doweling is mating new concrete to old by drilling into existing concrete, and inserting rebar with epoxy adhesive.

You are doomed to fail before you even start. You cannot mix the batches fast enough to do a good job. The first batch will be setting up long before you get the last batch done. If you insist on this, plan on doing small sections at a time - say a few square feet each.
Even using a mixer will be too slow for a large pour.
Better to have the concrete delivered.
And do dowel into the old patio.