WTB Sidewalk blocks

[JohnnyFlame]

Need 30 24 by 30 blocks to build a basketball court in my backyard. PM if you have some to sell or giveaway.

[DAN0383]

Goto Rona, 24x30's are pretty cheap and they gots TONS.

[Nufy]

You'll have a hell of a time levelling those enough to play basketball.

The ball will be bouncing everywhere.

Would it be cheaper to pour a pad ???

Just a thought.



If you stuck on em keep an eye on usedcalgary.com or the bargain finder.

There is usually a few on there for free every few weeks.

[Rhettzky]

^^
I agree. Prep a spot and pour a pad. It's not all that hard and the final product will be leaps and bounds better than what you could do with blocks. The most important part is making sure that you dig down about 4-6" and level the spot really good. Then put about 2-4" of crush (25mm max. diameter gravel) down, put up your forms and get ready to pour. You can order a concrete truck to come out to your place so you don't have to mix wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of concrete. A friend of mine got it all prepped himself and then hired a concrete finisher to float (level) the surface when he was ready to pour and it only cost him $250 to get the guy out for the afternoon.

Another tip if you go this route would be to add fibre reinforcement to the concrete. It adds about 10% to the price of the mix but with the added tensile strength it makes your surface alot more immune to our freeze/thaw periods and cracks due to settlement.

[JohnnyFlame]

Originally Posted by Nufy

You'll have a hell of a time levelling those enough to play basketball.

The ball will be bouncing everywhere.

Would it be cheaper to pour a pad ???

Just a thought.



If you stuck on em keep an eye on usedcalgary.com or the bargain finder.

There is usually a few on there for free every few weeks.

I've actually done it once before successfully. The trick is to dump a load of sand on the spot first. They shift around quite easily on the sand. Still there is a lot of leveling to do. I'll have to go and check Rona though and see much 30 of them will set me back. Maybe the pad is the way to go.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFlame

I'll have to go and check Rona though and see much 30 of them will set me back. Maybe the pad is the way to go.

Just looked on Totem's site and found they are $7.99 each. I seem to recall last year Burnco was cheaper than the box stores by a little bit.

Anyways, 30 times $8 is $240.

150 square feet of concrete at 2" thick is 25 cubic feet; there's 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard. If you have a heavy duty truck you can get a 1 cu yd of concrete from these guys for $240-260.

Instead of sand use crushed gravel underneath, and some rebar and you are set. Use 2X4s for the outside frame of the pad.

Only issue is how level can you make a concrete pad? I would say it's easier to make a pad that size level enough as opposed to the sidewalk blocks.

[JohnnyFlame]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Just looked on Totem's site and found they are $7.99 each. I seem to recall last year Burnco was cheaper than the box stores by a little bit.

Anyways, 30 times $8 is $240.

150 square feet of concrete at 2" thick is 25 cubic feet; there's 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard. If you have a heavy duty truck you can get a 1 cu yd of concrete from these guys for $240-260.

Instead of sand use crushed gravel underneath, and some rebar and you are set. Use 2X4s for the outside frame of the pad.

Only issue is how level can you make a concrete pad? I would say it's easier to make a pad that size level enough as opposed to the sidewalk blocks.

Thanks very much for the info. This is the option I am going to pursue.

[Rhettzky]

I'd recommend ditching the rebar for fibre reinforcing. The city is slowing making the transition to synthetic fibre reinforced concrete in subdivisions because we're finding that it saves us on maintenance issues due to freeze/thaw cycles and overall settlement issues. Rebar is great for adding strength but minor settlements can still cause cracking and freeze/thaw can cause surface deterioration. With the fibre, the tensile strength is increased in the mix itself and produces a very durable end product at a comparable price to rebar reinforcing.