Resurfacing concrete

DrPhilG

I have a concrete yard and driveway. Very rough estimate, 4000 square feet.

I badly need to dig up the heating pipes that run from the garage to the house as they are very badly insulated. I'm losing a ton of heat.

The downside is that if I dig up and relay new properly insulated pipes, it will leave a big track across the yard which looks terrible. In order to appease my other half, I need a solution.

Tarmac and bonded resin have been ruled out so my options are limited. It seems like I will need to resurface the concrete.

Anyone have any experience in that? The yard is laid in big panels with joints in between. Would it be possible to resurface only the panels that need dug up? Or would that raise the level too much that the whole lot would need done?

Any other suggestions? I can't keep losing heat at the rate I am and regardless of the cost it would probably be cheaper in the long run to pay for replacing the whole bloody driveway.

JonathonS

Could you dig a wider channel, insulate you pipes, and then pave it with granite setts or similar? Turn your problem into a feature.

DrPhilG

Wouldn't work. It's a big wide yard and the track would run diagonally across it, in the path of where cars drive around the house. No way to disguise it.

air

How about installing an outdoor on the outside wall of the house where the pipes leave.

DrPhilG

An outdoor what?

Sorry if I'm being thick but I don't understand.

mickdw

DrPhilG wrote: »

An outdoor what?

Sorry if I'm being thick but I don't understand.

Heating burner instead of having it along way away in the shed?

mickdw

As I see it, the best option is to break out entire concrete bays that you damage and simply redo them newly to the same levels. No need to touch the rest of the yard.
you might possibly be able to square up the line of the new trench to keep clear of some bays instead of going diagonally through loads of bays.

air

Sorry, yes I meant an outdoor burner!
It would eliminate the losses from the underground run and probably work out cheaper and a lot less messy!

mickdw

air wrote: »

Sorry, yes I meant an outdoor burner!
It would eliminate the losses from the underground run and probably work out cheaper and a lot less messy!

He would have to get an oil line across the yard then though. Could possibly use the then unused old heating pipe as a duct. Don't know if that's allowed though.

JonathonS

DrPhilG wrote: »

Wouldn't work. It's a big wide yard and the track would run diagonally across it, in the path of where cars drive around the house. No way to disguise it.

I was suggesting something like in the photo. You could add a second diagonal and have a lovely big X feature. Having said that, if it was me I'd just dig it out, re-concrete, and tell the Mrs to live with it !!:) How much can anyone love a big concrete yard?

DrPhilG

It's not so much the love of the yard, it's the dislike of the foot wide scar that would be left.

I like the picture though, although I agree that just ignoring the scar would be a nice option...

Boiler at the house isn't an option. I have an oil burner and a slack burner and the slack burner in particular is simply too big and ignorant to have beside the house. Not to mention coal dust/dirt.

DrPhilG

mickdw wrote: »

As I see it, the best option is to break out entire concrete bays that you damage and simply redo them newly to the same levels. No need to touch the rest of the yard.
you might possibly be able to square up the line of the new trench to keep clear of some bays instead of going diagonally through loads of bays.

This is what I'm hoping is possible. I would have to break out 3 bays to hide the trench. Provided the refill would match the others and I don't see why not.

air

mickdw wrote: »

He would have to get an oil line across the yard then though. Could possibly use the then unused old heating pipe as a duct. Don't know if that's allowed though.

Good thinking, couldn't see any issue with reusing the pipe for the line mind, would only have more protection than normal.
Worth asking a plumber.

mickdw

DrPhilG wrote: »

This is what I'm hoping is possible. I would have to break out 3 bays to hide the trench. Provided the refill would match the others and I don't see why not.

You will be able to get the same finish type however colour will take quite a while to come towards matching existing. It is possible that it would always appear alittle different. Still concrete poured in bays will often have colour variation so I wouldn't be overly worried - It will still look fairly right.