Driveways and Pathways

When you have to lay cable accross driveways or pathways you have two choices, cutting through or tunneling under.  Both are time consuming, but sawing through is by far the preferable method.  We would tunnel under only when there is a narrow ornamental pathway that you just cannot cut through.

Saw Through Method

The saw method is the fastest and easiest way to get accross a driveway.  You should budget about an hour for a driveway and about half that time for a pathway.  The pro’s use this method.

Tools Needed:

• Circular Saw with concrete cutting blade
• concrete repair compound
• caulking gun

First find a location and prepare it to be cut.  Look for an expansion joint or seam that is already in the driveway or path.  Cutting a concrete driveway or path at the seam will result in a much easier and neater cut, but if there is no convenient seam, you can cut anywhere you please, just be sure to mark out a line before hand to keep the cuts neat.  Clean out the area, seams and joints have often accumulated debris over time and may have weeds growing in them.  A high pressure washer works great if you have one, otherwise you can use a stiff broom.

For the second step you will need a circular saw.  (a cheap $30 model is fine)  You will also need a blade for cutting concrete.  Cheap masonry blades are available for under $5 and will be good enough for most cuts.  But for some tougher jobs, you may need a diamond tipped masonry blade which will set you back about $15.  Now use the saw to make your cut.  The cut only needs to be an inch deep, although deeper is not a problem.  When cutting go slow letting the saw do all the work and take breaks every couple of minutes to prevent your saw from overheating.  Always wear safety glasses when making the cuts as debris will be thrown up.  If you need to make lots of cuts. consider renting a concrete cutter from you local home improvement store.  (about $50)

Next lay the wire in the cut you just made.  You may need to clear out some of the debris or poke the wire down.  You can do both of these easily with the warning flag poles that came with you dog fence system.

Finally caulk over the wire with a concrete sealant.  You can buy cans of quick drying concrete at your local home imporvement store, they will cost about $3 a cannister.  We like using Liquid Nails brand Concrete Repair.  Cheaper brands are available in the $1.50 range, but we think the Liquid Nails brand is worth the extra in this instance because it tends to be more durable.  Most caulks require a caulking gun for use, if you don’t already have one then you can buy one for less than $5 home imporvement store.

When caulk go slow and be neat as the caulk will be visible on your driveway.  If you are not confident, use masking tape to cover the driveway on both sides of the cut and remove once you have finished caulking for a neater finish.

Tunnel Under Method

Tunneling under is tougher but neater.  You will be creating a passage under the path or driveway.  This avoids putting any cuts through the path and may be useful if you later decide to put in a sprinkler system or outdoor lighting.  The downside is that it is time consuming, you will need to budget two hours for an average width pathway.  Doing a driveway is a labor of love.

On the positive, tunneling under is something you would be unlikely to get if you hired professionals.  If you are willing to put in the time, you can get a dog fence with no scarring of your driveway or pathways.

Tools Needed:

• PVC pipe (3/4 inch diameter)
• hack saw

Cut a length of PVC pipe the length of the required tunnel.  Now cut the end of the pipe at a 45degree angle to make a sharp point.  Dig a hole on one side of the driveway about a foot long and a bit deeped than you want the tunnel to be. 

Use the PVC pipe to bore through the soil and create your tunnel.  Go only half a foot at a time then remove the PVC pipe by twisting it and empty the soil inside the pipe.