Removing an Old Driveway

Position the chisel of a hydraulic jackhammer over a crack in the driveway. Hold it at an angle and pull the trigger. Move down the length of the crack until it separates the slab into large chunks.

Dig beneath one corner of the concrete with a shovel. Use a mattock as a level to pry up the slab and have a helper bring a sledgehammer down to create more cracks.

Hit large chunks with a sledgehammer to break them down into small pieces. Dump these pieces into a dumpster.

Continue breaking the driveway apart into pieces, alternating between the jackhammer and sledgehammer. Stop once you reach rebar along the bottom of the slab.

Use an angle grinder to cut through the lengths of rebar. Set the cut rebar to the side as some disposal companies require it to be separated from the concrete.

Break down any concrete or asphalt near the house or fencing with a pickaxe to ensure a precise cut. Throw all chunks of pavement in the dumpster.

Call a waste disposal company to pick up the old pavement and rebar or ask for guidelines on how to dispose of the material on your own.

Shovel out the gravel foundation beneath the old driveway and dump it onto a nearby plastic tarp. Clean this gravel by soaking it in buckets of water placed out in the sun for a few days so you can reuse it to build the new base.