Step-by-Step on How to Pour a Concrete Foundation

Prepare the location by marking out the site with landscape paint, adding 4 inches on every side for the temporary wood forms. With a shovel, dig out your pour site to a level depth of 8 inches for a 4-inch thick slab. Increase the depth accordingly for every additional inch of a thicker slab.

Go over the soil surface with a compactor machine to force out air pockets and stabilize the ground.

Arrange 2-by-4-inch boards around the interior sides of the site. The boards will be on their sides and two levels high, attached with 2 ½ inch screws.

Sink 1-by-4-inch wood stakes into the ground with a hammer around the outsides of the excavated site to brace the boards.

Shovel 4 inches of ¾-inch aggregate evenly over the expanse and compact it until the crushed rocks are packed snug together. Lay wire mesh over the gravel to reinforce the concrete. If the slab foundation you are pouring is intended to support heavy loads, like a driveway or a house, place rebar across the center of the floor and near the outsides. Raise the rebar 2 inches with rebar chairs so it will run through the center of the concrete.

Mix concrete in a concrete mixer with water until the texture is thick, but pourable.

Pour the concrete over the gravel base from one side to the other. Use a hoe to spread it into corners of the form boards and evenly across the site. Pour the slab at least 4 inches thick for a patio or walkway. Pour at least 6 inches for a driveway.

Smooth the surface with a trowel or floater board. If you can't reach across, drag a long, clean straight edge across and back over the frame to smooth and level hard-to-reach areas.

Wait three to seven days for the concrete to dry, depending on the thickness and size of the slab. Cover it with wet burlap and wet the material several times a day to cure the concrete slowly, increasing its strength.