building a concrete slab to work on

[grumpyvette]

working on a nice solid concrete slab is so much safer and nicer than on asphalt that I can,t imagine anyone not wanting to have at least a decent car port to work on their car, asphalt won,t safely allow floor jacks and mechanics creeper to function and working on dirt or grass or a couple sheets of plywood thrown over dirt or grass is almost unthinkable once youve worked on a smooth level concrete surface, "BEEN THERE DONE THAT"
unless there no other choice.
be darn sure you ask for and get the best high quality concrete with the proper re-bar support you can afford and Id suggest 6"-8" minimum thickness , its going to be far less expensive to do it correctly up front that do repairs later.
obviously if your planing to build a concrete slab you'll want to think thru your options and how much of the work your really able to do correctly, you sure don,t want costly mistakes or pissed off building inspectors or a defective or unusable slab,
contact the local building code department and check zoning laws and your deed restrictions and research what you can and can,t legally and financially do, ask questions and be darn sure to get everything in writing and have the local building inspectors happy with each step before moving to the next, check drainage, electrical and environmental departments before proceeding and fully understand that most contractors will do things the cheapest and easiest way possible, if the plans you draw up require a minimum of a certain diam. re-bar spaced every so many inches, you might want to do a bit of research, because in some cases slight upgrades, like moving to the next larger diam. re-bar or adding extra re-bar, or spacing the re-bal closer or in dual layers or specifying 3500psi-4000psi concrete vs 2400psi -3000psi some contractors will use if you don,t specify and verify what they use, adding extra re-bar will minimally impact cost but provide a significantly stronger slab but generally its not that difficult to have a local contractor form the footers and place the re-bar and even pour and smooth out a concrete slab. just be sure what your true future intentions are, a car port slab, won,t be acceptable too later turn into a garage floor or mount a two post lift on, most two post lifts require a minimum of 6"-8" thick and 3500psi concrete floor thickness ,things like that must be planed , and permitted for well in advance before the first shovels used
obviously you'll need to check AND FOLLOW, or exceed local building codes,
and verify pricing,
but about $5.50 a square ft for a slab is common.

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/howmuch/calculator.htm

http://www.homewyse.com/services/cost_to_install_cement_slab.html

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Proje ... crete-slab

http://www.everything-about-concrete.co ... -slab.html

http://www.schlatter.org/House/pouring slab.htm

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete ... ulator.htm

http://www.buildeazy.com/newplans/eazyl ... _slab.html
remember the footers surrounding the concrete floor slab will be about 2 ft deep x 2 feet wide
and the slab will need to be about 8 inches thick where the lift is mounted
youll need a certain amount of rebar in the footers and slab

verify local building codes
and remember the slab and footers will need to be elevated above the surrounding areas height,
for decent drainage (usually 3-4 ft.) minimum
and the area sloped out at a minimum 5:1 ratio,
verify local building codes

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/a-car-lift-in-your-shop.98/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/building-a-concrete-slab-to-work-on.5007/

https://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/howmuch/calculator.htm

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shop-drainage.5035/

RELATED INFO

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viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=26

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5006

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4850

viewtopic.php?f=80&t=1024&p=8948&hilit=ramps#p8948

 

[DeLong]

If you can't afford 3500 psi concrete wait until you can.It's the norm around here but 4000 psi is preferred. I'm not a fan of the cement bricks holding up the mesh. I won't let it happen on my pours.

 

[grumpyvette]

thats just a random picture off the internet, Ive usually seen the re-bar and screen held up with wire stand supports, similar to these

http://www.gamcoform.com/rebar.html

 

[DeLong]

Those type of chairs are the correct way to build a slab. Great chart.

 

[bob]

I remember when grumpy had his shop floor poured, he added several extra 30 foot or longer #5 re-bar runs along the foundation walls and had the floor poured extra thick, and he had the plans modified even before that point to have a good deal more re-bar in the footers than I regularly see.
plus about every 4 feet the columns from footer to tie-beam had re-bar and poured columns tied in.

 

[grumpyvette]

if your planing a shop these threads should help

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=5

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=98

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=24

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1404

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1937

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=30

two of the guys in this area have steel buildings that have been there for over 20 years, held up under hurricane wind loads and still look really nice, they cost less than 1/2 what a similar concrete block building cost to erect,and require far fewer contractors and permits, building inspections etc. and they get a significantly lower tax rate also.
they come as custom kits , you need a large concrete slab, and from what both guys say less than a week to assemble if you have 2-4 guys willing to help assemble.. hey its a valid option in some cases

https://gladiatorsteelbuildings.com/steel-building-models/p-model/

https://gladiatorsteelbuildings.com/steel-building-models/a-model/

https://gladiatorsteelbuildings.com/price-estimate/

 

[grumpyvette]

"hey grumpyvette?I built my garage about 15 yrs ago and every time I have a lot of rain the floor gets wet. The guy who poured the pad dug down 2 feet, laid the hard fill but poured the pad level with my driveway. The driveway is on a slant and water runs in from the front and the sides. I have had a few suggestions from jacking the building up and putting it up on blocks then pouring a new 2 inch pad. Some also suggest digging around the whole thing, laying black perforated pipe and covering with stone. I figure some of you may have had similar problems. "

ID also point out that the slab needs to meet local building codes, and you need permits FIRST, and that usually requires both a minimum pad height and slope grade, (around here its 2 ft tall and a 5:1 slope) plus a footer needs to be formed and inspected and reinforcing bars placed , a footer is a thicker area around the circumference of the slab in my area it basically a trench with rebar that 2 ft deep x 2 ft wide around the edge with 3 pieces of rebar .
theres also grades of concrete, most common seems to be 2400psi rated you can pay a bit more per yard and get 4000 psi which is considerably stronger in my slab it cost an extra $12 a yard for the better concrete

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116&p=292#p292

not that it helps in this case but its a great reminder for anyone planing a garage to have a pad built thats at least 24" taller than the surrounding area before pouring a garage floor pad, yes that usually requires a good deal of fill and having it firmly compacted to build the pad but its also going to mean a dry shop during hard rain storms, and in Florida where we get hurricanes thats MANDATORY if you want to keep the cars and tools dry as is selecting dade county approved doors designed to withstand 150 mph winds and sloping the area around the shop for decent drainage.
in most cases the soil will be tested to a depth of about 12 feet to insure the foundations solid if a pad is built to insure a stable base for the concrete pad., if its not the areas dough out and filled with a base of crushed rock and compressed dirt.
water runs to the lowest local area and pools after a hard rain, its your job to plan the shop site so its not located in the area water pools and to have decent drainage and a floor height thats high enough to avoid water intrusion under normal or even some rare conditions
, obviously you'll need to check building codes and your site plan but in most areas thats the MINIMUM mandatory pad height.
I had my shops pad built on a 48" tall pad with a 5:1 slope for drainage, again your deed restrictions and building codes will effect what you can do, but planing ahead always beats making corrections later

obviously building the garage floor height on a raised and gradually sloped pad at least 3-4 feet higher than the surrounding area helps prevent drainage issues, but you can also generally build very efficient rapid drainage area surrounding a shop to limit or eliminate water intrusion issues
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shop-drainage.5035/

 

[grumpyvette]

one of my friends called me up today and wanted to know if he was getting a reasonable quote on a slab to be poured in front of his drive way, it measures 52 feet long and 12 feet wide, he was quoted $4900
I said thats insanely over priced, he wanted to know why?
so I said lets look at this, 52 x 12 is 624 square feet, you want the slab about 4" thick and youll need the edges a bit thicker , some re-bar and building permits
lets assume twice that 4" thickness , or 8" x 624 sq ft, to allow far more than required for the footers when calculating the concrete needed. a cubic yard of concrete will cost about $95-$120 delivered , so theres about 40 square feet of 8" thick concrete in a cubic yard of concrete.
624 sq feet divided by 40 sq feet= less than 16 cubic yards at 8" thick and about 8 cubic yards at 4" thick so you can figure about 12 cubic yards should be ball park on the concrete, thats about $1500 in concrete

http://www.cincinnatireadymix.com/concrete_prices.htm

lowes sells 10 ft long 5/8" rebar for about $7 each
http://www.lowes.com/pd_13095-157-34678 ... Id=3011756
youll need less than 40 so thats another $280

it would take less than a day for two guys to set up the forms, and more than likely they hire a couple illegal immigrants, or at least guys with limited skills as manual labor to do much of the hard manual labor at less than $10 an hour
permits are less than $300
so theres about $2K in materials the rest is labor, figure 3 -4 guys for two days at $22 an hour average or about $550-$750 more, add $500-$800in pure profit and your still WAY under the quote at less than $3000

 

[87vette81big]

I ran some numbers tonite on my own Grumpy.
Concrete. slab is more affordable than I thought.
About same cost as Aluminium cylinder heads.
Build my Garage I want for less than A Maggie Super charger costs new.

 

[87vette81big]

Could borrow $ from the bank.
The Wifee works in one.
I don't trust that Ficker Bam.
Best to Finance with Cash $.

 

[Grumpy]

IF YOU CHECK AROUND YOUR SURE TO FIND BOTH A WIDE RANGE IN JOB PRICING AND PEOPLE WITH A WIDE RANGE IN SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE BUT THE PRICES, QUOTED AND EXPERIENCE and SKILLS DON,T NECESSARILY MATCH

 

[87vette81big]

IF YOU CHECK AROUND YOUR SURE TO FIND BOTH A WIDE RANGE IN JOB PRICING AND PEOPLE WITH A WIDE RANGE IN SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE BUT THE PRICES, QUOTED AND EXPERIENCE and SKILLS DON,T NECESSARILY MATCH

Nothing new to a Veteran Mechanic like me Grumpy.
I have done constructuon work prior.
I helped build Krazy Eds New Garage last year.
Almost as big as you have.
Got it done as a team.
5.0 gang and me
Cost was not too bad.
I don't need as big for now.

 

[rlphvac]

Just one bit of advice Brian you outgrow them fast just ask me how I know

 

[Grumpy]

yeah! I knew that ! so I built mine about 40% larger than I figured the minimum size Id need,
...its still a bit smaller than Id find ideal after 15 years.
but at least having built it a bit larger than the minimum I for saw as needed,
its something I can live with without major regrets

a great deal of the rust issue most of us have can be reduced by proper planing,
tools should ideally be stored in a near moisture free area.
with good ventilation and no big temp changes that tend to allow condensation,
to form on tools or components in storage.
if your planing a shop, mandate the contractor takes the time to place, both a multiple plastic layer moisture barrier under the concrete floor of your shop
, and spray a strong residual insecticide for termites under the concrete slab,
before its poured., this will help a great deal,
if you bought a building that has no moisture barrier under the poured slab, you should consider the better epoxy based floor coatings
and in either case roof vent fans and ceiling fans that keep the air moving reduce the chances of parts and tools rusting.
most of us have some type of tool chest and if you have the tools long enough,
your sure to have issues with surface rust forming on those tools,
if the area you store the tools in is not dry and well ventilated.
now most of us will have noticed the better quality tool trays have a felt or plastic pad on the drawer floor
,if you spray the tools every few months with a mist of WD40 occasionally,
the lower surface tends to retain the residue and constant use of the tools,
and occasional preventive misting with the WD40 will greatly reduce the rust formation issues.
obviously if your tool chest does not have a lower drawer pad, (ideally thick felt of similar oil retaining material, that will release a protective oil vapor over time)
you might want to carefully measure and install some floor in each drawer,
so that lower surface will retain some rust preventative oil the tools are stored on.

http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/dehumidifier-in-your-shop.10478/#post-44087

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shop-drainage.5035/#post-27439
READ THROUGH THESE RELATED THREADS CAREFULLY
a couple hours reading here will save you thousands of dollars and
weeks of work

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...garage-plans-some-build-info-experiances.116/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/planing-a-shop.8982/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/how-big-of-a-garage-or-shop-do-you-need.2388/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/a-car-lift-in-your-shop.98/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/how-to-wire-a-shop.5/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shop-ceiling-fans.4865/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-thru-your-shop-and-car-security-issues.6403/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/wiring-up-a-100-amp-feed.1232/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/where-to-put-the-lift.3133/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shop-drainage.5035/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/thinking-of-building-a-shop.10656/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/installing-a-shop-roof-vent-attic-fan.10467/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shop-lighting.1404/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shelving.30/

 

[87vette81big]

I have 5 acres of Land.
Enough room to build 30 workshops .
2 acres up front is my front lawn.
2 Pro football fields.
Its impossible to earn a living off of Forums .
Especially the Corvette World. Most are broke.
Waste of my time there.
I build Drag Race Rear Diffs. Solid Axles.

 

[rlphvac]

Where was that advice 20 years ago when I built mine

 

[87vette81big]

There is No one giving us Free Money $$$$.
The Good Days are Over.
Bam is here.
Hillary maybe next.
$100,000 garage is not going to happen.
Not for me here.

 

[chromebumpers]

Concrete prices vary widely depending on region. Florida prices are less because wages are less than the north, greater competition and more concrete poured due largely to no seasonal weather disruptions and more regional concrete plants. No cold weather restrictions no low temperature additives needed. In the north most truck drivers are Union affiliated and road taxes are greater. In Florida most everybody has a concrete driveway and the vast majority of public roads are concrete. In the north it's blacktop driveways and roads, only the turnpike is largely a concrete.
In the Philadelphia region $6.50/sq. ft. Is an average price for slab work, small jobs like replacing sidewalk replacement is much higher. What do you get for $6.50/ sq. ft.? 3,200 lb/sq. inch With a 4 to 5 inch slump. The site has easy access, no pumping or excessive preparation for material placement. Light site excavation and formwork. Full coverage with #4 or #6 wire. Steel trowel, brushed or mag float finished. Backfilled and cleanup .
In the city count on nearly $8/sq. ft. For easy jobs and as low as $3.25/sq. ft. from a Portuguese sub-contractor supplied with a dozen cans of sardines, a couple loafs of bread and a box of Mogen David (or Mad dog) wine.

 

[87vette81big]

Concrete prices vary widely depending on region. Florida prices are less because wages are less than the north, greater competition and more concrete poured due largely to no seasonal weather disruptions and more regional concrete plants. No cold weather restrictions no low temperature additives needed. In the north most truck drivers are Union affiliated and road taxes are greater. In Florida most everybody has a concrete driveway and the vast majority of public roads are concrete. In the north it's blacktop driveways and roads, only the turnpike is largely a concrete.
In the Philadelphia region $6.50/sq. ft. Is an average price for slab work, small jobs like replacing sidewalk replacement is much higher. What do you get for $6.50/ sq. ft.? 3,200 lb/sq. inch With a 4 to 5 inch slump. The site has easy access, no pumping or excessive preparation for material placement. Light site excavation and formwork. Full coverage with #4 or #6 wire. Steel trowel, brushed or mag float finished. Backfilled and cleanup .
In the city count on nearly $8/sq. ft. For easy jobs and as low as $3.25/sq. ft. from a Portuguese sub-contractor supplied with a dozen cans of sardines, a couple loafs of bread and a box of Mogen David (or Mad dog) wine.

 

[rlphvac]

Did you see where HELL -liary said if elected she would appoint the muslim to the Supreme Court