Concrete Job

A-37

A-37

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I need an 8'x8' concrete pad poured for my garden shed. Estimates are all around $600-$700. Sounds high.

My neighbor knows two guys who'll do the job for a couple of cases of beer plus the cost of the concrete. If they finish off the beer before the concrete truck arrives, I might regret hiring them; especially, if the pad needs to be level......
 

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Concrete

I'm in SE Ohio, what's a yd. of crete going for up there? Down
here small load is hard to get and expensive. They don't want
to mess with you because of all big projects going on.
 
Drm50 said:
I'm in SE Ohio, what's a yd. of crete going for up there? Down
here small load is hard to get and expensive. They don't want
to mess with you because of all big projects going on.
Click to expand...

These two guys can do it next week. Maybe they'll mix the mud in my wheelbarrow. I know I'd be taking a chance but it's only a shed. Still, my instincts tell me to hire scotch drinkers instead.
 
A-37 said:
These two guys can do it next week. Maybe they'll mix the mud in my wheelbarrow. I know I'd be taking a chance but it's only a shed. Still, my instincts tell me to hire scotch drinkers instead.
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Just about every trade I can think of charges minimum $500/day or partial day for a crew (2 or more). Add in a couple benjamines for materials, crete, and wire and you are dead on retail for a small job.

You should be able to do it yourself for less than half those quotes, but you get one shot to get it right........
 
Hey, I would say you get what you pay for. Check around for a few more estimates, if they're about the same that's the price. If you want it cheaper get the beer, or do it yourself, as for me I'm super cheap and have to do it myself.

I have a friend who drives a semi during the week and likes to do home repairs, and drink beer on the weekend. I went to his house and saw he re-did the kitchen. It looked a little crooked. I noticed if you drink enough beer it doesn't.

So it seems like you could pay the asking price, do it yourself, or get the beer drinkin' guys and when you wanna look at it drink enough beer so it looks good.
 
many moons ago on weekends, I had to setup and finish small concrete jobs for my friendly neighborhood LEO to make my speeding tickets go away. Decided it was much easier not to get the violations to begin with.
Did get to drink lots of beer tho.:cool::D:eek:
 
Go with the pro. That price is about right. They will have a mixer and grade the forms. You're not anywhere close to the border so just roll with the price and get a good nights sleep. Tools and labor ain't cheap.
 
If you drive up to most Home Depot's around 7:00 Am there will be a yard full of "experts" willing to do it for less than the bid.
 
Beer Plus Tools Equal Big Liability

LostintheOzone said:
Go with the pro. That price is about right. They will have a mixer and grade the forms. You're not anywhere close to the border so just roll with the price and get a good nights sleep. Tools and labor ain't cheap.
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Go with the Pro!!!!! He will have insurance. Those "do it for beer guys" have nothing but good intentions. Let one get hurt on your property and you will bear the expense for as long as that expense lasts. If money is tight, watch a few youtube videos on pouring and leveling a slab and do it yourself. BUT, don't have anything to do with the beer drinkers. YMMV..........
 
concrete is a lot harder to remove/fix by hand, than it is to place. The preparation of the base is as important as actually placing the concrete.
 
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Slab

Pouring small slab like that is fairly easy. If you pour yourself
you need one helper at least. I use to do all my own crete,
now I only do steps. My back won't take it any more. I was used
to much when I was new. Best advice is hire the pros/ insurance.
 
I own a construction company and pouring a slab like that for a shed is pretty easy for anyone who has some concrete finishing experience but if you want to keep the cost down do all the form work and digging yourself. Dig a 1 foot wide by 2 foot deep footing around the perimeter and put four pieces of #4 rebar in it. Then put some 2x6s in the ground and use a string bubble level to make sure the forms are level and spread a few inches of sand to give the concrete a cushion. If the concrete trucks can get to that part of your yard no problem, if they cant you will have to rent a small pump truck which go for about $350 to $450 around here. It should take two guys about three or four hours to pour and finish.
 
For $50 I rented an electric concrete mixer last summer for a project I had going. You can fit about 3 bags of ready mix in it.

It might be worth checking into something like that, then just do the job yourself. :cool:
 
I don't know if they still do such things but years ago I went to a concrete company and got cement mixed in their trailer for a small driveway addition I put in. It was cheap enough and I hauled it with my Jeep and dumped it where needed and did the finishing myself. It wasn't the fanciest job maybe but it worked just fine for my needs.
 
If you know how and can supervise, the beer drinkers might work out. If you don't know how, hire the experts. They are in, do the job right, and out. I've reached the point where getting it done promptly and correctly are more important than having another learning experience.
 
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