Concrete pad..how difficult can it be???

[Brookenstein]

It's been so long since I read the forum guidelines here, I hope its okay to post links.  This is the link to my area...
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/ if you look to the right side of the page a ton of cities or counties are listed.  Just click on the one that is closest to your area.  The site isn't very visually user friendly if you ask me, but its free, so I can't complain (much).  

You can post an ad, and either have people contact you with an anonymous email provided by craigslist (thats what I do), provide your own email, or leave your phone # in the ad or you can look around and see if anyone has posted an ad that fits what you are looking for.

Hope that helps.

[TTyacke]

Just form it up yourself, order the premix, plum in the power, and save yourself some dough.  I had never done any concrete work, and I poured a 8x8 slab in one day at a cost of about $200.  It was really pretty easy.

[Hubjeep]

I would suggest not trying to mix all that concrete in a wheelbarrow, it will be a major PITA!  If you are going to mix your own, rent an electric mixer.  

I have seen dual axle short trailers around here with "pour it yourself" or something like that written on the side, you basically pick up the trailer full of concrete and dump it where you need it, and return the trailer; may be a good way to go.

-John

[ArcherC]

Sunnydee,
It sounds like you are in kind of a tough situation. I don't know how much you want the base for the spa to be concrete, but if you just want a solid base for the spa, there are other alternatives that are much cheaper. One that we sell a lot of is called the Spa Pad and it is sold by Confer Plastics. We retail it for about $300 and it takes very little work to set up. Just a layer of sand underneath that is level. Just make sure that this is an acceptable alternative that won't void your warranty. The web site is http://www.conferplastics.com/spa.htm (bottom of the  Page)
If you have any questions, just let me know. All of our customers have been very happy with them.

[Ruby]

Hey! Craigslist is where I am listing my Hot Tub!

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/for/97682668.html

I've looked around at different areas and it doesn't look like craigslist has caught on in most places like it has here in mpls.

But, just in case you're wondering, I have bought and sold many items through here and it works great.  I've even placed wanted ads for stuff i'm looking for and have found.

[TTyacke]

Don't worry about mixing yourself, just call for a batch truck and they will deliver premixed material that in some cases can be pumped into the forms.  It took about 1/2 hour from the time the truck pulled in to the time I was finished with the pad.

[tootsie]

I bought my hot tub in Erie  

[sunnydee]

Well, after another 12 phone calls, I finally got a guy to say he would come out and look at the job. Imagine that! Anybody have any ideas on a reasonable estimate for what a 10 ft by 10 ft concrete pad should cost? The area is very accessible and pretty flat. I'm sure the prices vary across the states. I live in northeastern Pa.

[ebirrane]

We wound up doing our spa pad ourselves because of expense and timing.  Our 9'x8' pad got estimates anywhere from $900 - $1800 for the job in MD almost 2 years ago.  Things seem generally cheaper in PA so hopefully you will get a better price.

Most of this is manual labor, not rocket science. Having said that I'm no professional concrete person. This is just what I did to make my slab, your mileage may vary.

Doing the spa pad ourselves took 2 weekends because we didn't have alot of help, but it also only cost us about $300.

Step 1: Build a wooden square out of 2x6. The inner diameter of the square should be 10'x10'. This will become your "form".

Step 2: Dig a hole big enough for the wooden square to fi t in. Make it deep enough so that the top of the 2x6 is where you want the top of the concrete slab to be.  This is generally 2" above ground.  Dig down 8" from the top of the 2x6 form.  If you want footers dig a 6" wide moat around the inside of the square which will be 12" from the top of the 2x6 form. Have the 12" deep moat gradually rise up to the 8" deep other sections at a 45 degree angle. The levelness of the form is the levelness of the slab. Some people put a slight incline to help rainwater run off. I hear 1" every 4 feet is recommended, but you should check on that. A perfectly level slab if probably the way to go as most of the slab will be covered by your tub.

Step 3: Tamp all that dirt down.  Electric tampers are expensive to rent, but a hand tamper costs $10 at Lowes. A hand tamper is a wooden stick with a big, flat metal plate on one end.

Step 4: Buy drainage rock and lay a 4" coating of it down. (If you dug footers, make sure to only put 4" in the footer,  don't make it even...).  Tamp the rock down.

Step 5: Lay a piece of thick plastic over the rock.  The will help prevent moisture seepage if you live in a wet area or have drainage problems in your yard.

Step 6: Buy some rebar and lay it in a 1' by 1' grid, with each end coming up to about 4" from the sides.  Set the rebar so that it sits 2" above the plastic.  You can buy or fashion little "stands" to accomplish this. This way the rebar floats mid-way through your 4" concrete slab.

Step 7: Have come concrete delivered and wheelbarrow it from the truck to the pad.  Get 2-3 wheelbarrows and have 3-4 friends back at the slab to help spread the stuff around.  Get somewith with air and fiberglass.  Contacting your local concrete people and ask them what they recommend for a spa pad in your climate/area. Tell them your dimensions and they will tell you how much to order.  Alwats get an extra 1/2 yard or so as some sticks to the inside of the truck and it never hurts to have xtra. (It does hurt to have not enough).

Step 8: Take a long 2x4 and move it back and forth over the concrete (resting on the forms) to make sure the concrete is level to the forms.  This is called screeding. Make sure the concrete is packed into all the gaps, nooks, and crannies.

Step 9: Let it dry a little bit.. 10, 20 minutes? Then take an edger and go around the edges of the slab, this will make sure you don't have any sharp edges on the slab.

Step 10: After that, take a broom and lightly make line-strokes in the wet concrete.  This will make sure the concrete isn't so smooth that you lose traction.

Step 11: Cover the concrete with a tarp.  Every day water the top of the concrete. Do it for 3-5 days.  The top of the concrete should be the last part to dry out, not the first part to dry out.

Step 12: Rest alot, assured that you saved $1000 and took 4 years off your life.

Step 13: Pull up the forms. This should be easy as concrete shrinks as it dries, pulling away from the form. DO NOT leave the form in the ground as it is a feast for termite.

[sunnydee]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to give me detailed instructions. I'm sure you've helped alot of people! After I get my estimate today, I'll let you know which road I'm taking!

[Ritz]

I paid $950 for a pad that was about 11 x 9 (actually shaped like home plate) in Cleveland ohio area.  It was a side job the contractor fit in on a day off.  

[sunnydee]

OKay, now I'm more confused than ever. Mason came by(he lives very close to me) and said he usually doesn't do jobs this size but since I knew alot of people he knew and that his trucks pass by here all day, he would do the concrete pad. Now he said that digging down is of no value here in the poconos unless we go 40 inches which is below frost line. Since our ground is mostly shale, he said he would put the slab right on the ground as it is. It's a fairly level area to begin with and said he'd pour 6 inches. For a 10 by 12 pad he quoted me $300. Is this too good to be true? He's lived here all his life and is a mason known by alot of the contractors around here.

[ebirrane]

OKay, now I'm more confused than ever. Mason came by(he lives very close to me) and said he usually doesn't do jobs this size but since I knew alot of people he knew and that his trucks pass by here all day, he would do the concrete pad. Now he said that digging down is of no value here in the poconos unless we go 40 inches which is below frost line. Since our ground is mostly shale, he said he would put the slab right on the ground as it is. It's a fairly level area to begin with and said he'd pour 6 inches. For a 10 by 12 pad he quoted me $300. Is this too good to be true? He's lived here all his life and is a mason known by alot of the contractors around here.

If he is just putting up forms and filling them with concrete then $300 sounds about right.  Probably $20 for the wood and $150 for the concrete and an hours labor.

As for whether that is the correct way for a slab, there is an easy way to find out: call your local permit people.  They will have guidelines for what should and should not be used in your area.

I'm not sure what "jobs this size" means as 10'x10' is clearly not a large slab. The digging down has less to do with frost heave (as would be the case with footers for a deck) and more to do with settlement and erosion of the dirt underneath.  Adding drainage so that water doesn't seep into and erode the "underside" of your slab has nothing to do with frost.

Not saying that he is incorrect, but it is certainly new to me (but I am not a pro at this).  I would certainly call a local inspector and ask them their opinion.

-Ed

[Brewman]

By not usually doing jobs this size, I'm thinkin it was in reference to the small size of the job.  Sometimes contractors don't like small jobs- if they have adequate work available they might even overbid them to discourage getting hired.  They make more doing bigger jobs.  Depending on the location and the trade, it can be almost impossible to get bids, let alone someone who'll do the work.  

[BobRex]

You probably have topsoil on top of the shale ( or at least what tries to pass as topsoil).  That needs to be removed.  I would'nt feel to good about putting a pour directly on shale, unless it's been sitting undisturbed for a couple of years.  You would do better digging some of it out and dumping stone on top of the shale.  I've got shale and I have yet to see a builder take that shortcut in my area.  Putting the stone down will guarantee a firm, level base.  Ask the mason if he'd do that for an additional hundred or 2.  long term, you'll be happier.