Shed base concreting cost?

[andyoxon]

Had an estimate for some work (side access concreting) and got a quote for a shed base at the same time (thought...might as well). £125 per sqm for the concreting. So a 8x10ft (~7.5sqm) would be £940. Originally I thought about doing a base myself - sand cement/sleepers, but this might be too much for my shoulder. But the price for slab base here is the price of a really good shed - just seems too much. What do you reckon; how much would you pay?

Andy

 

[Noodley]

FFS! That's stupid money. The bloke who did the concreting for my house extension is coming round first thing in the morning and I'll ask him what a sensible price would be.

 

[Mr Pig]

I'd put down a few slabs. Works just as well, you do not need to support the whole underside of a shed, as long as the supports aren't so far apart that the base buckles.

 

[MacB]

Andy, to cover that area, to a depth of 6 inches would need 1.1 cubic meters of concrete. I'd be tempted to pay someone to dig out the area and prepare. Should be about half a day, then arrange for a ready mix delivery. Depending on location it's either pumped straight in or moved by wheelbarrow. I don't know current ready mix prices but would be very surprised if you couldn't do the whole thing for under £500.

Alternatively buy it from B&Q or Wicks and pay someone to prepare, mix and lay. One days work, £200 for them and about £150 in materials.

 

[snorri]

Suppose it depends what your shed walls are made of.
I used exterior ply for my shed floors supported by just enough concrete blocks to prevent it flexing. It lets some air circulate underneath,been ok for 20 years now.
On further recollection, my shed design was influenced by the fact the ply sheets were found washed up on the beach one day.

 

[andyoxon]

Thanks all. If the £125 psm for the side access footpath concreting is including the work required to rebuild the drain cover support, footings for brick pier etc. Perhaps getting a price for the 'simple' shed base at the same time is a 'tactical' error. And even though the quote includes dismantling the green house/ clearing the area where the shed is to go, we still pay for the skip. The two partners seemed desperate for the work, apparently have sub contractors waiting with little work...

 

[Noodley]

I'll ask about whether a base is required as well, or of some simple block/slabs would suffice - what's it gonna hold? If it's just gardening stuff and such like I'd imagine blocks would suffice as my shed has been on blocks for ages with no problems....currently has lawn mower, 3 bikes, scrub cutter, and half the stuff from a previous garage stuffed into it!

 

[Noodley]

Thanks all. If the £125 psm for the side access footpath concreting is including the work required to rebuild the drain cover support, footings for brick pier etc....

I'll ask about that too

 

[Brains]

My shed is on a 'foundation' of 3 parallel rows of bricks, one supporting the front, one the back and one for the middle. On top of the rows of bricks I put a three 6"x6" bulwarks of treated timber (which I soaked for 24hrs in creosote). Then the shed on top

That was 20 years ago - still as sold as the day I built it
Cost about £20, and a couple of hours work. most of that cost being the creosote

 

[Fab Foodie]

andy, I know a guy who'll do you a reasonable quote, lives in Peachcroft. Give me a call.

 

[slowmotion]

Old timber railway sleepers work well, if you can get them., so you may not need concrete. Just dig a groove for each, tamp down the soil, and stuff in some sand to level the top surface of the sleepers. The sleepers will last a whole lot longer than the shed.

 

[andyoxon]

Thanks for the tips. With all the shed base options that seem to work, I really can't justify spending nearly £1K on a base, no matter how substantial. But in terms of cost for the footpath and brickwork alone, this firm are in the same ballpark as the other two (one was more) I've had (a few months ago now) - perhaps they set a price for the whole job. I think more quotes would be good.

Perhaps when a firm is desperate for work (& use subcontractors), they tend to have to keep prices on the high side.

 

[wafflycat]

MrWC got a quote in for basically an 8x8 conctrete base for a shed. He was quoted a similar amount. Silly money. And this was from someone recommended to us! MrWC did it himself - saved the dosh and actually enjoyed it too. Got him away from work for a weekend, which is a good thing.

 

[sheddy]

Just set it up on blocks. Wait till the shed is delivered so that you can see the base and work out what centres to lay them out to. Just need to get em horizontal.

 

[philipbh]

Do you need to have a concrete base at all - if not you might want to consider a wooden base, such as this one:

http://www.buyshedsdirect.co.uk/search-8-x-6-wooden-shed-base-glg-800

"just" need a spirit level and mallet and you're done

Might save some ar*e-ache if you ever want to move / remove the shed in future