Concrete Patio

[rmk700]

I'm getting a patio prepped for concrete myself and I'm getting estimates for concrete, form, pore and finish work only. The size is 33' x 17' x 4"' with two small two step steps one for house and one for garage.

I've got one estimate for $2800 so far. Does that seem reasonable?

 

[boggen]

33'x17'x4" get a good finishing guy, and hopefully ya get some good areas put in, for controlled cracking.

see what there thoughts in putting in a footer around the priemeter maybe help with some cracking at the edges.

large area, see about floor drain in a couple spots. might help with puddling of water later down the road. and aid in power washing the area to clean things up. more so garden hose to clean up spilled drinks.

make sure ground around deck causes water to move away from the concrete patio. vs pooling up at edges.

if bringing in fill to raise areas, make sure it gets compacted good, so ya don't have major cracking issues.

 

[oosik]

Be certain you understand and check/do what boggen suggests. Before you pour - have the guy/company doing the work come out and check your work. There may need to be changes made. Is $2800 a good price - good price or not - its more important that the folks have a good rep for the work they do. If they screw it up - you will end up paying more than the difference between high and low estimate just having it repaired. Sooo - before you make your final choice and before you sign your life away - ask to look at some of the jobs they have done - get an idea of the quality of their work - then make your decisions.

 

[ace10]

Who's putting down the stone base?

 

[rmk700]

Who's putting down the stone base?

I'm doing all the dirt and base work. I was going to use a 3/4 inch drain rock for a base under slab rather than a road base aggregate with fines. That was suggested by a concrete contractor that claimed it's better for preventing heaving from temperature change. The sub grade dirt is pretty much clay dirt.

 

[EddieWalker]

When you say that you are getting the patio prepped, what does that mean? Will it be attached or touching the house? Will you drill holes into your existing slab and epoxy rebar into those holes to tie the patio to the house? Are you using rebar or wire mesh? Wire is cheaper, but it's pure junk and impossible to keep in the middle of the concrete. Anybody who says they pull it up while spreading the concrete is misleading you because they just walk right over it again and push it back down. For a pad, I would only use rebar, and it would be set on chairs. I do not trust anything else, and I wouldn't rely on anything cheaper of faster. Rebar is proven and it works every time.

At $5 a square foot, that's a good price if it includes the concrete.

Be sure to get multiple bids if you don't already know the guy you are hiring. In every case that I've been hired to fix what others did, they guy they hired was the only one they talked to.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

When you say that you are getting the patio prepped, what does that mean? Will it be attached or touching the house? Will you drill holes into your existing slab and epoxy rebar into those holes to tie the patio to the house? Are you using rebar or wire mesh? Wire is cheaper, but it's pure junk and impossible to keep in the middle of the concrete. Anybody who says they pull it up while spreading the concrete is misleading you because they just walk right over it again and push it back down. For a pad, I would only use rebar, and it would be set on chairs. I do not trust anything else, and I wouldn't rely on anything cheaper of faster. Rebar is proven and it works every time.

At $5 a square foot, that's a good price if it includes the concrete.

Be sure to get multiple bids if you don't already know the guy you are hiring. In every case that I've been hired to fix what others did, they guy they hired was the only one they talked to.

Eddie

 

[JMER817]

I'm getting a patio prepped for concrete myself and I'm getting estimates for concrete, form, pore and finish work only. The size is 33' x 17' x 4"' with two small two step steps one for house and one for garage. I've got one estimate for $2800 so far. Does that seem reasonable?

For my area that is very high. Going rate by me is $3.25 sq ft plus maybe $500 for leveling and gravel.

 

[rmk700]

double post

 

[rmk700]

triple post....grrrr

 

[rmk700]

When you say that you are getting the patio prepped, what does that mean? Will it be attached or touching the house? Will you drill holes into your existing slab and epoxy rebar into those holes to tie the patio to the house? Are you using rebar or wire mesh? Wire is cheaper, but it's pure junk and impossible to keep in the middle of the concrete. Anybody who says they pull it up while spreading the concrete is misleading you because they just walk right over it again and push it back down. For a pad, I would only use rebar, and it would be set on chairs. I do not trust anything else, and I wouldn't rely on anything cheaper of faster. Rebar is proven and it works every time.

At $5 a square foot, that's a good price if it includes the concrete.

Be sure to get multiple bids if you don't already know the guy you are hiring. In every case that I've been hired to fix what others did, they guy they hired was the only one they talked to.

Eddie

Prepped meaning, all the dirt grading and base work. They'll supply the concrete, do the forming, pore, and finish.

It is between and against my house and separate garage. I was thinking keeping slab separate by using felt and making a expansion joint along house and garage rather than doweling rebar in. Bad idea? I do want to dowel the two steps though.

 

[EddieWalker]

Keeping them separate with felt is a very good idea. An expansion board is even better. But you also want to tie the slab to the existing buildings. If you don't, it's just a matter of time until the slab moves.

Like everything, the foundation is the most important part. Getting it compacted is critical. When I worked on construction jobs in CA back in the 80's, we mixed water with the soil before spreading it, then compacted with vibratory rollers. After it was built up, it was cut down to grade, then tested. If we didn't get 95% or better, it was dug out and done again. Too much water is worse then not enough, but you have to have a certain amount of moisture in the soil to get it to compact.

If you don't get the soil compacted, it will settle on you over time and there will be a void below the pad that will lead to cracking. Rebar will help this and a lot of the time, nobody is even aware that it's there. I see this in houses when I do a remodel. I also see wire on the dirt under the concrete 100% of the time it was used.

Eddie