Need some concrete footing help

[BruceWard]

You have 140' of footings. I assume you are on Texas dirt and not Arkansas rock. With my B21 I could dig that in ~ 3 hours, perhaps 2. If you want to dig them yourself rent a mini excavator and go at it. The mini x will be faster since it is faster to repostition. You should be able to dig it all without using the nephew. Depending on your level of experience it might take a few hours or a day.

 

[Western]

Thanks fellas for the reply's,

$1600 bucks the biggest reason If it was $500, I'd watch from the sidelines, plus I used to enjoy it. I get relief if I sit down for 5 minutes, or I work through it, depends. Stenosis in the lower spine. If it was any bigger I'd pass

I am going to take my drawing to the cement yard since they aren't that far and let them figure it before I make the decision.

I will price the mini.

I am putting in weld plates for a metal structure, The building is engineered from Mueller Buildings. I will most likely increase the size of the corners footings.

 

[markrahn]

I am putting in a 40 x 60 with brick ledge steel building. rent the mini ex. with an 8" bucket you will get a plenty wide footing. at least I did, probably due to my skill level on the mini ex I have a crew waiting and the quote for pour and finish only is .55 a foot. I have to pay for everything and prep everything. building the forms now. I am having a BLAST!

What are you using for fill? Crushed concrete? 3/4 to sand?

 

[rimshot]

I probably will be starting a 30x40 shop in a week or 2. My concrete guy has given me a discounted turn key price for the concrete at $3.75 per foot, or he will have his crew pour and finish for $1.00 per foot and I do all the rest that is needed. Total sq. footage with door ramp is approximately 1320 sq ft..

Savings could be around $1650.

Question, Any ideas on digging the footers with a problem back?? I thought about Ditch witch, since I will have one rented, even possible. ?? corners I'll do by hand. Not a huge job by any means.

The rest of it is no biggy, actually the footings aren't a biggy when your young and have a linebackers back.

Thanks

**warning long post**

I guess in your part of the country your floors and footings are poured differently than ours. We have to pour footings 42" deep from grade to bottom of footing. I think what you are doing is pouring footing with the slab or all together.

I'm thinking a building like that yours might not need a single form except in front of the door. I would grab a small backhoe with a 9" or 12" bucket and dig that footing to grade or at least within a couple inches. It would take a crew of maybe 2-3 workers but after squaring and leveling the worksite e would mark the footing excavation with paint and frequently take transit shots on the bottom of the footing as we worked.

Depending on the type of soil (depending on if it would hold or not the footing could either be formed with 2 x 8' (8" X 16", 2 continuous bars of 1/2" rerod. If the earth was of appropriate type you would clean up the sides and bottoms of the ditch by hand with a shovel squaring the sides and dressing the bottom and then pour the footing seperate. Every 6' or so a stake is driven to the exact level of the top of the footing and th concrete is poured to this point. A simple pump of the fresh redimix levels the fresh concrete side to side.

4-5 courses of 8" regular blocks and a special top block we call a header block and the footing and foundation is complete. No forms are needed for the floor as that header block contains the floor poured over top and the floor can be screed off the top.

I realize, conditions at the site (soil type) have to be right for the ditch to hold. When you can use this method you don't have to dirty a form except for across door openings. If you are in a warmer climate where footings. need not be so deep the depth of footing can be adjusted by excluding block courses.

Just another way to get the job done. I have done several jobs using just such a method. Good luck with your plan.

rimshot

 

[Western]

.55 a foot to pour and finish? that is pretty good, this guys goes to our church and had done several slabs for us in the past, but I will call around, building has been slow around here sooo.

I have seen slabs pour in side a pre-made footer. Don't know if it would work for me here though. It is such a small area 30x40 it isn't to big a deal.

 

[Boeing]

Let me jump in here with a question. I had a 24X40 steel building put up. The building turned out nice and has a dirt floor.
I want to pour a 'crete floor. I figured that I would bring in about 3" of gravel or crush-n-run then dig a 12"X12" trench to be a footer across the FRONT where there would be vehicle weight. I was going to do no trenching/footer on the sides or rear. I was thinking of a 4" pad with wire.....maybe Re-bar thru the front footer to prevent cracking. The heaviest load is the 4500lb tractor. Am I missing a few cogs in my gears here?
thanks

 

[rimshot]

If your vehicles don't exceed an average of 5000 lbs then a reinforced 4" concrete floor on a well compacted base is adequate. If you service and store heavier vehicles perhaps a floor thickness of 5-5 1/2" is preferable.

So far as the 12 " X 12" footing you refer to across the door area I guess depends on your needs. I suspect it might be overkill. If a person just likes to buy extra redi mix why not pour it 16 X 16. Nobody can tell you not to do it.

I used a 2 X 8" form across my entrance door and dropped a couple pieces of rod in for reinforcement. The floors I pour are thickened around the edge and if needed I provide for a rat wall. If your building a foundation requiring consideration for frost control that is another topic of discussion.

Good luck with your floor.

rimshot

 

[toy]

I probably will be starting a 30x40 shop in a week or 2. My concrete guy has given me a discounted turn key price for the concrete at $3.75 per foot, or he will have his crew pour and finish for $1.00 per foot and I do all the rest that is needed. Total sq. footage with door ramp is approximately 1320 sq ft..

Savings could be around $1650.

Question, Any ideas on digging the footers with a problem back?? I thought about Ditch witch, since I will have one rented, even possible. ?? corners I'll do by hand. Not a huge job by any means.

The rest of it is no biggy, actually the footings aren't a biggy when your young and have a linebackers back.

Thanks

I got some concrete poured last week, The concrete cost $125 per yard for the concrete alone. I used a lot of rebar in it and wire sheets also that was extra along with the forms. The man that did the pour charged $100 a yard for forming it up and getting it ready for the pour, pouring it and dressing it down. The slab was 11 by 24 foot and is thicker than 5 1/2 inches thick. I could have gotten the concrete for $115 a yard at another plant but they were several miles farther away and it would have been uncertain as to the exact time they would arrive with the cement so it was better for me to pay the difference.

This was the first time that I used this cement man to pour cement and he did a fair job. The man that I had always used in the past was in his 80s and he passed away about three weeks ago but he was quite a bit cheaper and did a better job. Not only was this man my cement man he was also a friend.

 

[AGGIE00]

I got some concrete poured last week, The concrete cost $125 per yard for the concrete alone. I used a lot of rebar in it and wire sheets also that was extra along with the forms. The man that did the pour charged $100 a yard for forming it up and getting it ready for the pour, pouring it and dressing it down. The slab was 11 by 24 foot and is thicker than 5 1/2 inches thick. I could have gotten the concrete for $115 a yard at another plant but they were several miles farther away and it would have been uncertain as to the exact time they would arrive with the cement so it was better for me to pay the difference.

This was the first time that I used this cement man to pour cement and he did a fair job. The man that I had always used in the past was in his 80s and he passed away about three weeks ago but he was quite a bit cheaper and did a better job. Not only was this man my cement man he was also a friend.

At that rate labor on my slab would have been $15,000. That is a raping. You should expect to pay between $1.25 to $1.75/sf for turn key labor excluding site and pad prep. That means they set up the batters, form it, dig the beams, set the rebar, and pour it. You provide all materials and mini X.

 

[crbr]

Yes on the footings, concrete friend is recommending min. of 18"HX9"W. below grade

With rebar. A small expense for the return on reinforcement.