Pouring A Thick Concrete Pad.....

[jclaudii]

Could you not build a footer trench around the permiter that is the width of cinder blocks or even a knee wall if you chose to go native stone. Then fill it in with fill aggregate up to 1 foot and then poor slab on top of cinder block retainer wall/knee wall?

 

[rustyshakelford]

Build a pad out of select fill for use gravel to build the grade up. Set forms and poor

Brett

 

[Deere Dude]

I would frame it up to 3x5 an solid ground and start dumping and mixing and throwing hard head rocks or limestone or anything to take up space leaving the top couple inches concrete. I don't think I would use sinter blocks because of the air gaps it would leave, but then it probably would matter there either. Everyone has rocks and you won't need that many of them.

 

[the old grind]

3' x 5' using all of 4 yd would be 7' thick.

Been my experience when getting 'min order' that often it's a driver's last stop. Worst case, he shows up late with a 'hot' load (can NOT slake) and 1-2 yd give or take on the 4-5 yd expected. This should not be a discouragement. Have other things (pads, approaches) formed, their priorities arranged, and wheelbarrow or FEL bucket ready to distribute any largess if it's your day.

If you mix your own, have a helper squish stones, rip-rap, etc in between bags/pours. Rocks are much heavier that other stuff for the volume they displace (eg: to save several bags). Re-rod is more important than back-fill.

If it wouldn't be too much of an eyesore, ask the boss if she'd like one of those poly storage lockers (garden shed?) by the gen, or to block the view of it. (More slab if you order yards of 'crete.) For minimal-mix DIY, I like what dusty3030 suggested. Easy to keep clean/clear beneath and good service/hookup access.

 

[EddieWalker]

Are you going to just pour a slab big enough for the generator? or are you talking about the entire house?

If it's just the generator, wouldn't it be better to put it on top of a framed mount? Pretty easy to build a metal frame that will hold the weight of the generator and have some storage under it.

If it's the entire house, why not just keep building up the pad with compacted dirt until you get to where you want to be?

While there is nothing particularly wrong with thick concrete, it does become very wasteful and expensive without any benefit for the money spent.

Eddie

 

[jim_wilson]

Since we're on the subject of concrete slabs - I've got a related question.

I've got to pour a concrete slab in front of the side door to my barn. I'd pave it - but I've got limited space to get vehicles in thru this door - so I anticipate having to use something like Go-Jacks to line vehicles up to get thru the door (especially larger vehicles like my Suburban). I may also do things like roll an engine hoist around in this area. So I'm thinking that a slab is a better choice than pavement because of the small wheels which might not like hot pavement in the summer months.

Before I pour the slab - I've got to build the area up a good 18 to 24 inches.

What I'm thinking of doing - is using up some of the massive rock pile I've got to build up that base - what I'd do is lay down a layer of rocks - nothing more than say 5-6 inches in diameter, fill in the gaps with rock dust or smaller sized gravel - compact the **** out of it - and build that up until I get to the level where I want to pour the slab.

Is there any reason not to put down rocks like this under a slab? Drainage in this area is not a problem.