Slab work

[1930]

I'm gonna wait a couple of years to start but in the meantime I'd like to start reading what I can about monolithic slab formation.

Ive been told that the majority of expense related to the slab is in the formation not the actual concrete.

I haven't confirmed this.

I should be looking for the most up to date material I can find on site prep and forming, leave the rest for the pros under my more educated eye

Anyone know of a source?

 

[Egon]

Check out the Portland cement information site.

 

[1930]

Will do thanks

 

[747driver]

Have done my fair share of mono slab pours when i lived in southeast TX. First see what your local building code requires if you need to have permits and inspections.

Any idea how big your slab might be ? You will need footers dug on the perimeters and beams dug if it is required. So if you are having interior load bearing walls more than likely you will need a beam underneath them.

Go to YouTube and type in monolithic slab foundation. There is a wealth of info on materials needed and how to frame and pour a mono slab. Also need to look and see how to install plumbing if it is to be under the slab.

Good luck and happy searching !

 

[bigtiller]

I'm gonna wait a couple of years to start but in the meantime I'd like to start reading what I can about monolithic slab formation.

Ive been told that the majority of expense related to the slab is in the formation not the actual concrete.

I haven't confirmed this.

I should be looking for the most up to date material I can find on site prep and forming, leave the rest for the pros under my more educated eye

Anyone know of a source?

I think a good argument could be made to let the pro's do the site prep and forming also. Getting the proper compaction is necessary to have a long lasting slab stay stable.

I usually get the current cost of concrete from the local plant and then double that price to get an idea of what a contractor would charge for labor. The labor is always a little higher than that but it gets me in the ballpark.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Need more information.

What is the site like? Site material and compact-ability?

Size of slab including thickness?

End use? Expected weight bearing, spread loads and point loads? Inside/outside/roof over?

Supports points for building structure?

Environment? Hot/Cold? Winter/Summer?

Labor availability?

Hand trowel/Machine trowel?

Equipment for control joints?

Curing Process?

Monolithic can be tricky due to differences in mass at edges versus field.

Books, Books by these Associations are the best: American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), Portland Cement Association (PCA)

One of the best is "Concrete Slabs on Ground" by ACI A lot of pubs are highly technical and assume you are already knowledgeable.

The industry is changing every year with new materials and processes. I have have excellent results with using fiber additive and no rebar. Wire mesh is worthless unless meticulously maintained at the right height. Contrary to popular opinion you cannot pull it up through the concrete to the proper height. Has to be on chairs or dobbies and not walked on.

When I was doing construction management and quality control I went to the "World of Concrete" in Las Vegas every year just to maintain currency. I am a firm believer in current methods and materials and not the "good ol boy who has been doing this for 40 years, don't tell me how to pour (place is the proper term) concrete. Excess water is you biggest enemy.

LOL, Ron

 

[BrokenTrack]

I have homes with full basements, crawl spaces and on slabs, and I would not build another house without being on a monolithic slab. They are just so much more efficient: warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. In fact two years ago we put this house on the market, and I shut off the heat. Due to its slab floor, it never got below freezing in here, even though it got down to -7 below zero outside. At that temp it was 44 degrees inside. Too cold to live granted, but still, with no heat on, or any human activity, that is pretty darn efficient from just the 57 degree heat rising from the center of the building!

The biggest thing to understand is, there is a lot of expense in the slab, but it is also a huge part of the home. It is your foundation. It is your heating system. It is your cooling system. It is your floor. It is your plumbing system.

It is a lot of things, so it must be planned out well. But once planned out, it really opens a lot of options up.

I put my radiant floor heating system in 14 years ago now, and it is still state of the art. Even better it does not care what I have for a heating source: firewood, coal, geothermal, solar, cogeneration, compost, wood pellets...it does not care, just as long as the water generated is between 76-100 degrees.