I would have been pouting after all that work too!SmileWavy

There are some trucks that will come out that are able to carry the dry mix and water and mix exactly the amount you need so you are not paying for extra or needing to run for more at the end of the pour.

Concrete in trucks come two ways; pre-mixed and mixed on site. with both you'll still need to get it out of the truck and into your forms. You'll need a pump (way too $$ for this small job) or you get to push wheelbarrow loads full of heavy concrete.

Rent a vibrator too (no jokes please). It will help to move the concrete in the form.

Level and grade your spot, build the forms, tie the steel and order 2 yards from the concrete company. If you spend more than $300, you've done it wrong. You'll need one friend to help, more than that isn't necessary.

Do not even consider QuikCrete, or renting a trailer with a mixer, or ordering concrete that is mixed on site.

Yes, I do this for a living.

no one has even asked. do you have room to back up a mixer truck?

if so, have it formed up. all rebar done and up on dobbies. a guy with a concrete truck can pour it out for you pretty close to where you will need it. then a good straight 2x4 for a rough screed, and then the finishing.

i work with finishers all the time. they make it look so easy. if i did it, i would have to get the cement company to add a dosage of retardant to slow it down. i wouldnt be fast.

living where we live, having it done by a pro is big money. i was quoted something stupid high for my two car driveway.

If he doesn't have access for a truck, he can use a wheelbarrow. If he doesn't want to hump a wheel barrow, he can rent a concrete buggy.

There are other options but this is too simple to overthink it.

me and my wife did this ourselves. its not perfect but it works.
the mistake I made was the driver made the slump too hi (too much water).
it made it easier for us to move around but I had the slab sloped and the concrete "self leveled" itself.
we still need to do the ramp.
we did the sections over several months.

just get a truck load. its about $130 per yard if you do 3 yrds, a little more per yard if you do less then their min.
find another use for the extra.
we did a sea wall in the back with the extra from each load. cant upload pic, too big.

I would NOT do a 10x10 using bags. the bags are expensive and way too much work.
trying to keep it "wet" while mixing will be hard.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517844634.jpg

moving wet mix in a wheelbarrel is a good time for someone that rarely does it.

but i know..this is a simple problem. i just thought asking about truck access would be the best jumping off point. everyone posting up solutions without the full picture..makes little sense to me.

Concrete buggies hold more than wheelbarrows and eliminate the need to carry any vertical load like you would with a wheelbarrow and, since they have two wheels, they don't need any strength to balance them. Way easier, but he'd have to rent one.

Yeah, we don't know all the facts but I was really trying to talk him out of mixing it himself. He's end up with crap concrete and he'd still be mixing it years from now. People have no idea what a pain in the ass that is to do correctly.

What a concrete buggy looks like, for those that have not rented one...

Pic stolen from the net:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517845879.jpg

roger.

my neighbor did a sidewalk around his house. i kid you not. a big rig showed up. it had that forklift riding piggy back..they unloaded some ungodly load of bags. it looked like the pallets of bags went on forever. 6 men mixed it by hand in wheelbarrels and did all the sidewalks like that. up till then, i never thought it could be done. i would have buckled. the sidewalk turned out nice...

man, just dumping the empty bags looked like it sucked.

I've mixed a lot of concrete and mortar in both mixers and wheelbarrows and I will do just about anything to avoid that.

I've used more than 100,000 yards of ready mix on jobs over my career and getting it out of a truck is far easier and a better product.

I wouldn't use QuikCrete for anything, other than planting a mailbox post or something similar.

I did this project (in 2005). It took 3 of the tow behind cement trailers which was 3 yards. It took one day for pouring the cement but a few weeks for nightly prep work. I think the biggest expense was the concrete tools. Besides smoothing tools, I got a screen that is used to push the aggregate to the bottom, boots, long pole and smoother, edgers, and a stiff broom for the broom finished part, Also used rock salt on the edges for a different effect. I believe that each yard of concrete was $150 but that was in 2005. You can also tell them the strength you want it (i.e., 5 sack mix or 6 sack mix). You would need to adjust depending on the use (cars, vs. tool shed). I had to keep my project covered because of the trees dropping seeds. This was my first concrete project - YouTube is your friend.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517847187.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517847215.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517847236.jpg

Thanks a ton all for your help and suggestions.

$2k for a slab is just a guess. I know a friend paid 1500 for a (all hired out) concrete pad for a shed 5+ years ago. This is the Bay Area and the place is booming, half the north bay is burnt down. Contractors throw out crazy numbers these days and people will pay it. I am not a fan of doing everything myself, but usually I can make more than $50 an hour DIY and that's worth my time.

It looks like going with pavers will be perfect. They are about a buck a sf and if I go wtih 11x13, I can have a decent foundation for a couple hundred bucks. The shed is under $500, so I can have this finished for $800 or so. If there is a little sag or imperfection, no problem. Anything will look better than what I have now and it is in a back corner, nobody really sees it from the patio etc.

G

I agree with you on this. Do not mix it yourself. You don't have enough time and not enough help. its not a lot of concrete, but its a pain in the ass.

A premixed buggy is usually about a yard, then he's 1/2 yard short (usually a bag or two short. Its always that way just to piss us off). Someone has to go and get another load as the first load need to be worked. I've done stuff on my own house trying to save on labor but ended up working like a dog with one of my guy.

George, you best bet is to see about having a truck deliver the concrete and have the truck back into the form and place the concrete there if accessibility is possible.

Make sure the base is solid.

I did a 600 sf patio with pavers. Two helpers and a bunch of beer. Kinda fun.

Put an inch of sand under the pavers. Lay out 1" conduit and level. Add sand. Scrape off excess sand with a 1×4 that floats across the conduit. Remove conduit and fill in the gaps. Pave away and then compact.

Oh, and I had a couple inches of crushed rock under the sand.

When you doing the paver party?

Weather has been pretty stellar for outdoor work, spent about 10 hours doing my friend's garden and mine over the weekend.

You can rent a mixer.

Seems like a good time to start now but I am waiting for April / May, so the stuff that is in the shed now can sit outside under a tarp without getting rained at. I want to take my time.

Paver party? I think this may be a good time to remain sober and make it straight?:D

G

If you go the paver route, you may consider building a 2x6 redwood frame around the pavers. Sand will keep the pavers from sagging and the frame will hold everything tight.

I built a 12x12 patio with a redwood frame and it has held up very well. I don't have pictures of it, here at work, but below are some pavers that I made using the exact same concept.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517866293.jpg