I will be building a new shop this year, between 30×40 and 40×60 (size determined by the property we buy).
Is there a good formula for estimating the cost of the concrete slab? We are in central Illinois, and I am thinking of a 6″ slab. I will deck over the slab so I can have a wood floor to stand on.
Can anyone recommend a contractor in central Illinois?
Replies
If a wood floor is what you want, why pour a slab and deck over it?
Why not a wood frame floor and decking over some type (there are many) of in ground concrete support system?
How do you think all those basketball court floors are built all over the midwest? A wood floor system is built atop the slab-on-grade concrete subfloor.
Basketball court(s)? Built by schools, sports teams, commercial enterprise, government agency or a combination.....with long money.
I was thinking functional Shop.
Our 40' x 70' shop has a framed wood floor on concrete piers.
I have built homes with wood floors on concrete.
I know which one cost more, and what I would do for a shop if I wanted wood (decking) floors, if cost were a factor.
THe reason for the concrete is to be able to use the front half of the shop as an auto shop/storage area. My thinking was that a wood floor would not hold up to the kind of auto work I do.
I was also thinking about radiant heating in the slab, but got cold feet (pun intended) about the cost.
I understand what you're saying about the cost....BUT, I hate to see anyone put a slab in without putting insulation and PEX tubes in. The process for doing this in a slab is so well documented that you could easily do it yourself to save on labor. If you don't want that, at least check what your install cost would be.
Really, how hard could laying 2" extruded on top of your compacted base and vapor barrier then either stapling to the extruded and laying rebar over, or laying re-mesh and tying the PEX to that...be? Lay your 1/2" PEX on 12" centers, keep individual loops in the 250' - 300' range, bring them up into a manifold. Don't forget to use 2 - 4" of extruded down vertical 24" or so at the edges, and use 90° plastic conduit or purpose made transitions through the slab. Good crew could have that all down in the morning and then pour in the afternoon.
All you need for plumbing initially is a manifold and air gauge hooked up to the PEX.
It's one of those things that if done NOW, is many orders of magnatudes cheaper than if done later...and you can't really do it later anyway.
Edited 2/7/2006 8:19 am ET by johnnyd
I can appreciate what you're saying. After all the comments here I have looked a little more into the radiant heat idea and followed one thread to a supplier and got a look at the material costs. It's not as bad as I thought. When I narrow done the search and have a better idea of what I will be allowed to build, I'm going to get a quote. I think I'll be able to spring for the PEX and the manifold and then put in the heat source (HWH) later.
Concrete makes more sense now.
As I mentioned, concrete foundation methods can vary greatly.
Here in Texas, a concrete foundation with typical beams and reinforcement has average cost of about $7.50 per SF for all materials and labor.
Thanks for the figure. We're trying to balance the down payment with the mortgage and figure out how much we have to work with for the new building - we plan on paying cash for it. If we need to budget $ 30 K versus $ 20K we would change the down payment accordingly.
OK 65, but refer to my original post which directs you to talk to local concrete placement contractors, as pricing, types and local user friendly methods can vary greatly from region to region.
Labor prices for the same work can also vary greatly. While it may be frowned upon by some, here in Texas, we have the benefit of South of the Border Employment Agency. I hire the sub-contractor who is always working legally / legitmately here in the states, but he sometimes uses the aforementioned Employment Agency. In most cases, they Agency must be used to be competetive.
I would hate to think you will be using my figures for budget purposes, without checking with your locals.
I will keep the fact that local costs may vary in mind.
I was looking for the general knowledge. For example, I now know that a cubuc yard will cover 54 sq ft @ 6" deep, which will help when looking at the estimates for materials. So if the building ends up to be 30x40, I know it should use around 24 yds of concrete, not 40. I also have an idea from several parts of the country what it costs for labor.
Thanks everyone for your information and feedback, it has been extremely helpful.
Buying the 'crete directly, figure on whatever your local redimix plant is charging. Here, they are at about $80 per cubic yard.
A cubic yard will cover 54 square feet at 6" thickness, so you can figure your quantity from that. Add 10 percent for grade inaccuracies.
Your local steel supplier can tell you what the price is for panels of welded wire fabric. Ask for 4 x 4 x 10/10, which means a 4" spacing of 10 gage wire, both ways. Add that up, and add about 15 percent for laps and such.
We can get a contractor to place and finish it, with us doing all the prep, setting the rebar and wire, grade stakes, etc., and he is charging about $0.75 per square foot.
Your mileage may vary, but this will get you close.
Thank you. THis is exactly what I was looking for, a way to estimate the amount of material.
Where exactly are you at? "Central Illinois" can cover a lot of ground. We have a couple of folks here from Springfield, if you're in that area. I'm in Carlinville, and there's another guy over towards Kankakee. One of us might know of a specific contractor if you give us a town.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy [Red Green]
Thanks for the reply. We're looking at properties in the Bloomington area, and have a couple of hot ones - one in Gridley and one in Chenoa. Both would require a new shop to be built. I will be talking to both towns to see what they allow as far as set-back, building type, etc.
Any suggestions/recommendations as far as contractors would be welcome. I have done restorations and remodeling work, but this is all new to me so I welcome all the advice I'm getting here.
By the way, do you know a good tile person? Both properties will require a new shower enclosure right away to accommodate my FiL who is elderly.
Edited 2/8/2006 4:29 am ET by flglide65
Are there not other things to figure into the proverbial equation? What about footings? What about cost for difficult-access requiring a pump truck?
If you want to do concrete, ask your local concrete placement contractors.
So many factors vary throughout the country, that it would be hard to provide a adequate and fairly acurate answer.
Here in Texas, they can vary from sub-divison to sub-division depending upon soil conditions alone.
I can not see how someone from New York, Florida or anywhere other that your local area could assume the type of slab you need, soil conditions, supplies avaliable and the user friendly and typical method of performing the work.
Edited 2/6/2006 9:10 pm ET by txlandlord
I'm going for concrete with radiant heat. That way I got a heated dog house. I'm also going to partition a small room off to keep my guitar collection. My wife keeps telling me some of them gotta go.
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