How big of a slab could I do by myself?

[quicksandfarmer]

I personally will only use rebar in a concrete pad. It will be set on chairs so it's in the middle of the pad. Wire is impossible to walk on and keep in the middle of the pad. The most common lie told with concrete is that they will pull it up while spreading it.

I have my rebar done before I pour my first pad. The form that divides that pads has notches in it so it fits over the rebar. When the concrete is dry, the form comes off, and then goes to the edge of the next pad.

Pouring one pad in a day wears me out, so I do them once a week. During the week, I buy another pallet of concrete, move my forms, clean up the area and stage everything for the next pour on Saturday morning. I'm in no rush to finish, and the more time I take to get everything in place, the easier it goes.

View attachment 1907195

View attachment 1907196

That sounds about my speed, which means all the more reason to buy a mixer rather than renting.

How do you join the pours? Just wet against dry or do you put in an expansion strip.

 

[MossRoad]

I personally will only use rebar in a concrete pad. It will be set on chairs so it's in the middle of the pad. Wire is impossible to walk on and keep in the middle of the pad. The most common lie told with concrete is that they will pull it up while spreading it.

I have my rebar done before I pour my first pad. The form that divides that pads has notches in it so it fits over the rebar. When the concrete is dry, the form comes off, and then goes to the edge of the next pad.

Pouring one pad in a day wears me out, so I do them once a week. During the week, I buy another pallet of concrete, move my forms, clean up the area and stage everything for the next pour on Saturday morning. I'm in no rush to finish, and the more time I take to get everything in place, the easier it goes.

View attachment 1907195

View attachment 1907196

That's pretty much how I did mine, only I didn't notch the side form for the rebar, I drilled a hole.

1st pour
(click to enlarge)



2nd pour
(click to enlarge)

 

[EddieWalker]

I do it the same as Moss did. I remove the form and install it in the next position, then pour the concrete so it's touching the first pour. I use a edging tool to make it all look nice.

For me, it's not important that it looks perfect. I just need it flat and smooth enough to sweep it. When I want it perfect, I hire the pros. I can get it pretty good with a screed board and a trowel, but nobody is going to look at it and say that they would pay for that level of finish!!!



When I'm all caught up on everything else, I'll pour concrete in front of the shed too. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

 

[MossRoad]

I do it the same as Moss did. I remove the form and install it in the next position, then pour the concrete so it's touching the first pour. I use a edging tool to make it all look nice.

For me, it's not important that it looks perfect. I just need it flat and smooth enough to sweep it. When I want it perfect, I hire the pros. I can get it pretty good with a screed board and a trowel, but nobody is going to look at it and say that they would pay for that level of finish!!!

View attachment 1907243

When I'm all caught up on everything else, I'll pour concrete in front of the shed too. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

I'd read a lot of your posts well before my garage project, so I was convinced on the rebar on chairs VS wire mesh. The rebar wasn't very expensive at all, I bought a cheap bender, but only used it for really tight 90s. Most of the time I just bent it over my knee..... GRRRRRRR!!!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!!

But I did use a lot of it. Several down the footing tubes, several in the skirt around the edges, drilled and epoxied into the existing garage slab every couple feet and about a 2'x2' grid in the whole thing.

Since I used 2x6 in center, I had at least 5.5" to work with to keep the rebar in the center of the slab. The outsides were 2x12".

Building inspector seemed happy.

Originally, I thought I could just do a slab with no footings. A contractor told me that since I was adding X square feet to an existing building, even though that original building was just a slab, the total square feet of the entire structure was over the square foot limit and would require a full frost wall on footings. So I was looking at 96' of 4' wall on a 12" footing on all four sides. That was going to double the budget for the entire garage addition.

So I went to the county building department and asked why I had to do full wall below frost line when neighbor did the exact same thing, but a pole barn, and only needed sonotube footings under each post?

He said pole barn is different than stick built. I asked how? He said the footings supported the posts. To which I said, "and nothing is supporting the slab, since it's poured directly on the dirt, not on any footings." And I asked if I could just put in 4' footings every 8' like the pole barn, tie them into the skirt wall of the slabs, pour the slab over the tops of the footings and everything would be supported. I'd even put footing every 8' inside the slab as well.

He agreed and let me do it. So I went from 96' of 4' wall to 16 of 4'x12" sonotubes. That was a huge savings for us.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here in Texas, there is no Code if you live outside city limits. I try to do "best practices" in what I'm building, and I'm familiar with Code in CA and TX, but since I don't have to pass any inspection, I can get away with whatever I want. Skipping on rebar isn't an option for me. I like it on an 18 inch grid. If I go closer, I trip over it. 24 inches is Code, but for the cost of a few extra sticks of rebar, it's an easy upgrade.

 

[oosik]

I've never poured nor finished a slab. The wife and I did "make" a 6 foot by 54 foot walk way. Got a heavy duty fibreglass form. It's nine - six sided tiles. All bonded together into a 3 by 3 form. Clear the sod and organics - lay down and compact three inches of gravel.

Lay the form on the gravel and fill with wet concrete. Smack the form and concrete to ensure all nine cubes are filled and smooth on top. Let it set ten minuets. Pull the form and reset. Butting right up tight to the one just poured. The form is four inches deep.

So you end up with a poured square. 3 x3 with nine tiles that are four inches thick.

The beauty of this. If you do a good job on the gravel base - no need for rebar AND you can stop when tired and restart whenever.

We did this walkway in '91 and it's still in excellent shape. Particularly - no frost heaves.

After a month or so - brought in wheelbarrows of sand. Dumped on the walkway - broomed the sand into the cracks between all the tiles with a push broom.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd read a lot of your posts well before my garage project, so I was convinced on the rebar on chairs VS wire mesh. The rebar wasn't very expensive at all, I bought a cheap bender, but only used it for really tight 90s. Most of the time I just bent it over my knee..... GRRRRRRR!!!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!!

But I did use a lot of it. Several down the footing tubes, several in the skirt around the edges, drilled and epoxied into the existing garage slab every couple feet and about a 2'x2' grid in the whole thing.

Since I used 2x6 in center, I had at least 5.5" to work with to keep the rebar in the center of the slab. The outsides were 2x12".

Building inspector seemed happy.

Originally, I thought I could just do a slab with no footings. A contractor told me that since I was adding X square feet to an existing building, even though that original building was just a slab, the total square feet of the entire structure was over the square foot limit and would require a full frost wall on footings. So I was looking at 96' of 4' wall on a 12" footing on all four sides. That was going to double the budget for the entire garage addition.

So I went to the county building department and asked why I had to do full wall below frost line when neighbor did the exact same thing, but a pole barn, and only needed sonotube footings under each post?

He said pole barn is different than stick built. I asked how? He said the footings supported the posts. To which I said, "and nothing is supporting the slab, since it's poured directly on the dirt, not on any footings." And I asked if I could just put in 4' footings every 8' like the pole barn, tie them into the skirt wall of the slabs, pour the slab over the tops of the footings and everything would be supported. I'd even put footing every 8' inside the slab as well.

He agreed and let me do it. So I went from 96' of 4' wall to 16 of 4'x12" sonotubes. That was a huge savings for us.

Looking back at the photos, looks like I didn't put the 4 footings in the middle.... oops! Can't go back now. Inspector never said anything. Not sure if he even came back out after the first inspection before the first pour.

 

[dstig1]

I personally will only use rebar in a concrete pad. It will be set on chairs so it's in the middle of the pad. Wire is impossible to walk on and keep in the middle of the pad. The most common lie told with concrete is that they will pull it up while spreading it.

C'mon Eddie! They double dog pinky swore they would lift it as they went! Where's the trust?

 

[paulsharvey]

C'mon Eddie! They double dog pinky swore they would lift it as they went! Where's the trust?

I wire tie the wire to a brick to keep it off the ground. Rebar grid mat also does an excellent job, just run some #4 at 24" OC. Really, both are over kill for a non-structural shed floor, but both keep it together if it starts to crack,

 

[quicksandfarmer]

OK, one more question while I have you all.

The walls of the garage are concrete block. Should I pour against them or put in an expansion strip? If so, what? My inclination is to put in a piece of treated 2x4, held by Tapcons, so I have something to screed against. Would something thinner work as well, like 1/2" treated plywood?

If not, how do I screed against the wall?