How to Lay a Concrete Base for a Shed Part Two

[@timmorris5117]

Errr...put the mixer in the shed base area ?

[@kman6716]

Tim Morris great idea 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Vass881234]

If the ballast is near else its why shovel it twice?

[@davemunn]

😂 legend

[@playmovingpictures]

Hard work. Nice job Call the truck next time.

[@Freddie1980]

Would you recommend putting down a damp proof membrane and then laying down the concrete base?

[@kimames7774]

No point, rain water is going to soak the base from the top anyway, the DPM would then hold the rainwater inside like a pond. If it freezes and expands you could crack the base.

[@tonyhussey3610]

I’m under the impression concrete is pretty waterproof, your just gonna trap water..

[@andysutils]

Wow this is brill and the most simplistic and effective method I've seen so far

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Thanks for your kind comments Andy.

[@robwatson1092]

No hardcore down first then?

[@claireoakley6074]

Could you use this just as a base to put a 10ft pool onto and how much of concrete and ballast would we need for 12ft by 12ft Square thanks x

[@fmcwhirter]

Hi, great videos - we're attempting this ourselves. Please tell me how long do you think it will take to lay the concrete part once everything else is sorted?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Francesca McWhirter to mix it myself around 3 hours for a 10x6 shed base 👍🏼

[@antonyporter5045]

there should be a DPM (damp proof membrane) under the concrete

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Would you put a DPM under slabs? No! It's ultimately a large slab for a shed to sit on. It's not a single or double storey brick built extension on a house. You'll be telling me next I should pile the ground, add steel ground cages, type 1 MOT, apply for building regs and get planning permission next. lol.

[@London1064]

@@OnlineHousehusbandNot always required. It depends on the thickness of the concrete being laid and whether the concrete is a pre mix type that has a water proofer already added to it.

[@justinholmes5614]

How much ballast did you use for your 10x8 ? I'm laying a base the same size 10x8x 4 inch deep and trying to figure out how many bulk bags of ballast to buy.

[@snappyfish]

Wanting to tackle this myself for a 18x13 log cabin base, Do you think a 5" slab would be better with some reinforcement?

[@jamesedwardmeader]

Great video good to know the ratio to use when mixing concrete

[@Sayian505]

Do you have to add rebar to prevent cracking? I'll be having this shed in a hot environment that rarely if ever freezes.

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Sayian505 no rebar required in my opinion. Just ensure you mix the correct ratio and cast the correct thickness.

[@Sayian505]

OnlineHousehusband I'll probably add rebar mesh just to be safe.

[@justinandrews2047]

Hi, what size base was this and how much cement and ballast did you need? Cheers.

[@OnlineHousehusband]

10ft x 6ft size base.....quantities will vary depending on the size you need. For a decent measure I sometimes use the paving expert.

[@MarcusT86]

What was the purpose of spraying on more water from 5:08? Great vid btw!

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Keeping it wet whilst tamping it down. :-)

[@MarcusT86]

@@OnlineHousehusband thanks for the reply. Is that for when it’s near enough gone off and you need some more play in it?

[@jasonlea2197]

Nice job. I just need to get the wife to do the digging out and I will be ready to go with the easy bit! ;-) Is 75mm concrete OK on 75mm Type 1?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

I would have thought 3 inches would be fine, especially with a solid sub-base. Thanks for checking out the video Jason.

[@grahambrown5874]

Earlier in the comments you said you decided not to add rebar because of the minimal weight it will support. A year on is it still good or is there any serious cracking. Great video.

[@OnlineHousehusband]

No cracking at all, its been standing almost 2 years now and still great, no cracks whatsoever. Thanks for checking out the video.

[@wesmyers3813]

@@OnlineHousehusband how many bags of cement did you need I'm building a 16 ft × 9ft great video very helpful

[@ryangreen-actor3237]

@@wesmyers3813 I'd like to know this also if possible Paul. Great vid.

[@wesmyers3813]

@@ryangreen-actor3237 I ended up using 12 cement 4 jumbo bags of ballast sand from wickes. You made need alot less my base was 4 inches around edge but I dug to much out it was like nearly 6 inches in the meddle lol.

[@andrewrayner9339]

Fair play learnt alot nice and simple how to video 👍🏻

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Thanks 👍

[@MelonImposter]

I saw on other tutorials about using a ball float then a trowel to smooth after shredding with the timber. Is this necessary?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Not really, ultimately this was only holding a shed up. :-)

[@Chaoslava]

How thick is this slab mate?

[@MartynStubbsTBS]

I'm doing a 10 by 8 shed base how much bigger should I make base ?

[@angusplaysbass]

Hey Paul, Thank you for the great video.

[@OnlineHousehusband]

No problem, thanks for checking it out Angus

[@Peter0wen]

Ballast!!! Better job with 1:2:4 mix. I part cement 2 parts sharp sand 4 parts 20mm gravel. This mix should cost little more than ballast and will be much stronger and durable. Ballast can vary in proportions of stones in the mix and often contains fine sands and silts that weaken the ‘concrete’.

[@griffwise1606]

that mix looks like it would have taken a month to dry... why so wet?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

This consistency was absolutely perfect for a cast concrete slab. Takes about a week to get strong but gets even stronger over time.

[@griffwise1606]

@@OnlineHousehusband nice one! shows how much i know :)

[@darrenmckeown990]

I'm currently making a base for a wooden summer house. Would I need to put down a layer of hardcore or MOT on top of the soil before putting down the concrete or straight onto soil like your video?

[@Vass881234]

Hard-core and sand the dpm

[@hannahnyomi]

Hi Our garden is full of clay,we want to move our shed as the builders put it a couple of metres away from the window which isn't ideal...would we need some gravel or something to put down first please or will it be ok to do just as you have? And can we pay cement at this time of year? Thanks so much for the video! We have no idea what we're doing so I'm hoping this will help 😂

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Ultimately it comes down to how hard the ground is? If its solid clay you can more than likely go straight for concrete.:-) Sorry for the late reply....probably too late now --)

[@gazdkw82]

What's ballast? Is it a type of sand? I'm doing quite a large section for a new shed (18ftx8ft)

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Gareth Warden Hi Gareth, ballast is made up of grit sand and small stones. If you want to work out a quantity I always use a great website called 'the paving expert'. He has aggregate calculators and they are pretty damn accurate. Simple enter width, length and depth and it will give you a quantity. Hope this helps 👍🏼

[@redseantlworld]

Can I lay a foundation for an outhouse using this method?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

No, this is only really ideal for a timber shed / summer house and there's not much weight involved. If your looking at building a brick outhouse then you may need planning, building regs, most likely a strip footing etc. much more work / legislation involved.

[@scottmackenzie1170]

Could any one tell me how much ballast I would need for a 8by5 she'd base 4inches depth please?

[@emreevo8]

A bit late but: You can calculate the total volume using the dimensions. 1 cubic meter of concrete is about 2370kg in total. It contains about 1830kg ballast, 350kg cement and 190 liters of water. You can adjust it to your own measurements.

[@Zephieish]

So you don't need hardcore under the concrete?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

ideally yes, my soil was like clay and seriously compacted but if you have soft ground its recommended.

[@1suraj]

Great video mate, I thought you'd need some sort of hard-core first nah? Or is it OK like this? Also, why do you spray the concrete with water? Thanks

[@OnlineHousehusband]

no probs Surj! You can put hardcore down before hand if your ground is fairly soft and I would recommend if this is the case. In my instance though the soil was solid and heavily compacted. The reason for the water was to stop it from drying out across the complete width before levelling the complete slab. It was baking hot the day I laid that. You wouldn't have that issue if it was a cold day.

[@1suraj]

Thanks mate, appreciate the help.

[@186Soup]

where is your rebar?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

colinh1989 Hovey in my personal opinion, its a little overkill adding rebar to a base that's going to take minimal weight.

[@186Soup]

OnlineHousehusband fair enough.

[@ilyaasshaik]

Hi can I use the same concept for making a base or rather a foundation for making a barbaqu, sorry me spelling is a bit bad

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Ilyaas Shaik check out this video for foundations for a small wall. Could be used for a brick BBQ👍🏼

[@ilyaasshaik]

Thanks captain

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Ilyaas Shaik this is my video on footings kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6bQYYWXl7iFo9U

[@Scoobydcs]

Is that timber 4 x 2?

[@sandy123noodle]

How many bags of ballast / cement did you need for this project?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Alex Hepburn I used 1x large bulk bag (approx 850kgs) of ballast and 5x 25kg bags of cement in total. Some people refer to the bulk bags as tonne bags. They are only roughly 750-850kgs depending on who's filling the bags.

[@Scoobydcs]

How much do i need per square metre? Im planning a 2m by 10 to 12m shed/workshop

[@zlyzly5940]

No sub-base and no mesh, your base is strong in 20% of what it actually could be, I give it one winter for cracks sideways.

[@OnlineHousehusband]

its about 3 years old now...solid as a rock, thanks :-)

[@zlyzly5940]

@@OnlineHousehusband so you walk on the concrete inside or is it covered? Take the floor out and check again :) Anyway, if it worked for you then I'm happy hehe

[@Vass881234]

I've got 2 tonnes of hot tub on a non rebar concrete base, no cracks at all it was lifted to service last year, all good

[@MotoQuickShifter]

Do you do this for a living if so id like you to come down and and do this for me , if you can you can build me a motorbike shed ! Would be awesome if you can id really appreciate it, im from the Birmingham area ... king regards KingBully

[@OnlineHousehusband]

kingbullykutta unfortunately it's not my day job, if it was I'd be more than happy to help. Hopefully this tutorial will make life easier for you, any questions you've got though give me a shout. 👍🏼

[@D_Tech_And_Trek]

Di, Do you not have to lay a polythene plastic before you lay concrete?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Dilendra Thakuri I didn't use one. It's only a shed its supporting not a habitable room 👍🏼 (you wouldn't lay a membrane under slabs)

[@danielmills4898]

Could do with a damp proof membrane down before you concrete

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Daniel Mills I completely agree if I were building a house. For a shed base it's not really required in my opinion. 👍🏼

[@scottmackenzie1170]

OnlineHousehusband could you tell me roughly is much ballast I will need for a 8by5 base 4inchs deep

[@marshinator7806]

Im here because i am called paul marsh

[@pauldonnelly244]

Water is the very first thing you put in the mixer

[@pauldonnelly244]

Plus you leave the mixer running while pouring it into the barrow 😂😂

[@Icem4n84]

So basically get the mixture so that it is like a runny turd..

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Basically :-) lol

[@kimames7774]

Tips: Where possible, you should leave enough space around the shed base for step-ladder access to re-paint the shed back & side walls, the rear property fence panels, and to replace roof felt in the years to come. While you're pouring cement, why not put a square section outside the position of the door, either as a step / ramp & to avoid soggy mud-pits forming from stepping in & out during wet winters.

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Thanks Kim for your advice. Your first point..... there is a good foot (12") behind the shed to repaint the fence / rear of shed and access to replace roofing felt. If you watch part 1 I did make this point. Your second point .......I laid slabs around the shed so pouring a step was not needed at this time. Thanks for checking out the video though.

[@jayseabie215]

No reinforcement? How long til it cracks?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

still solid Jay. no cracks whatsoever. Thanks for checking out the video though. :-)

[@123theproduct]

Thats a spade not a shovel

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Apologies, correct it is a spade.The principle is the same though. 6:1 ratio using a shovel or 6:1 ratio using a spade....its all the same. :-)

[@123theproduct]

@@OnlineHousehusband sorry I wasnt mocking you, thought you done a brilliant job on the base

[@masa4936]

so a mesh is not required for added strength?

[@OnlineHousehusband]

No, not in my opinion, The majority of people put a shed on 2x2 slabs which are probably no thicker than 50mm.

[@masa4936]

thanks mate

[@kimames7774]

Not really required for this application as it's not point-loaded, i.e. there's not a heavy weight resting at one spot. Most sheds distribute their load across long planks that run along the sides and centre line. So the load on any one square inch is relatively small, a similar concept applies to farm-tractor tires or tank tracks, they distribute the load evenly.

[@MrMysocks]

cheers mate

[@sickoflies2050]

No mesh !

[@paulcahoon9971]

or you can just order a metre and a half of concrete and save yourself all that pain...

[@OnlineHousehusband]

paul cahoon you can but you'll pay a premium for the privilege 👍🏼

[@jameslowe2979]

Just ordered a metre cube in the UK cost £140 which included fibre re-enforcement and they barrowed it to the formwork. Done in half an hour.

[@OnlineHousehusband]

James Lowe That is one quick way of doing it....and I'd recommend it for 1cubic metre and over. This was not as much concrete and cost me about £35 for the ballast and £20 for the cement plus the hire of a mixer £10. So all in around £65 which is less than half if pre mixed. It's just weighing up whether you've got the time to mix. 💪🏼👍🏼😀

[@davederave31550]

Hi James. Where did you order the premix concrete from? Doing a shed base for a local school and I need to save some time.

[@jameslowe2979]

+Dave de Rave Hi Dave used a company called Allmix based in the North West

[@artthoutimelapse7700]

Not nearly enough information

[@samchew1074]

You didnt add damp proof membrane or steel

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Not needed in this application.

[@paulmarshall8012]

this is me today thanks for the video

[@OnlineHousehusband]

Hope it went well Paul :-)

[@threecccs1]

where was the DPM ?