I need to lay a base for a pre fabricated garage I am about to purchase.
The size of the slab will be 3m wide by 7m long.
The garage will be located to the side of the house, between the house and the side fence.
My problem is how I level this concrete slab, when I only have access to it from the front and back garden. IE can only use a tamping "bar" on the 7m length! as the side of the house and fence prevents me being able to tamp on the shorter 3m length?
You can split it into two 3X3.5m sections and do half one day, and the other half the next, or you can do them both in the same day and take out the centre shuttering the day after and fill in with strong sand/cement
You're already going to have formers to hold the slab, you'll be able to run the tamper on that. It doesn't matter that you can't get at the sides - get your wellies on and walk in the cement and tamp it behind you as you walk from one end to the other.
Paul
where is he supposed to get a 7m tamp? - he can't tamp it widthways because of the house and fence
Yep, thats how I put the slab for the extension down. 5x4m and ordered too much ready mix!!
The message from "Paul Andrews" contains these words:
Worked for me in the conservatory.
The message from "Phil L" contains these words:
If he's got formers to stop the concrete running all over the place then he can - just not from both ends.
Should not the slab be cast as one?
As Phil L says,
I'll need a 7m tamper!
I always use wellies while concreting, but walking backwards in it while trying to handle a 10ft length of wet timber isn't my idea of fun, plus it leaves holes where the wellies have been, which are a PITA to fill (the holes, not the wellies)
Why? - concrete is always laid in sections when it is over a certain size to prevent expansion cracks, the gaps are filled with a mastic, so that it expand in summer, motorways are evidence of this (if you have any concrete ones near you) not really a problem in a garage base but it won't do it any harm if you did it in two...this was only a suggestion, probably not a good one if you intend getting your concrete delivered ready mixed as you'll incur two delivery charges, but if you are mixing your own...
Wellies !
Here's another idea - no 7m tampers needed!
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