New Garage

[c240yaz]

Been absent for a while. 5 days Iraq, 1 week Texas, followed by a family bereavement after which gave me no interest in the internet what-so-ever, so apologies if I left anyone in the lurch. Especially IBW.

So fresh start meaning to upset no person. Just ordered a new garage. Compton 10.6 x 20.3 external dimensions. Demolished the old 8 x 16 and skipped.

Compton have a special offer on at the moment. 20% off the brochure price which to me is a big saving. £3.2K with steel personal door and pvc D/G window, guttering and downpipes.

I have spent the last week preparing the build site for the base lay, which I will do myself. I need to buy a cement mixer. Best place to buy I am not sure yet, but Machine mart looks good.

Should I use steel rod to re-inforce the base, or settle with 6 inches concrete ? Any advice appreciated.

 

[kjay]

Sorry to hear about bereavement. Glad to have you back mate.

Jay

.

 

[Leemc2008]

150mm well compacted hardcore sub-base, 25mm well compacted sand blinding layer, DPM and then 100mm concrete..

You will need to hire a wacker plate in order to correctly compact your sub layers. You shouldnt require the steel.

 

[c240yaz]

150mm well compacted hardcore sub-base, 25mm well compacted sand blinding layer, DPM and then 100mm concrete..

You will need to hire a wacker plate in order to correctly compact your sub layers. You shouldnt require the steel.

Does the sand thrown over the hardcore really make much difference ?

A guy at work says. ok, but added expense for no gain ?

 

[Will]

Do you have a on-site mixing service local to you?

There's a very good company called 'mixamate' around these parts, they turn up and will mix whatever quantity of concrete you need on site. Works out virtually the same as the cost of materials and a mixer hire. Benefit being that you don't need to guess the amount of concrete you need - you only pay for what you use and also there's the not insignificant factor of not having to knock up a few metres of concrete yourself

Worth looking into IMHO.

Will

Edit - Sorry - this is the people I'm on about, there surely must be similar operations elsewhere in the UK?

http://www.mixamate.co.uk/

 

[Leemc2008]

Does the sand thrown over the hardcore really make much difference ?

A guy at work says. ok, but added expense for no gain ?

You need the sand, or the stones in the hardcore layer will puncture your Damp Proof Membrane..

 

[c240yaz]

You will not like this, but a local bricklayer told me the a membrane is pointless, as water does not rise through concrete or brick, says that it is a myth, and rising damp does not exist unless through a water absorbant material ??

 

[Leemc2008]

Yes, it depends who tells you what. I'm an architect and always specify a DPM in the floor build-up and DPC in the walls.. I recently built my own garage and put a DPM down as well. The DPM isnt really for rising damp unless your sticking it in a dwelling with say a wooden floor etc. its to help the concrete to dry properly and it keeps out groundwater. The garage I've built is bigger than yours, using a local builders merchant and my weekends for about 3 months I've spent £2000, this included fitting an insulated metal roof, full electrics and a double glazed window I bought out of the local classified.

Sorry.. the point I was making is, if you going to spend that much on a pre-fab your going to want to make the base the best you can, and make it last as long as possible.

 

[c240yaz]

Yes, it depends who tells you what. I'm an architect and always specify a DPM in the floor build-up and DPC in the walls.. I recently built my own garage and put a DPM down as well. The DPM isnt really for rising damp unless your sticking it in a dwelling with say a wooden floor etc. its to help the concrete to dry properly and it keeps out groundwater. The garage I've built is bigger than yours, using a local builders merchant and my weekends for about 3 months I've spent £2000, this included fitting an insulated metal roof, full electrics and a double glazed window I bought out of the local classified.

Sorry.. the point I was making is, if you going to spend that much on a pre-fab your going to want to make the base the best you can, and make it last as long as possible.

I will take your advice on this an lay one. B&Q do it, so I will buy. Thanks again.

 

[Leemc2008]

Dont you have a local builders merchant? B&Q will charge you a fortune.. you will pay so little in comparision if you have a travis perkin or similar close by, they will also deliver for free mostly!

Get your sand.. (if your mixing yourself), 25-dust (hardcore), portland cement, tools, string lines.. everything from builders merchant, getting better trade quality at a fraction of the cost!

Good luck!! I always hate working with concrete.. but great satisfaction afterwards!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Better still, try an independent merchant as they will be cheaper than Travis Perkins.

 

[IanA2]

Everybody is cheaper than TP !!

 

[Leemc2008]

Hi

I've sent you an email, if you cant get attachments I knocked up this quick sketch this morning.

Cheers

Lee

 

[Piff]

I would leave out the hardcore around the perimeter, say 300 wide, so that the concrete is thicker under the walls & in the doorway.

 

[c240yaz]

It took me 2 and a half months to get the garage base built, I was away for a while, so I got some of the wotk done by a bricky, (time and money) but the base is now complete. Garage base is built on a slope so a lot more complicated than was originally foreseen.

Total cost of materials for the base, breeze blocks, concrete mix (hardcore and sand) building sand, and cement came to about £1,400. Bricky, £200 labour. (3 days) Driveway approach £150 in materials. Therefore £1,750 Total for base build. Almost twice what I anticipated, and a lot of hard graft. At 48, it almost killed me.

Concrete pre fab Garage cost including double glazed window. £3100.

I will post pics on completion.

 

[Will]

Sounds like hard work (I know..) but worth it and also very satisfying once done.

You'll really appreciate the extra space and the effort that you put into it when it's all finished

Will

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

£200 for three days of a bricky's time sounds like a bargain - slump in the market worked in your favour?

 

[c240yaz]

£200 for three days of a bricky's time sounds like a bargain - slump in the market worked in your favour?

In Scotland it is known as "buckshee" or a bucky...............and the wife told me every day all he said was can ye make me another coffee ! ....hungover

 

[coupe deville]

150mm well compacted hardcore sub-base, 25mm well compacted sand blinding layer, DPM and then 100mm concrete..

You will need to hire a wacker plate in order to correctly compact your sub layers. You shouldnt require the steel.

agreed with all the above

I built a double garage [with the help of a brick layer friend] if anybody else is going to build their own forget the buying a cement mixer, you might never use it again and the floor needs laying in one go, better using ready mixed concrete. Mixing and barrowing about 5 cubic metres of concrete is pants

 

[Meldrew2]

After looking at the required spec for the base of a concrete garage (to be used for storing ride-on mower, concrete mixer, strimmers etc) I settled on a steel garage, laid on 600x600 concrete flags.

Aside from the d%$^&* thing taking 3 days to bolt together, it was a good move. Flags laid on a dry sand/cement mix, building frame laid on a strip of mortar, total cost £600 and a curry (and a few pints) each for 3 mates who helped with the build.

The green/grey finish merges nicely with the trees behind, and a hedge in front completes the David Blaine - style "vanishing trick".

OK, I don't expect it to last forever, but it cost a lot less.....