Question on Concrete

[AtomiCapricorn]

Deleted.

 

[kd3pc]

If that is turn key, footer, adequate thickness (4-6 inches or more) and grading done, quality finishing and cuts after....decent price by our standards.

if not included, and just the concrete work...high.

 

[brownbagg]

if you did the labor yourself it cost about $2000

 

[dbabicky]

That is absolutely frickin' insane. That's $12 a square foot at the $8640 price. Christ, that would be around $3000-$3500 at the most here in Wisconsin.

 

[bczygan]

No way to know. Not enough info.

Site prep?

Access?

Design of footings?

Subsurface soil?

Pad material and thickness?

Specs for everything?

Etc.

Bill

 

[182RG]

The first was $8,640

Good price for So Cal. I just paid $5K in Virginia for a monolithic slab for a pole barn.

 

[Toolfool]

Do your homework on the contractors. Lots of threads here about poor workmanship from going with the lowest bids without references.

 

[Jinks]

There are several concrete cost calculators on line. I recently used a couple to get an idea of the cost to pour a parking pad off my driveway. I assumed they were a little out of date & maybe optimistic, but was pleasantly surprised. I paid a few (200 to 300) dollars more than the average, but I was getting bids at 2 to 3 times what I finally paid. Information in any form is your friend.

 

[nolimits76]

Around here, concrete runs about $100/yd depending on strength & admixtures and rebar will run around $.50/lb. That said, $5-6.50 per square foot would be on par for a SLAB only.

A footing will push the price up further.

 

[36truck]

I think with all the work involved including the excavating work. I don't think it's too far out of line with being in Cali and all. Check the background of anyone you might want to do the work.

 

[Coasterbuilder]

I live in your area. You're going pay $8 a sq. ft. for a licensed contractor to do a patio slab on flat ground with minimal dirt work and clean up. $12 a sq. ft. for the kind of excavation and dirt work you are looking at, footings, rebar, inspection and clean up sounds fair. 3,500 psi concrete for a structure requires a deputy inspector sign off in LA County, not to mention your building inspector looking at the footings.These inspections complicate the job and take the contractors time, which you pay for in the end.

Building anything in Los Angeles County is a lesson in frustration you shall not soon forget. You will soon see why a tract house here costs $600k+

 

[Ironhorse74]

I am having trouble visualizing what you are getting bid. Stem walls and a floor? Floating slab?

I am having a slab poured in my 30 X 48 pole barn. He is doing a little dirt work staking the walls. Also includes a vapor barrier and remesh. Right at 5k. This is in Washington state.

Brad

 

[matt_i]

If the footing/ wall is an inverted "T" shape I'd say $10k is a damn good deal. There is a lot of labor forming all of this up with basically 3 separate pours....footing, wall, slab. And rebar in the slab....you're getting quite a bit.

 

[nadogail]

Sometimes you just have to know someone. Sometimes who you know is more valuable than what you know.

If this were my problem, I would speak with one of my contacts who would inquire into their circle "who is looking for work and can do a job like this?"

You next start gathering tools and materials, agree on a price, and get started.

They get the work, you get a job done, and everybody is happy.

 

[wssix99]

I understand that prices will vary due to different factors.

This is true with the cost of the concrete material, but with construction in/on the ground, you can't infer the expected cost from the material like you can for above ground construction.

When you are dealing with under/in-the-ground stuff, you have additional costs for equipment and equipment operators, which can often be driving factor in what you will need to pay. Likewise, you could see big differences in costs depending on how well the contractor really understands their own costs and how efficiently they can manage their equipment and operators. (A company who can use their equipment on your site for part of one day and then move it/spread that cost across another job might be able to do the work for less than a company from a distant suburb who has to dump a full day of equipment charges and operator salaries on you.)

^Another thing to watch out for with these companies is how long they have been in business. Often, you'll get a low bid from a new kid on the block. That's the company to watch out for. You only get one shot to get this piece of the work right - so avoid the temptation to be cheap. Paying a little more to go with a company who has been in business a long time, has their own equipment, etc. can pay huge dividends for you in quality - and the ease at which you can build things on top of the concrete.

 

[jgorm]

I had a slab for a 25x33' metal building poured last year. I got quotes from www.thumbtack.com (<- cool site) ranging between $8K and $26K. There was a 2' drop they had to deal with, the bolts and footers for the beams, and some slopes for the doors. I ended up paying $12k

 

[wssix99]

Interestingly enough, the lower of my two quotes was from the guy that's been in business the longest of the three that I requested quotes from.

How long is that? 1 1/2 years? (1/2 of all construction businesses fail in their first year, and in the second year 1/2 of what's left fail)

If they have good experience and longevity, that may be a good deal. When we drilled our geothermal well, we ended up with the most experienced company in our area. They are 50% less expensive because they have the biggest drill of all their competitors. (Instead of drilling 4 100' wells, they were able to give us 1 400' hole, which greatly reduced their labor and machine time.)