I’m making a new shed base that needs 1 cubic meter of concrete. I can get it delivered ready mixed but they only allow 30 mins to offload it. I’ll have to wheel it down my drive and into the back garden myself.

Does 30 mins sound possible to shift all that with 1 wheelbarrow?

2.4 tonnes or thereabouts.

Body weight, 80kg would be a heavy barrow load I reckon for sustained work, although I am not an experienced barrow user. That makes 30 barrow loads. One per minute.

Might be doable depending how far it is, how fit you are, and how long it takes to pour at each end. You’d have to be on the ball though!

If you make sure access is clear and you are 100% prepped then yes I don’t see why not. You’d need a second pair of hands to help spread it out as you dump each load.

Edit – just seen Molgrips calculation and that makes it sounds damned difficult actually…

how long is the hose?

how long does it take to wheel an empty barrow from the drive to the garden and back? Double that time to allow for trying not to slop the concrete out of the barrow en-route hen times it by 30 trips.

If the time works out get 2 x extra pairs of hands – one to swap over for each load if carrying 80kg and one to spread it out.

An extra pair of hands and 2 barrows would be much easier..
Or even by yourself using 2 barrows with smaller loads in them and go for speed? A Barrow full of concrete ain’t light.
Also depends how strong and fit you are…

Fill a Barrow full of bricks / dirt and try a few runs…

Thanks for the replies. At the moment its just me with 1 barrow and my dad spreading the concrete. I’ve asked about if anyone has a spare barrow i can borrow too.

You could put a sheet of plastic or similar down, dump the Crete on that and then shovel to fill each barrow load.

You could put a sheet of plastic or similar down, dump the Crete on that and then shovel to fill each barrow load.

That really would be a massive PITA

Layed 1.5 cubic tonnes but there where 3 of us and the company Barrow it in. We had 3 bases to fill and access was a bit tricky. The lads were helpful but we did ok. It took longer than 30 mins though.

I bet 1 cube of concrete is costly as you pay for the lorry and thats the expensive bit, phone around for a volumetric mixer as they often barrow it in for you as well but it will still be probably £150

Have you thought about one of those plastic grid shed bases filled with gravel?

Here

Not ideal but shoveling a loose substrate isn’t that hard, and if allows you to take your time then I’d say it’s better. If you could rig something that kept the Crete 2′ off the floor shoveling it into the barrow would be simpler, a few tressels and something on the top may work.

Some of the volumetric concrete suppliers have a pump & hose incorporated or can rent you a mini dumper truck 😀

A few trestles to hold 2.25t thats asking to be filmed and put on you tube, another thing about shovelling readymix i does go off quicker than you think, not cartoon quick instant but be prepared for using a pick and so hard to spread and finish

As above shop around for a volumetric mixing company

These kind of companies are less fussed about time waiting to deliver because they don’t have stuff setting inside their machine, they’ll just mix and dispense one barrow-load at a time. They’ll still have a nominal time limit included in the price but if your run over they’ll just charge a supplement for waiting rather than bugger off before you’re ready

The other benefit with these types of trucks is they might charge you for a minimum volume but if you need a bit more or less they’ll mix it as required. If it turns out your shed base only uses up 3/4 of tonne they won’t insist on you taking the extra you’d booked leaving and you to have to find somewhere to hide or dispose of it.

leaving and you to have to find somewhere to hide or dispose of it

That’s alright he can bung it over onto my side of the fence. At least that’s what my neighbour did last year. 👿

As above shop around for a volumetric mixing company

Make that x3

We have access problems (has to be carried through house) and I stupidly decided to just carry the parts through and then mix… BIG MISTAKE

Should have got a volumetric delivery and piped it through.

Hire a power barrow or mini dumper?

Shed base 1 : I used just under 1 metre of concrete with two people on barrows and a third person to spread it out we got it done in half an hour…. just (moved it about 50m from the truck).

Shed base 2 : I used this system So much less faff. Less digging, less spoil to pay to dispose off, less concrete to move against the clock, easy to get level. I think it ended up being cheaper overall as well.

My shed base was 12 2×2 slabs free off gumtree

Do you really need concrete?

HSS are hiring mixers at £10 a day just now.
Buy 1T Ballast and 10 bags of cement and knock it up yourself?
Save a couple of quid and no bother with it going off
If it takes 6hrs , it takes 6 hours . Be usefull to pour it direct into your shuttering rather than pour to a barrow, then wheel it around and tip.

Do you really need concrete?

My thoughts too. My 10′ by 8′ shed is on 50mm thick, 600mm square concrete slabs.

It’s a volumetric company that’s going to deliver. £162 for just under a meter cube. Looking around the materials alone are about £90 plus £50 to hire a mixer for 2 days.

Some of the volumetric concrete suppliers have a pump & hose incorporated

They won’t pump without charging for it. It’s a huge faff priming the pipe and then cleaning it all out afterwards as any stuff left in will set and destroy the pump….

I hired this toy for our Workshop base (12 cubic metres) and it was a PITA to clean out (for the owner of the truck).

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJgeX]Concrete pumping truck[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

Priming the pipes with cement mix

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJCY9]Priming the pipes with cement mix to act as a lube[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJGqJ]Feeding the pump (Lorry #3)[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJjeu]Pumping concrete 60m[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJjSC]Pumping concrete 60m[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJicv]Pumping concrete 60m[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJjxc]Pumping concrete 60m[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJFVN]After two lorry loads (12 cubic metres)[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

Cleaning out by pumping a foam ball through the pipes.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/daJHN3]To clean out the pipes, a foam ball is blown through them, pushing out all the concrete.[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

The hopper was cleaned by hand (took him about 30 minutes).

Yes it’s 30 mins but they’re not going to **** off with out you having poured it all. It’s usually 2 quid minute over the 30, if you run into another 30 then that’s 60 quid which is far cheaper than a pump.
As for this comment

Buy 1T Ballast and 10 bags of cement and knock it up yourself?

you may well be about two “tonne” bags and a bit of cement short.
Regarding it going off quick pay as you lay truck mix goes off **** quick as they tend to use straight opc rather than a blend so you’ll need to keep your dad busy, he will need to lay it as you go or a shit storm will ensue.
Pray its not hot 😉

My shed base was 12 2×2 slabs free off gumtree

+1. My smaller shed is on some recycled chippings topped with slabs free from Facebook. The middle ones are broken half slabs. Plenty solid enough, easy to do and could be lifted and recycled if anyone wants to move it.

I barrowed the slab for my extension on my own. One of toughest days I’ve worked for ages. The footings were way easier with two of us.

Regarding it going off quick pay as you lay truck mix goes off **** quick

It does indeed!!

I layed a shed base last year. Had 2 mates come and give me a hand with the concrete, just over a cubic meter, barrowed about 30m. Hard work and it was going off/getting difficult to level 10mins after.
Get someone to give you a hand. More the merrier.

Or do like my mate did and calculate wrongly how much he needed…

Only took half what he’d ordered (so had to pay for the non-delivered stuff) and then only used half what they left.

There’s 3 of us now. 2 of us with wheelbarrows and one leveling the concrete.

You should piss it in half an hour then. It’s whoever’s laying that’ll have to keep up. Wet the edges of your shutters up just to stop it sucking as you start to pour and a bit of polythene in the base will help no end.

£50 to hire a mixer for 2 days

When I did my first shed base (done a few now) I picked up a used mixer from Gumtree for 60 quid with the intention of selling it on for pretty much the same money afterwards. I still have it, handy bit of kit and lives behind garage with only a tarp over it.

I had a load of rubble and slabs to get rid of – killed 2 birds with one stone – build shuttering, fill with slabs and rubble to about 4 inches from shuttering, and about an inch or 2 from the top, then fill with concrete, means I didn’t need anywhere near as much.

More than strong enough to support what is essentially a pretty light structure.

Loads of really useful advice on here. Thanks everyone!

£50 to hire a mixer for 2 days

HSS charge £10 for the first day + £5 for each additional day.

Interesting read – Mrs Pondo wants to know what it’d cost to get someone to do the whole base-building for us. It’s not the STW way, I know, and I’ll work on that, but does anyone have an idea?

I’ve got a shed on pebble/gravel stuff. Cheaper than concrete, and best of all doesn’t leave standing water so 9 years on when I had to move the shed, the base is as good as new.

Very much doubt it would be on concrete