Concreting An Old Shed

mikefoxo

We have an old hayshed that I'd like to put a good floor into (currently just compacted earth). We use it for everything from storing machines to feeding cattle, and ideally I'd like to use it to house animals with removable barriers etc. How would I go about doing this?
How thick a layer should the concrete be? And how thick should the hardcore be? We have access to a bit of an old quarry with that kind of crumbly granite aswell as some stone mixed in - would that do for hardcore?
Would anyone know the price of a load of concrete? The shed is 40'x45'. Thank you

ahshagit

4 inch thick should do fine so 12.12m x 13.51m x 100mm thick = 16.37m3 x around €65 a cube for concrete 30N = €1,064 for concrete
6 inch would cost €1,596

1chippy

I wouldnt be a fan of 4" of concrete. Id put in 6" of 30n with fibre. The stone may be alright once its not too crumbly. a rough stone of say 8-10" minimum with a 2" blinding layer on top all well whacked. pour your 6" of concrete on top. If your going to use it for working in at any stage leave a flat finish on it .
As for setting out pens just drop in pipes that are a slightly larger diameter than the posts you intend using. blank the bottoms and weld a few stubs out the side so that the concrete gets a good grip.

nashmach

1chippy wrote: »

I wouldnt be a fan of 4" of concrete. Id put in 6" of 30n with fibre. The stone may be alright once its not too crumbly. a rough stone of say 8-10" minimum with a 2" blinding layer on top all well whacked. pour your 6" of concrete on top. If your going to use it for working in at any stage leave a flat finish on it .
As for setting out pens just drop in pipes that are a slightly larger diameter than the posts you intend using. blank the bottoms and weld a few stubs out the side so that the concrete gets a good grip.

Instead of pipes you can use bale wrap inserts (plastic ones of course) - 3in pipe fits snuggly inside

Bizzum

I'd be thinking, 4" of concrete for a footpath. 6" for a shed floor, and like chippy said whack the bejaysus out of it. About 25M3 of concrete will see you out. Have the base fairly consistant, 6" all over not 5" in places 7" in others, and give lots of thought to what fall you want on it. Filling the screed is the easy bit, all the work is in the preparation!

Good loser

Would consider 4" thick plenty. 30 N concrete. About €65 + VAT per cu. m. Could put in the light steel mesh.

mikefoxo

Does the N stand for Newton's (think I heard the term back in Junior Cert. science ) When you talk about mesh do you mean "boxes" of mesh or just a single layer? And how many inches underneath the top of the concrete would you put it? Thank you for the replies, much appreciated

zetecescort

would think 4 inch would be fine for animals but 6 if you're going to put machinery into the shed. another thing to watch for would be whether you put in a slight fall for animal waste/washing out or if you need a level floor for working on machines.

1chippy

yes n stands for newtons and mesh goes in the middle of the concrete, but the fibre mixed through does the same job and a lot less hassle.

mikefoxo

Just on the point of a slight fall in the concrete. I was talking to my brother about this today and he said "sure why would you want a fall, won't the straw bedding absorb it?" Is he right or talkin' rubbish as usual We would'nt be working on machines in it just storing them there. It's the only proper shed on the few acres.

Conor556

mikefoxo wrote: »

Just on the point of a slight fall in the concrete. I was talking to my brother about this today and he said "sure why would you want a fall, won't the straw bedding absorb it?" Is he right or talkin' rubbish as usual We would'nt be working on machines in it just storing them there. It's the only proper shed on the few acres.

You would want a fall if you have cattle in it or else you will be using alot of straw.

Farmer Pudsey

mikefoxo wrote: »

Just on the point of a slight fall in the concrete. I was talking to my brother about this today and he said "sure why would you want a fall, won't the straw bedding absorb it?" Is he right or talkin' rubbish as usual We would'nt be working on machines in it just storing them there. It's the only proper shed on the few acres.

You will want a fall and ideally drain it into a tank elsewhere . What machinery are you storing there if the mavhiner is not too heavy and you will not be going accross it with a really heavy tractor to clean it out. I would conside 4'' with steel mesh in the floor and fibres good enough. At times as farmers we go for the overkill.

Good loser

To prepare the falls you can concrete in those plastic triangular guides; cut the mesh to fit inside these guides.

Figerty

Good loser wrote: »

To prepare the falls you can concrete in those plastic triangular guides; cut the mesh to fit inside these guides.

I did this years ago on a solid base of gravel.

4 inches is fine of 30N is fine, but make it about 6 inches at the edges where equipment will mount the concrete, especially near the corners where the stress is highest under load.
You shouldn't need fiber and mesh. One or the other should do. I would go with the mesh and it doesn't need to cover whole floor area just the along the edges. It's rare for concrete break in the centre. A fall is important, even if only for washing out later.