Reasonable cost for concrete slab?

[BadgerDave]

This board has become my go-to for reality checks on just about any subject. So I'm back for advice.

I'm convinced that Cook County, IL is a hotbed of construction opportunism if not outright asshattery. Seems like every time I need something done, I get a contractor who wants to retire on the proceeds of my job.

I've had a guy tell me that I need the flashing replaced on two skylights at a cost of $1,700.00 or I would have thousands of dollars of water damage. I checked it myself and found that the only issue was a bent corner on the flashing. Fixed it at no cost and have never had a leak.

The next problem was a worn out rubber membrane on a small (maybe 80 square feet) flat part of my roof. The first contractor to look at it initally recommended covering the existing membrane with a newer, better product. Then he called his office to produce an estimate. After talking to his boss, he came back with a quote of $13,000.00 to replace the rubber membrane with copper, claiming it was the only solution that would work.

I can replace the entire roof for less than $13K!

The current project is a garden shed to store my snowblower, mower, patio furniture and other crap. I found a nice TuffShed demo at Home Depot at a good price.

My villiage requires sheds to be mounted on a concrete slab, so I contacted companies with strong reviews on Angie's list for quotes on the slab. The site is level with no existing material to demo.

First quote came in at 8' x 12' x 5", thickened edge, compacted gravel subfloor, wire mesh reinforcement, 4,000 psi concrete. $2,180.00.

Checking some websites of unknown reliability makes me think this is both high in price and low in terms of the quality of materials. I'm seeing twice the size with rebar and 5000 psi for $1,200.00 - $1,500.00 Granted, this isn't coming from someone who's willing to do the job.

Any thoughts on what a realistic cost should be? Is the 4000 psi material and mesh appropriate for this application?

Thanks in advance - again!

Dave

[mc2]

You really could do it yourself.....as stated above. Frame it out level with 2x6 and 2x4.

Go deeper around the perimeter for the footing, so when the town goons check it, they see and extra inch or so of the crushed stone base and then the concrete top. You can go a lot thinner as you go toward the center if you want to save money....probably almost 60 percent of each. I'm sure your inspectors just dig up an edge to check thickness, not core drill into your slab.

Put in your anchor bolts along the edge while cement is still wet. Check codes for required spacing.

You can rent....or buy at a Home Depot or Harbor Freight....an electric cement mixer to make the job easier. Hand mixing that much cement is a chore!! That would also allow you to get your cement and sand, etc from a local garden/stone supply place to save more.

Since it is just a slab that is going to be hidden under a shed, it is a lot easier. you don't need to worry about troweling nice edges or blooming it. Just fill up your leveled out frame and let it dry.

Those short load cement truck delivery prices are KILLER. You could drive around your neighborhood and try to spot anyone else prepping to do a cement job and offer to split the cost of a larger cement delivery....will still usually be cheaper that one short load.

Or go to a local Home Depot and ask the day laborers standing there looking for work if they know any cement guys. Up in my area there are a lot of Hispanics who do cement work cheaper than the going rate. The locals garden/stone supply place, where cement guys buy bulk sand and mortar, also know the cheaper guys and will often give you contacts.

[Steve Haynie]

Get termite treatment before pouring the slab.