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Concrete question
Posted on 9/11/20 at 9:45 am
Posted on 9/11/20 at 9:45 am
I'm trying to put in about 400 square feet of concrete for some extra grilling space and a hot tub. It's not a 20x20 square slab. It's going to be more of an L-shape to butt up against my existing back deck and the slab of the house.
I had two contractors come out to give estimates. They both know about the hot tub. One quoted me $3,900 with rebar and the other $3,400 using double mesh instead of rebar.
My question is would double mesh hold up to the weight of a hot tub and not crack or should I just pay the extra $500 and go with rebar for added stability?
I had two contractors come out to give estimates. They both know about the hot tub. One quoted me $3,900 with rebar and the other $3,400 using double mesh instead of rebar.
My question is would double mesh hold up to the weight of a hot tub and not crack or should I just pay the extra $500 and go with rebar for added stability?
9
Posted on 9/11/20 at 10:03 am to TideSaint
400sf for a grill and a hot tub the double mesh would suit you just fine. If it was a pad to park your car on then I would do rebar.
Posted on 9/11/20 at 10:09 am to TideSaint
quote:
My question is would double mesh hold up to the weight of a hot tub and not crack or should I just pay the extra $500 and go with rebar for added stability?
I would definitely go rebar. It probably needs to be built like a driveway if you're sitting a hot tub on it. Those things can weigh 2-3 tons filled with water.
Posted on 9/11/20 at 10:11 am to TU Rob
quote:
Those things can weigh 2-3 tons filled with water.
We haven't picked one out yet, but I just looked up the weight of an 8 person hot tub and it says 6,000 pounds.
Posted on 9/11/20 at 10:27 am to TideSaint
Had a slab poured a while back and the concrete guy explained the mesh to me.
He said the mesh prevents cracks from spreading too much but it will not prevent cracks. Concrete in Louisiana will crack eventually no matter what but the trick is to try to prevent the cracks from becoming too severe.
He said the mesh prevents cracks from spreading too much but it will not prevent cracks. Concrete in Louisiana will crack eventually no matter what but the trick is to try to prevent the cracks from becoming too severe.
This post was edited on 9/11/20 at 10:28 am
Posted on 9/11/20 at 10:38 am to TideSaint
Isnt $4000 for a 400sq ft pad a little steep?
Posted on 9/11/20 at 11:13 am to rented mule
quote:
Isnt $4000 for a 400sq ft pad a little steep?
This is what they listed in the quote:
Blade and shape existing sub-base
Set forms for concrete
Add Limestone Base Material as needed
Bag Base material for buildup
Add #3 rebar grid steel reinforcement
Add 4" of concrete
Apply broom finish
Remove concrete forms
Posted on 9/11/20 at 11:29 am to TideSaint
For comparison sake contractors typically form sidewalks with 2x4"s and the actual thickness ends up being only 3.5" when you specify 4".
Hot tubs depending on the size can get pretty heavy and sometimes more than a standard car.
If cost isn't an issue and you want it done right I'd suggest asking for a 5" thick slab at least.
If you can't spare that then go with the rebar for peace of mind and make sure they place it at mid depth when pouring. I'd also ask them to dowel into the existing slab which will help any differences in settling however you don't have to do that per say. Any limestone base or buildup should be very minimal unless they are trying to completely rebuild up the base material.
Hot tubs depending on the size can get pretty heavy and sometimes more than a standard car.
If cost isn't an issue and you want it done right I'd suggest asking for a 5" thick slab at least.
If you can't spare that then go with the rebar for peace of mind and make sure they place it at mid depth when pouring. I'd also ask them to dowel into the existing slab which will help any differences in settling however you don't have to do that per say. Any limestone base or buildup should be very minimal unless they are trying to completely rebuild up the base material.
This post was edited on 9/11/20 at 11:32 am
Posted on 9/11/20 at 4:29 pm to TideSaint
Rebar all day.
Posted on 9/11/20 at 5:54 pm to TideSaint
Neither. You don't need reinforced concrete for 4 inches.
Posted on 9/11/20 at 6:16 pm to TideSaint
Rebar with single layer of mesh... concrete with fiber. Concrete does 2 things, gets hard... and cracks.
Posted on 9/11/20 at 6:24 pm to CWS91
Shop that around go to a higher psi concrete 4000 should work fine just have fiber added to the concrete skip the rebar and mesh
Posted on 9/12/20 at 4:55 pm to TideSaint
Go with 6” of concrete with highway mesh.
Posted on 9/12/20 at 5:52 pm to TideSaint
quote:
We haven't picked one out yet, but I just looked up the weight of an 8 person hot tub and it says 6,000 pounds.
And you might put an additional half ton of people in it!
Posted on 9/13/20 at 5:55 pm to Spankum
That 4x4 square or 8x8 square is not 6,000lbs per square inch. Hot tubs are installed on wood decks 10-15 feet in the air with minimal joist and column support.
A 4" slab with rebar will work just fine.
A 4" slab with rebar will work just fine.
Posted on 9/14/20 at 7:00 am to TideSaint
Whatever mesh - rebar combo you go with will be fine. If you pour concrete in S. Louisiana and it doesn't crack somewhere, you better dig it up and see what's wrong with it
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