Mini load or Mix your own Question

[TrevorW]

Not having used the services of a mini concrete load before can they bring the concrete into a space with limited access, as all I can fit is a wheelbarrow to get around the back of my house. Also I'm using pine boards to make the formwork for the footing, is it best to wet them before pouring the concrete

[mura_gadi (Steve)]

Yes, wet the form work prior to concreting. As for mini loaders, they go as small as a single garage access.

Another idea rent/loan/buy and resell(2nd hand) a mixer, 3-6 cubic feet a batch.

[xelasnave]

I have for some time now purchased the ready mix concrete and put in place dry...I give it a light spray so it does not blow around..if it is on the ground it draws up moisture over the next week ..if covered as in the case of my recent piers I water them each day for a week..if I remember that is...but I see no negative results and I believe there is a case for suggesting the concrete is stronger...I chose this way as it is all I can do...there is no way I could have put in the last two piers if I had to go wet...even the original first pier I did this way.
It is probably more 3xpensive than mixing your sand, cement and blue metal but as I said there is no other way that I could do it.

Alex

[TrevorW]

Thanks Alex, there are varying grades of concrete, the volume of my footings is roughly .3 of a cubic meter so not a lot of expense there

[xelasnave]

I don't know if you can do this or want to but I mention it ...in my three piers ( actually two of which are three piers each) in my current observatory I drove star pickets into the ground fanning out from the pad (approx 45 degrees) ..the ends of the star pickets are covered in concrete so if you could stand the pad out in the yard above the ground the star pickets would look like legs holding up the pad..the star pickets give the pad in effect foundations ( the practice is called "Frankie Piling"). I have been lucky with all the star pickets that I have driven into the ground as they all went in as far as I wanted but I think it prudent to be have your angle grinder on stand by just in case you find they won't go all the way..if so cut off the length so it gets covered by the concrete and then drive the off cut into the ground ....I pity that poor person in the future charged with the demolition of my observatory and the piers as they will be met with a huge chunk of concrete under which are, from memory some 30 long star pickets and 30 short star pickets grabbing hold of the planet ... as I did not need form work the concrete from each pier joins haphazardly with the others so the slab now covers a triangle of 3 x 3 x 3 mtrs....and when I have concrete left over from a job I just dump it on that blob so it grows.

Alex

[TrevorW]

My next question is stirrups or plates bolted to footing to support the outside walls etc, the footing is box shape 2 meters per side by 200mm wide by 150mm deep

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

My next question is stirrups or plates bolted to footing to support the outside walls etc, the footing is box shape 2 meters per side by 200mm wide by 150mm deep

I have no experience so I can not comment.

Alex

[xelasnave]

Thinking it thru I would be inclined to build the floor first then add the stirrups or other then Jack it into position and then add the concrete...you can waste a lot of time going what would seem the logical way as you have to fit each component and get it to fit the stirrups whatever...this way everything is square and then you place it ..it will be perfect...that would seem the smart way to do it ..you want the floor square so build it square and make the rest fit to it.

Alex

[TrevorW]

Ok thanks Alex