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May 10, 2010 at 6:23 pm #594779
megMemberI want to have a concrete slab poured about 4ft by 8ft. Does anyone know the least expensive & easiest way to get this done? Do it myself? Hire it out? I don’t have much money to spend….but my back and time are worth something too =)
It doesn’t have to be super nice or fancy- just for sitting my chicken coop on. Thanks1
May 10, 2010 at 6:41 pm #694223
CarsonParticipantMeg. How thick? If you figure out the depth, calculate into cubic yards (27 cubic ft in a cubic yard). You can get concrete delivered for about $100 a cubic yard. You can do it cheaper if you buy the mix (sand, concrete, gravel) and mix it yourself on site, but its tough work. You can make a simple frame yourself and have the concrete delivered, that would be my choice!
May 10, 2010 at 7:00 pm #694224
megMemberReally? That is awesome! I have the stuff to build a frame. Who delivers (& is it mixed?)
I am thinking 3-4 inches thick.
May 10, 2010 at 7:08 pm #694225
CarsonParticipantMeg, Try Salmon Bay in Ballard or Stoneway. They probably won’t want to deliver 1 or 2 yards but would stop by when they do other pours in the area. A few other tips. Dig your hole, fill with gravel and rebar and mesh to prevent cracking. Think about adding a drain, even if it goes to a french drain for easy cleaning. If it was me, I would also think about other uses, in other words, if the chicken coop doesn’t work out, what else could you use the pad for? Its expensive and difficult to remove after its in place. Remember to orient your coop so the coop itself blocks the prevailing winter winds from the chickens “play area”.
May 10, 2010 at 9:33 pm #694226
megMemberThanks! I’ll give them a call!
May 10, 2010 at 10:01 pm #694227
PDieterParticipantyou might find having such a “short load” delivered a little tougher than presented. also there’s been no mention of distance from the street.
You might just go to HD and grab a couple dudes and a rental mixer and DIY with some ready mix in bags. For a slab this size that is what I would do.
A tip for the HD workforce is to look for guys wearing boots. They tend to be a little more serious and prepared to work.
May 10, 2010 at 10:29 pm #694228
CMParticipantPD’s right, since your slab is less than 1/2 yard.
Do your homework though, before you DIY it. For a 4″ slab, that’s about 36 60# bags. That’s a lot of weight to haul around on a weekend if you’re unprepared.
May 10, 2010 at 10:29 pm #694229
KBearParticipantPDieter, that would be practical only if Meg has a truck. It’s over a half ton of concrete mix, isn’t it?
May 10, 2010 at 10:36 pm #694230
bsmommaParticipantIf you just “Hire a Guy” with no Insurance/License/Bond and something goes array, you have no protection. The people that lived in our house prior, “hired some guys” and they made a BIG mistake. Put the whole (Inclined)slab to the house + with no drainage = dry rot Not fun. Just something else to keep in mind.
May 10, 2010 at 10:38 pm #694231
KBearParticipantThat’s true. If the coop has a leaky floor, the chickens might sue!
May 10, 2010 at 11:22 pm #694232
brewParticipantMay 10, 2010 at 11:23 pm #694233
CarsonParticipantI am getting 20 yards delivered this week, if you have your molds all set. It won’t be worth paying for a pump, but if you use a wheel barrel it might not be too difficult, assuming your pad is not close.
Mixing it yourself is tough, most mixers you rent, assuming you have a hitch, can mix 3-4 bags at a time, if you use 60 bags, thats like 15+ batches? You first batch will have started to dry before you get to the last. But if you go that way, I have a concrete vibrator you can use!
May 11, 2010 at 12:06 am #694234
megMemberThanks everyone!
Carson- wasn’t sure what you meant in the first part about using wheelbarrow?
May 11, 2010 at 12:24 am #694235
CarsonParticipantIf your pad is too far for the cement truck to just pour onto your slab, you can wheel barrow it from the truck to your pad. You don’t want to pay for a pump, typically $500 for a half day!!
Either way, call those companies, tell them you are flexible as to the delivery, anytime they are in the area, you will take delivery. They would rather sell you a small amount than take it back to be recycled.
May 11, 2010 at 4:42 pm #694236
megMemberThanks!
May 12, 2010 at 10:53 pm #694237
DianaParticipantMeg, I’m curious as to why you would want a concrete floor for your coop. This is something they would not like and would actually be high maintenance. I have three fat hens who have been part of the family for four years now. If you have any questions let me know.
May 13, 2010 at 12:58 am #694238
WorldCitizenParticipantYou might want to think about concrete pavers…better drainage and if you want to move it eventually, you won’t need a jackhammer.
June 1, 2010 at 4:43 am #694239
SendEveryoneMemberHey Meg, I lived in Seattle for many years and my wife is from Seattle, and I know the weather conditions, so I will give you another thought for your Chicken House. I grow up with chickens in Kansas as a Kid. Our Chickens lived in a simple raised wood structure. A concrete slab seems overkill. The concrete will get cold in the winter and the Chickens won’t like it. They will complain all the time. Make the floor with a 4’x8’ exposure-1 OSB Panel or and 4’x8’ exposure-1 Plywood Panel on a raised pressure treated frame floor. Use 4×4 pressure treated post set 18” below grade. The Seattle Department of Construction and Land Use stipulates 18″ as frost line depth for projects within city limits. Nearby Tukwila, WA uses 12″.
If you want to still do the 4’x8’ slab (3” thickness is more than enough). You will need (18) 60 lb. bags or (14) 80lb bags for 0.29630 Cubic Yards or 8 Cubic Feet of Concrete.
(Cubic Feet=4x8x.25=8 CF)
(8 /27= 0.2962962963 CY)
[I’m in no way associated with any of the following web Sites]
You can calculate other Concrete volumes easily at:
Home Depot and Lowe’s have Premixed “Quikrete” Concrete Mixes
Look at a Crack Resistant Concrete Mix
Home depot:
Lowe’s:
Check this website out for a simple Playhouse structure that you could modified for a Chicken House and it has a wood or concrete floor:
http://www.buildeazy.com/newplans/playhouse_6x6_1.html
This one has a Price list, it’s a small cabin, but you could also be modified for a Chicken House:
http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/20/free-plans-8%C3%978-tiny-house-v3/
June 1, 2010 at 1:11 pm #694240
SendEveryoneMemberI take back my recommendation for a plywood or OSB floor unless you waterproof it and put a concrete mortar bed on it. I found this website that recommends a concrete floor and it the is best floor, a solid wood floor is second best and a dirt floor is third but this has cleaning, health and vermin issues.
June 1, 2010 at 2:57 pm #694241
timeslidParticipantI would recommend either a concrete floor or concrete pavers. I poured a 3″ floor for my coup and it has been great (for eight years and counting). One big advantage is that rats don’t tunnel into coup itself. Rats and chickens go together invariably. Cleaning the coup is also easier, just remember to slope the floor out the door or put in adequate drainage.
Also, if you have a layer of straw on top of floor, the chickens don’t seem to mind even in the coldest winters.
December 27, 2011 at 7:55 am #694242
ChristianMemberI want to share a link to a site that explains how to calculate concrete volume. Cheers
http://concrete-pumping.info/#How-to-calculate-how-much-concrete-you-need
December 27, 2011 at 12:10 pm #694243
kootchmanMemberconcrete, zoological, veterinary, aquarium, marine mammal, poultry concrete constructions are not “cheap” concretes. A residential grade concrete.. won’t cut it. Uric acid and nitrogen, urea and nitrogen, and ammonia nitrogen (UAN/UN/AN) will damage the concrete and corrode the reinforcement steel/mesh.it;s a time of exposure and temperature thing…and the feed you use… In commercial settings, these types of concrete have water cement ratios of .40 or less..non soluble, inorganic pore blocking agents, which means some pricey chemicals and a batch plant. The big boxes have crap concrete until ya hit the 5000 psi or better mark. If ya choose 5000 psi.. you can add polypro fibers yourself to make it more crack resistant..compare prices of crack resistannt concrete and 5000 psi and adding it yourself,,,might save a few bucks that way If ya do use a packaged concrete.., use a silicate surface densifier and a hard, steel trowel finish. It’s cheap stuff keeps bacteria and manure retention to a minimum. This an old concrete practice for WSU animal husbandy barns Not quite a “purpose designed” mix design.. but ok for this use.
http://www.concretenetwork.com/suppliers/densifiers/usa-and-canada/)
. if you can find some old clay bricks… better. still not affected at all by nitrogenous or acid compounds. And you are recycling or repurposing… and chickens think it looks cooler..
December 27, 2011 at 3:30 pm #694244
miwsParticipantDecember 28, 2011 at 4:34 am #694245
kootchmanMemberSome do….
December 28, 2011 at 5:34 pm #694246
HawkeyeParticipantRe: clay bricks kootchman, would old chimney bricks work for repurposing on the floor of a coop or do the pavers need to be a particular sort of material? I used a few chimney bricks in the past for a small path and found that they were breaking down and grew slippery green stuff on them in the winter, but wonder if they’d be fine in a more protected area.
Awesome discussion everyone and I don’t even have chickens or any immediate plans for them, other than Sunday’s at Endolyn Joe’s.
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