[Fix'n it]

i have a 12'x12'ish room in my basement. it is not accessible , yet. i have to bust 2 holes in the block foundation to get in there and remove about 3' of dirt.
once this is done, i will need a floor. there is no way to get a cement truck back there = it would damage my new $6000+ driveway. what options do i have for a floor ? really, it doesn't have to cement/concrete. i could be happy with anything solid, as long as it is reliable. even wood would be ok, if that is possible. but, right now, i am wondering if it is possible to use those bags of cement that you dump out, shoot water on and stur in place.

 

[joecaption]

http://www.calculator.net/concrete-...tubedepth=6&tubedepthunit=inch&tubequantity=1

There's just no good way to mix it fast enough to not have it start to set up.
For this to have any chance it really needs to be done as one pore.
About the only way I can think of, and it's not a great idea is to form it off and pore it in sections with an expantion gap between the sections.

 

[grizzzlle]

Long shot but can you leave the cement truck some other place and use a pumper truck to place the cement? I know you might have a hose layed out and it would add to the cost but might be worth it.

 

[Fix'n it]

Long shot but can you leave the cement truck some other place and use a pumper truck to place the cement? I know you might have a hose layed out and it would add to the cost but might be worth it.

i guess it could park on the street, 70-80'. but this option could make this job a budget buster.

what do you guys think about using pavers of some type ?

 

[jomama45]

In most crawl space floors, the main purpose of the concrete is to hold down & protect the vapor barrier. Having a solid floor is simply a bi-product. Because of this, code usually requires a thinner concrete floor in a crawlspace, only 2" thick here.

Can you haul the bags down there and mix on the plastic?? Maybe, but it seems like a lot of work. It seems like it would take 40+ 80# bags....

When confronted with jobs like this, I usually pass, especially when it comes to digging all that dirt out. IF I end up taking the project on, I always try to push for a new basement window opening, strategically placed, so there's some kind of direct access to the outside. There's no reason you couldn't mix outside (I'd order ready-mix and wheelbarrel up the driveway, and dump directly in chute) and pour it down your own make-shift wood chute........

 

[Fix'n it]

this isn't a crawl space. the about 6'6"+ when done. yeah, i could put a window there. but it doesn't need one and that would be more work.

pics later, i have to leave now.

 

[Canarywood1]

Why not just go to the yellow pages and find a pumping outfit,and ask what the cost is before you dismiss the idea.

 

[danpik]

What do you have for a driveway that you can not back a 2 yard load over it? I had a 9 yard load over my moms 5" thick concrete driveway two years ago with no problems.

 

[Canarywood1]

What do you have for a driveway that you can not back a 2 yard load over it? I had a 9 yard load over my moms 5" thick concrete driveway two years ago with no problems.

Your a lucky man,you had at least a 23 ton load on that driveway,our equipment never left the street until we got a signed disclaimer from the owner absolving us from any damage to the curb,sidewalk,and driveway,and anything else that might be damaged by the truck rolling over it.

 

[joed]

Pumper or lots of guys with wheelbarrows.

 

[ddawg16]

1st Question....will going down 3' take you below the bottom of your wall? If so, I think your going to have issues.

If not....tough problem.....that is only 2 yards of concrete...makes for an expensive load on the cement truck. Do you have any places around you that does the 'haul it yourself, 1 yard at a time' totes? If so, you could drag one of those up your driveway without breaking anything and pour half....go back and get the second load and pour the other half.

I would NOT want to do that many bags....just lugging the bags would be a ball buster.....

 

[jomama45]

this isn't a crawl space. the about 6'6"+ when done. yeah, i could put a window there. but it doesn't need one and that would be more work.

pics later, i have to leave now.

I've heard the same thing from customers countless times. When I bid it with installing a simple window vs. lugging everything up & down the steps, suddenly the cheap window seems like a good idea.............:whistling2:

 

[Fix'n it]

here is a pic. sorry for the mess :blush:

the room/s are where the window is leaning. looking out the window to see the rest of the room. it is actually 2 rooms, all block walls/foundation. one inside, one outside.

 

[Fix'n it]

What do you have for a driveway that you can not back a 2 yard load over it? I had a 9 yard load over my moms 5" thick concrete driveway two years ago with no problems.

its a 3 y/o 2"ish asphalt. in nice shape, and i want to keep it that way.

1st Question....will going down 3' take you below the bottom of your wall? If so, I think your going to have issues.

If not....tough problem.....that is only 2 yards of concrete...makes for an expensive load on the cement truck. Do you have any places around you that does the 'haul it yourself, 1 yard at a time' totes? If so, you could drag one of those up your driveway without breaking anything and pour half....go back and get the second load and pour the other half.

I would NOT want to do that many bags....just lugging the bags would be a ball buster.....

no, it wouldn't. as in,i am sure that they built that part of the foundation the same as the rest of the house. the floor you see in the pic, is afaik, a slab on a slab. that someday, i hope to replace it all.

that sounds like i would have to hire helpers = increased costs.

yeah, that would be a job. but i could do it. just not all at once. well, actually i could, but i wouldn't.

 

[Fix'n it]

pic 1. where they busted out the wall to get in there and install insulation.
i rotated the pic, but somehow it didn't take :huh:
pic 2. inside 1/2 of the proposed room. i would have to bust open the right wall to get into the other 1/2, it was an addition who knows how long ago.

 

[wrongdave]

I would NOT want to do that many bags....just lugging the bags would be a ball buster.....

I'll 2nd that. I've done a few small jobs around the house over the years. As I recall, the biggest was around 12 or 13 bags of concrete. That is a lot of work, but your project is going to be many times that amount. Just do the math to figure out how many bags it will be first, that should be enough to convince you.

Plus, at that size, the bags will probably cost a lot more than a delivery.

Also, if you've never finished concrete, don't start with a 12 x 12 interior floor. It could end up really ugly.

 

[Fix'n it]

when i was a teenager, i worked with my dad. he did concrete. i would even be using his tools.

 

[wrongdave]

when i was a teenager, i worked with my dad. he did concrete. i would even be using his tools.

Did he every have you haul in and mix 80 bags of concrete for a job?

 

[Maintenance 6]

The other foundation walls extend deep enough to remove the 3 feet of dirt right?

 

[Fix'n it]

Did he every have you haul in and mix 80 bags of concrete for a job?

no. all jobs that i remember were truck mix. but i did carry a hell of a lot of the wood foundation forms.

The other foundation walls extend deep enough to remove the 3 feet of dirt right?

do i "know" ? no, i have yet to dig anything. but 3' is grade. so i don't see why they would do anything less.