I appreciate it brother. There is truth to your comment. Majority of the negative comments have seemed to come from people that have never actually done anything, just researched misinformation to argue. haha
Brother, congrats. I worked 8-12 hrs a day. Every spare moment was spent building my home with the help of my father, wife, and my 7 yr old son. Took us 2 years. Did it all but insulation and Sheetrock. Insulation was cheaper than I could buy it, Sheetrock, didn’t have the time, got in a hurry. Home is worth over 300k, and I have around 60k in it. With you 100%
That’s awesome to hear your were able to build your own house. It’s also really cool that your son was able to help you with it. I bet he learned a lot of valuable things. I don’t blame you one bit for subbing out the Sheetrock and insulation. Those are the 2 less fun things about building a house. I appreciate you sharing and for checking out my video.
I would never criticize the work of a man that just mixed 16,800 lbs of concrete, I don't care if it looked like it was poured from a helicopter troweled with an aerator. I think it looks great. I don't mind doing hard work if it saves money, not to mention I always learn from it. Thanks for sharing your story, hopefully it serves as a motivator to others.
Thank you! I couldn’t imagine how much this would cost today. I thought things were expensive a couple of years ago, but somehow they’ve gotten worse! Thanks for the kind words and thank you for checking out my video.
When I poured 80lb bags years ago I’d look for 4-5 heavy duty pallets (freebies) stacked flat in the back of my flatbed trailer then had the big box store set a whole pallet of bagged concrete on top of my stacked pallets,then back my trailer a couple feet from the portable mixer. Doing this saved my back by only lifting these 80 lb bags at or near waist or chest high, makes a big difference at the end of the day.
If you can do it. Of course a truck is easier, but it's faster and that's not a good idea if you don't have a bunch of friends, family to help. The way you did it is labor intensive, but you worked at your pace. I've been building a 2400 sq. ft house for 2 1/2 years and still not done. I cleared the land, drew up the prints, dug the hole, layed the footings, foundation, and framing. I hired a carpenter for 4 days to help me sheet the exterior plywood. I did the roof, windows, doors and siding, all of the electric and air conditioning. I hired a plumber to tie into the main sewer and water, he stayed on and roughed out the interior for baseboard and 3 full baths. It's insulated and still needs sheet-rock, tile, installing the kitchen, basement stairs, front porch, some decking, patio, 2 car garage, landscaping, trrim, paint and hardwood floor. Through-out all of it I maintained a full-time 40 hr. week job, and did all the work on weekend, holidays, PTO days off. The neighbors think I'm crazy, my wife already knew I was, and my 2 (adult) childrenare seriously undecided. Property cost $195k, Materials 135k, still need to purchase 65k, and I have spent just about 30% of my 401K. I'lll be able to recover 100% and then some when I sell my current home. How and why I 'm doing it myself is simple: I always wanted to build my own house, and I am because I can. I have no professional training in home building, reading blue prints etc. I'm 63 years old, and should be finished in 2 years, not that I'm going to retire, just slow down and admire the fact that I built a house.
That’s an awesome story brother. Especially at 63 years young. You sound like my (much older) grandfather. He’s almost 90 and has the same mindset as you. He says as long as you stay busy and work hard you’ll never get old. He’s in better shape than most 30 year olds these days as I bet you are. Thank you for the story I appreciate it.
1) Rebar isn't necessary if your base is properly compacted and the ground below is dry and undisturbed 2) Bag concrete is fine 3) Bag concrete is more expensive than gravel and cement but you have to mix the two together. I find it remarkable that ready mix was not less than bagged. But I'm in a different area 4) You saved money! And the equity is in your shop. Good job! 5) understand now why you didn't batch your own. 6) you probably didn't need to do any saw cuts. If the concrete was already set, it's too late. But, good news, your slabs were small enough that cracking isn't going to be significant, and the cold joints between slabs is doing the same as saw cuts, only better. 7) don't pin... with your forms make a keyway. A 2x4 with a taper on the form and you've got a groove for the next slab to pour into. Locks it all together. 8) if the concrete isn't dusting, then that's great! You dun good kid!
What do you mean when you say “don’t pin” I’m assuming you mean put rebar between the slabs so that they tie them selves together but I could be wrong and I just wanted to clarify with you. I think I understand the 2 x 4 with a taper. But I’d like more explanation on this process. I plan on doing a similar slab but I also plan on using rebar and was going to have rebar joining all the individual orders together. I do plan on having some heavy equipment on the slab. Any clarification would be fantastic and thanks for your help.
@@MCHornerYou do want rebar, especially if you are driving equipment on it. Its also important to have a good base. The keyway he is talking about is basically making an indentation in the side of one slab to give a place for the adjoining slab to lock into. In my opinion, they dont work. Weve tried them for years as an industry, and ive ground down countless linear feet of keyed construction joints that fail to keep the slabs locked together, there is simply not enough rigidity in that type of joint to prevent shifting. Everyone has an opinion, so talk to who you have available and see what works for you. Put a modest grid of rebar over compacted base and you are golden. You can also use structural fibers in the mix. Depending on the size of your squares you will also want control joints cut in on no greater than about a 15’x15’ spacing. If your individual slabs are that small or smaller it will be fine, if you do larger areas at a time go ahead and tool joints in as you finish with a groover, or cut them in with a saw about 2-12 hours after your finish troweling passes depending on the weather (hotter=sooner). Its easy to get really caught up on details but if you talk to people who know what they are doing and follow sound design practices youll be golden. Wish you all the best!
Young man I am 68 years old and it’s very important for me to have a woodworking shop. I want to do it the cheapest way possible being my wife and I are trying to live debt free. This has been the closest I’ve been able to get to understanding what I need to do. Thank you and you have been a blessing. I’m thinking about a 30x30 building but I want to do what I can to save money, this is all new to me. But anyway thank you again this has been very positive to me.
I’m glad you got something out of it. That’s what it’s all about. I really appreciate you checking out my videos and for taking the time to comment! I’m no professional but if you have any questions I’ll try and help to the best of my knowledge. Good luck with your project!
Find a local church and ask around for some volunteers. Many times there will be a few that are willing to help. For that size slab...truck loads are probably the best option
Im 60 years old and my back has done manual labor for over 45 years. Lifting that many bags of concrete is not conducive to my age but kudos to you young man for succeeding. Im retiring on my farm in the next coming months and ill just have to bite the bullet and hire a concrete contractor to pour my house, shop, and carport slabs. Fortunately for me, I invested my money during my youth .
That’s awesome you’re able to retire at the young age of 60. Especially this time and day. It’s also really cool you’re going to retire on a farm to keep you busy doing what you want to do. Hopefully you can find a good contractor. The ones we’ve contacted around here seem to think they’re more than they’re worth. (To me and many others anyhow)
You actually massively inspired me to pur the concrete myself for my shop. I have a few buddies that do concrete for a living and they've guided me on how to do it myself. I showed them your video of you doing it and they were impressed.
That really means a lot that I was able to inspire you like that. It's awesome you have some experienced buddies that could guide you. I bet your project turned out great.
You did a great job, don't worry about what other people say. On the re-bar subject, doing work for yourself I use 1/2" re-bar on 2' squares. When concrete cracks, the re-bar holds it all together. I poured a 12' x 32' in 8' x 8' squares, all tied together with re-bar. I would go to Lowe's at 6 A.M. and they loaded the 42 bag pallet on my 1/2 ton GMC pickup. I already had a $400. concrete mixer from Lowe's that I made a chute for to move the concrete. I could pour in about 2 hours. Would the concrete truck be easier, yes. You need several helpers to pour a large section at one time. I didn't have any help, so you figure out how I can get this done by myself. I didn't film any of it because who wants to put your hard work on video and post it for other people to be critical. Bottom line is you can't depend on other people, and hiring work done is expensive and done now by people that don't care much about the quality of work they do.
I appreciate it! That's good that you're able to get help from your local lowes, it's hit or miss in my area. Sometimes they come and help in a reasonable time, others you have to wait literally an hour. That was a big deal for me as well being able to do everything myself. I was having to do a little at a time because of my work schedule, and no one was available to help the crazy hours that I was working. I've had a lot of positivity on these videos, but you're right there are quite a few critical (rude) comments as well. That was also a big one for me was the quality. It may not be the best, but I guarantee it was done with more care then if I had hired it out. Thank you for checking out my video, and for commenting.
You're right on the money when it comes to people not caring about their work. Spent 17k on a 30'x40'x8" pad and it ended up being 4" thick with no rebar or vapor barrier. Went through so much hassle going through channels to get this mf-er to do anything and all that happened is I got $1500 back. Next time I'm doing all the work myself and maybe getting some family members to give me a hand
I can’t help myself stop explaining to the hater’s, you did a awesome job, I bet your parents are so proud of you. Young man god is with you, just think about that.
"Time is money." Absolutely, but understand the value of the knowledge gained through the process is priceless. I've been debating on pouring my own slab vs. hiring it out, and this was the sign I needed to pour it myself after watching your last video. You're also spreading knowledge to others, and when it's all said and done. Giving is receiving. Best Wishes & God Bless!
You've got that right. I definitely learned a lot doing this, it's awesome that others are getting something from it as well. That's what it's all about! Good luck with your project, and thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment.
Also, depending on how you evaluate your time, the difference between paying $4000 to do it yourself vs paying $14000 to have it done for you can be very close to the whole $10000 savings. Unless it takes (much) more than a month and/or you make $120000 per year, you're saving. When I was teaching, I'd need to have spent 4 months off work before "losing" money on this project. I'm slow, but not that slow.
Listen bro i think the idea that sometimes you have more extra time in life than in other times plays more of a factor than we think. Sometimes ill change my oul but other times might be short and its easier to pay some guys to do it.
@@pmonk1487 What I don't get is why paying other people's labour is so shockingly expensive these days. You would think the truck full of concrete could drive out and dump it for a tiny fraction of the cost of handling all those bags, but in the end, they charge 3x what it would cost doing it by hand, and the box store and concrete manufacturer is *still* making a profit selling the bags.
The comment you said I can screw this up 3 times and redo it... Is very true. I'm 54 over the last 10 years I built a 2200 Sq ft addition onto my house (I'm at 3000 Sq ft), a pole barn that's 40'x32' with 10' ceilings. The left over materials I built a 24'x18' shed. Did everything myself. Home is worth 4 times the original amount and I spent $58,000. My property has all kinds of features big patios, heated floors, extra insulation, too much to list. It includes buying all the speciality tools, and my dump trailer, table saws, renting equipment, etc. And now I own all the tools and the house it's paid off. And all the work makes you physically stronger and healther than most guys. Working a job, then come home and build till sundown keeps you fit. I'm always working on something. And I'm in great physical health. The big reality is you are a rare breed. Young guys can't do anything with their hands. I work for the city and I get temp kids every summer to help out. These guys never cut grass, don't know how to string a weed whip. I have to do a clinic on how to paint a fire hydrant. Out of the 20 years I worked at the city, I may have worked with 3 young guys that have some ability to learn skills. I guess most kids live very sheltered lives these days. But my kid didn't. He is very able too. Most people get very jealous when you say I did all the work myself, because most guys say that, and they actually hired a contractor to do it and they brag "I built my own home." I really enjoyed your videos and I wish you and your family all the best. Be sure to pass those skills to your kids and whoevers kid that you can. The world needs it. Lyle
That's awesome that you were able to do all of that work and save the amount of money you did. Not to mention the amount of knowledge that you now have from doing these projects. I'm a believer in buying tools as well, these things aren't getting any cheaper and it seems like you need them all the time, even the specialty tools. My grandpa says the same thing, hard work keeps you alive. He's over 90 and still gets out and splits firewood for heating his home. We bring some from time to time and he gets sort of frustrated and says no I NEED to do this. haha I appreciate the kind comment and what you say is almost sickening to think about but true. It seems like the past couple of generations don't want to work, and don't want to learn how to work. My 2 young girls have asked us when out in public "I can't believe that guy doesn't know how to do that!" because they do and aren't even in middle school. haha I think you hit the head on the nail when you speak of jealousy. A majority of the negative comments seem to be of people criticizing my work with no idea of what they're actually talking about. Thank you for taking the time to check out my video, and for leaving a kind comment. I really appreciate it.
Lyle,, not to be condescending but when you build a structure you want to build in 2ft incrimants. Why ,,, less waste. So if you had so much material left over,, someone missed their material quote!!
I’m so glad I came across your videos. I’ve been seeing people dry pour or have 3-4 people helping with a truck and pumping concrete to the backyard. After seeing you do the entire slab alone, with the exception of your wife and kids for one of the sections, I felt at ease and motivated about being able to do it alone! Thank you so much dude! 11:50
I've seen those dry pour videos and I'm not entirely sure I trust that method. There has got to be a reason why companies tell you to mix with water, especially if its more laborious and harder than just dumping the powder out. I messed up and mixed WAY to much when I had my wife come out. It was so heavy I was almost tearing my shoulder out of place so I definitely needed her. haha As long as you don't dump out to much you should be good alone. That was another reason I went bagged is because truck would've been hard to do alone as well as the driver would hate me. haha
One thing for certain, you have patience. Not only for the work, but also addressing some of the goofy comments from people. If anyone ever wants to question you about saving your money, just let THEM pay for what is considered correct or appropriate, haha. That’s a great DIY result!
I honestly thought a lot of the negative comments were jokes because they were so ridiculous! Sadly they weren't. You've got that right. We were going to hire out until we started getting quotes of 14k plus. I was like nope. I could literally tear this thing up and redo it 2-3 times for that amount.
Dude good job! I've been in construction my whole life, mid 30's now and also an engineer. Is your slab perfect? No, but will it work? Yes. Personally, I would have included rebar for extra strength and durability, but considering it's your first time and used for a shop/storage floor of your own use, it'll do the job! I live in a northern climate and 2" rebar is a must. Your shop is awesome, love the garage doors and all steel construction! You should be very proud of what you have here!
I really appreciate it. I did a lot of research and rebar is definitely a must in cold climates. I made another video a while back of me running a power line and got a comment of how you guys have to run them 6' deep if I remember right. I couldn't imagine! I've only had smaller crammed spaces in the past so i'm definitely loving this shop.
@Real Life Tested, when commenters tell you, “Time is money” instead of telling them you saved $10,000, tell them you PAID YOURSELF $10,000 for the job. Yes, it’s semantics but some people can understand that better. I think you did a phenomenal job. No cracks! Yay! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I wish I could say “no cracks” in what I paid professionals to pour and finish for me. 😖 Have you considered an enclosed passage/corridor joining Sallie’s buildings? It would certainly be nice in the rain, cold and heat. I would make it wide enough to roll a utility cart with products on it. Just a thought. Keep up the good work. You two are a great team!
I really didn't understand the ones telling me I didn't save money. Some of them even argued with me about it after explaining that. Thank you! I know it's not perfect but it works and it isn't cracking or anything crazy so i'm happy with that. Yes, Sallie has asked me about the enclosed walkpath multiple times. It's actually funny that you bring that up. We thought about it and thought about it. We really want to go out of the back of the building, but thats where the main power, exhaust ducts, and a/c sit. We could also go out of the sides but having a door would take a lot of our storage space up. We don't want to lose space as its already limited so just agreed on a sidewalk for now. Maybe if the new building opens up enough space that could be something that we do in the future.
@@reallifetested2605 Consider a covered walkway from one building to the other in the event of rain. A lot of homes in Texas have detached garages and the walkway is covered from the home to the garage. I can’t wait to see what you two do. It’s inspiring to see young, hardworking couples achieve their dreams together. 🥰🥰 Best of luck to you and your family.
Damn Son, that project rocks. Don’t listen to the naysayers, they’re hating because they have an ulterior motive whether they’re in a commercial concrete profession and DIYers like yourself are a threat to their business; they’re jealous; or frankly they’re just trolls. Thank you for sharing despite the Negative Nancys.
Great job! Ignore the negative comments. I’ve poured a slab with bags and also one using the Portland mix. That was 20 years ago and both are still picture perfect. It does save money!! Oh and I didn’t use wire or rebar.
I didn’t realize that so many thought no matter what it needs rebar! I know in my area you don’t ever see it. That’s awesome to hear that your slab is holding up to the test of time. I’m coming up on my 2 year update and everything still looks great. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
It must be everywhere. Contractors in my areas quality has gone to poop and their prices are the highest they’ve ever been. People around here are finally waking up and large general contractors are moving to other areas.
Good Job young Man, Hey you already Know you learn by Doing things. I'm 58 years old I've been working since I was a Child, lawn work and odd jobs and when I turned 16 I got a job in a Restaurant learned a lot for 2 years and then 2 years at a Car Dealership Detailing Cars and I have 38 working on 39 year in Seating plant making Seats for G.M. Drive fork lift. I've Done more things then I can list, I Love Restoration of Old Cars and trucks, but Point of this is people Now Days are afraid of Doing things with all the information they have in their hands I Don't Get it. Growing up when I Did if you wanted something you figured it out and Did it.if your born with Money I guess you Don't have to but I think the Pride and Knowledge you get far out weighs the paying someone to Do it for you!! You have inspired me to Pour my own slab. My middle Son used to Do Flat work so I will have him also, But he Roofs all Day so I hate to put that on him. I'm impressed with the Job you Did. God Bless you and your family and Don't ever let No one tell you - you Can't Do it. Obviously you Already Know that!!
It sounds like you’ve got some good experience and knowledge. I think that all the time when I hear people say “I don’t know how to do that” we literally have Google that will tell you anything you need to know. Back in the day it was a lot harder to find information but you’re right if there’s a will there’s a way. That’s awesome you got some inspiration. Good luck pouring your slab I bet it will turn out great.
Dude! Congrats, you did a great job. Everything looks awesome. Your young and physically fit. You have the energy. At night, you can sit down and do all your calculations, Google your questions and research. You might not enjoy all the mental work as much right now, but you figured everything out just fine and really used your head. Great job. Enjoy your work, your family, and your life! Steve
Not only did you save 10k (and you did save 10k unless you make 10k a week and skipped work to do this) but you did it by yourself and anyone who has done a big project by themself knows how good it feels to be using the fruits of your labor everyday.
You've got that right, it's funny you say that because in the first video I said that pretty much word for word that I definitely didn't make 10k a week. haha What was good about this is I actually did this during the work week. I was working nights at the time. I can tell you that I definitely wanted to go to sleep at work that week.
You may not be a professional but you’ve done a professional job, by yourself at that. You’ve given me inspiration for the 3.5 foot by 40 foot walkway I’m in the process of doing. I’m 66 years young and I hope to do what you’ve done, just on a much smaller scale though.
That’s awesome that you’ve got inspiration from my video. Thank you for the kind comment I really appreciate it. My grandpa tells me you’re not old until you’ve told yourself that you’re old and accepted it. He’s hasn’t accepted it but he’s in his 90s and still gets out everyday and works like me haha good luck with your project. I know you’ll do great!
Good on you for: Showing what you did from the beginning for those of us that are honestly curious if this is something that can be done in lieu of going the traditional way. And, for being honest in the video and willing to take all that the internet can throw at you. Thanks!
Thank you! I have another yearly update coming soon. But honestly everything is the same. Most of the internet has been good to me. Although some of the haters frustrate me with ignorance if you get what I mean.
Haters gonna hate. It's because they are unable to do what you did. Either because they are lazy, unwilling, or too plain dumb. And that's why they hate when someone makes a decision, does the work, and completes a large task. All while they sit in their mommies' basement hating on others. Take them for what they are and move on. Miserable people need to be left in their own misery. And not responding or answering any of their hate-filled responses will deprive the narcissist of what they want: Attention for doing something worthy because they think it's all about them. They are not worthy! Merry Christmas and happy next project!@@reallifetested2605
Great job. I did a 10x12 shed slab with a mixer that did 3 bags at once. Took me 3 hours by hand. I also added broken concrete chunks to eat up volume and use less cement. It was about 60 bags with as much broken concrete as i had laid down before i covered them with concrete....Its a shed so it wont matter... For the dust: You can use a pump sprayer with water to wet the cement as you cut it with circular saw. I just plugged in to a gfci plug and have someone else spray light stream in front of the blade. It works great to eliminate the dust. i do it when i have to cut in basement floors for drain lines.
That’s awesome. I wish I had a larger mixer but those things get expensive! That’s a good idea using chunks of concrete. I feel the same way it’s just a shop floor who cares what it looks like as long as it works. That’s a good idea on the sprayer with water. Thanks for checking out my video and commenting!
Great example of how you can roll-up your sleeves and save money while doing an excellent job on your concrete slab all of which we find inspirational. I've got a few of those home/small business owner such projects and will hunt for ways to do it myself and save money as other expenses usually come up. We have many tools which gives the added bonus to tackle said projects. Keep up the good work!
I appreciate the positive comment. The money savings is great and having the tools and learned skill is even greater! haha thank you for checking out my video and for taking the time to leave a comment.
Dude you are such an inspiration. Were having a shop built soon and i will definitely be pouring my own shop pad. Luckily we own a big texas truck and a dump trailer so I'm good on hauling stuff. Considering buying a mud mixer as well because i have so mmay DIY projects coming up involving concrete but it's 3k for one machine. It also turns a 3-4 man job into a 1-man job so there's that too. I like how you did it in sections, doing the outside first and then the middle so that the forms worked out just right. Clever. Shops are expensive on their own so i really dont want to pay for a slab and shop from a contractor. I am more than capable of doing my own concrete work, especially since im a stay at home mom so jve got the time while kids are in school every single day. Totally inspired. Much appreciated! ✌️
Thank you! We might have the same trailer. I have a big Tex 7 ton dump and super duty to tow it with. That machine might be expensive but at least you only have to buy it once and can use it an unlimited amount of times. Then you can sell it and get most of your money back! Labor cost in my area are insane so we have to do everything ourselves. Good luck with your projects!
Everybody likes to criticize other people’s work on RUclips because they aren’t standing there face to face with you. I think you’re a smart guy and obviously you put a lot of thought and effort into this project. People just like to assume things and assume that they are smarter than you. I’m planning on building a garage and pouring the pad myself one day. The way I look at it I learned something. I thought you had to use rebar too… lol but I’m not one to criticize without doing any research myself.
I can't remember if I said it in the video or not but I called around and spoke with pros in my area. They said that they don't really use rebar in residential on grade 4" slabs. Mainly homes, commercial, industrial. We have pretty good weather here and our soil is good. It's really up to your area from what I gather. I tried to have everything figured out before I started and so far have been lucky. You're right a lot of the people criticizing probably have never done anything like this in their life. Good luck on your project when you get around to it.
Just FYI, the saw cut you made is not an expansion joint. It's a control cut or control joint. The purpose is to control where the concrete will crack. (But a lot of guys who do concrete all the time, wrongly call it an expansion joint.). Trust me, that slab can not expand into that cut. To be an expansion joint you have two separate slabs with a piece of semi flexible material in between. Typically the used to use a piece of mineral board sheeting. A concrete slab can expand and move on the ground fairly east and it puts the slab in compression, where concrete excels in strength. But when concrete shrinks or contracts. the slab is under tension. But concrete has almost no strength in tension and that's when it cracks. By using a control cut, you pre-weaken the slab at the cut. So when it does crack, it will pretty reliable cracks under the cut. So you do it to control where the crack occurs. That cut does nothing to take up expansion. Just the opposite. it is thee so that when the slab contracts, any stress cracking will occur right under the crack. And you have slight separation between each slab that can serve the same purpose. If you are going to do a bog slab by yourself, it's a good way to do it because you are pouring multiple slabs over time. Do one slab today and another tomorrow. But pouring it all at once is way more than one person can manage. But there is no time for a break. Wet concrete does not move very easily and no matter how good the concrete driver is, you're still going to have to drag a bunch of wet concrete. It's brutal work! but the way you did it you can pace yourself.
You know what’s sad is I knew that and made a mental note not to call it that and somehow managed to do it anyhow. It was a bad habit that I learned over time and in the past 2 years learned the differences. I appreciate you catching that and giving a detailed explanation!
You’re very welcome! Yeah I don’t know why i keep getting so many comments on I didn’t save money lol my parents just got a quote for a driveway addition and prices ranged from 6-8000 and I checked and we can do it for a little less than 1800 so we’re going that route haha
Nice job !! More stone on the sides grade, cover with topsoil. The height of the foundation is the most important part keeping the water away from the structure. Nice job again. I see this problem when installing new driveways. Builders never have proper grade/elevation correct 😂
I actually have plans soon of adding a gravel driveway around the exterior of the building. That will definitely give the foundation some support. You're right about that. I saw an entire section of a development to where all of the houses were at the bottom of a hill, the driveway was going down toward the house. It was graded literally like a water slide would be going into a pool. When it rained the water flowed directly into the garage. The quick fix? A small drain cut out near the garage door that couldn't handle more than a small rain flowing to the left that went into the right side of the neighbors house. I feel sorry for the people that purchase those houses not knowing any better.
Great video. I think rebar or no rebar or mesh depends on how you plan to use the garage. We are buying a house with a couple out buildings, including a 28x40 pole barn that I am going to convert into a shop. My plan is to install a 2 post lift and most manufacturers call for rebar in the slab. To keep costs reasonable I may do rebar in half the slab where the lift will go and no rebar in the rest. If you plan to park a big rig on your slab, you probably want rebar.
Thanks! I actually was looking into installing a lift not to long ago. Check into doing reinforced footers. It doesn't seem like it would be to difficult even with what I have. I appreciate you checking out my video, and commenting. Good luck with your project!
I’ve been contemplating on pouring a 30x40 myself but didn’t think it was possible until I saw your video and damn dude I give you major props thanks I might just try it especially if it’s cheaper
Thanks! Just check pricing before you do. I don’t know what it is now but at the time in my area #80 bags were 3.20 each and truck was 200 to 220 with a 4-6 week wait.
@@reallifetested2605 how many yards did you get for $200 in a truck. Can't be a full truck or are Cali prices that insane? It's like $900 a truck here if I recall
@@getstuk87they were wanting that per yard! I couldn’t believe it when I called. I guess it matches the prices of everything else being crazy. Our groceries are 300 a week now when they were around 175 just 3 or 4 years ago.
They will often have fiberglass added to the mix over using rebar on thinner and or smaller slabs. You can get bags with fiberglass or you can can add it as you, but really IDK how big a difference it makes....Either way your slab looks awesome and I doubt you'll ever have cracking problem if you haven't yet.👍👍
I appreciate it brother! I called around and spoke with quite a few companies and they said they typically don’t around here and if they do they let you know and charge accordingly. I’ll have to look into that next time around and if it doesn’t cost too much it’d be worth a little more insurance.
You’ve got that right. Around here labor rates have tripled along with the higher price of concrete. I don’t understand how anyone can afford anything anymore.
Once you get the rough spots out to your satisfaction, you should probably seal the floor so that whatever stains you get will be easier to remove. The sealer keeps oils and such from soaking in real deep. Personally, I like a smoother floor and would have tried to pack, vibrate, screed and float it a little better but as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. I also would've put foamboard insulation, grid wire and radiant heat in thicker & higher PSI concrete slabs with sections deep and strong enough for a pair of equipment lifts but that's just me, I live near the Canadian border in New England on a mountain so -20 degree F in the winter is pretty common, lol. Building codes are much more complex up here because of the cold and snowfall. I can't even build a low-pitched roof on the mountain for fear of it collapsing under 6 ft of snow.
Oh yeah freezing temps and snow makes concrete another ball game. Where I am it rarely gets freezing and we hardly even get any snow. Just rain and thunderstorms occasionally.
Thank you, I really appreciate it. I wish I could understand why a few have gotten all bent out of shape about a concrete video. It makes no sense haha
@reallifetested2605 No matter what you do...there's always the haters out there. Stand in no one's shadow. I give little credence to haters. Quite frankly....they bore me. The amount of effort and determination that you put into that project speaks volumes about your character. Each time you conquer a task...you get better and better. You will succeed greatly in your life.
Love the video, it’s $6.10 with 42 or more bags here in north Fla, it’s well over 200 a yard from the concrete companies, been awhile since I priced them, looks great from my house, better than a lot of houses, driveways I have seen, it will last longer than you and I will live to see!!
Thank you! Pricing is all over the place right now for some strange reason. The price of bags around here fluctuate about 2 dollars from month to month. It’s sad to say that but you’re right. I see driveways and slabs poured here all the time that are busted and cracking all to heck within weeks. They can’t even repave the roads around here without digging it back up 2 or 3 times and doing it over still ending up with a road worse off than they originally started with.
Nice Job!!, I am pouring footers from 80lb bags for a 24x24 storage shed, and get this... I am pouring dry contrect straight from the bag in the ground, no mixing. I will use the water hose in the footer to excelerate the curing process. I am using rebar 1/2 in. in the footers. Nice job.
Thank you! I’ve always wondered about dry pour concrete. I’ve seen tons of videos about it and from the results and what people are saying it works great! Let me know how it goes. Good luck with your project.
Yep. Looking at my local HomeDepot today, an 80 lb 4,000 psi Sakrete is $5.73. If you buy 42+ then it's $5.16. So today it would cost me $1,568 more for 800 bags.
That’s insane. Idk why everything is going up the way it is. If it keeps up at the rate it’s going we’re all going to be soon struggling to keep above water.
Reading some of the other comments, by gollies I've been thinking about doing something like this too a couple of metal carports I've got that I've been thinking about combining and doing something like this on a smaller scale, that I've Now decided I'm going to go for it this summer. Thanks to you and some of the others that are also inspired. Young man you've started a movement! 😆👏👏👏
Solo concrete is a busy chore. I've done it myself a few times. I couldn't imagine no mesh or pinning between the slabs. Its always amazing how much weight a human can move in a short amount of time. I'll get 2-3 ton of stone at a time and shovel it off. Nice building.
Well done sir ! I applaud you for taking on a project like this. We poured ours and saved money just as you did here, however we did use a local company to deliver concrete for us. I always enjoy walking into our shop and seeing the work that was accomplished with a little work. Did you decide on garage door openers yet?
Thank you! Hopefully this time around the local companies have adjusted their prices to where it makes sense for me to use truck. If they don't you're going to see me doing all of this again. haha I still haven't decided on the openers yet. I've literally been back and forth. So much so that I have had everything pulled up multiple times on my computer, just haven't pulled the trigger. Thank you for checking out my video!
This appeared in my feed because I've clicked on bagged-concrete videos. I've never seen your other videos but appreciate the commentary addressing the earlier questions. I do dry pours for VERY small projects but will check out your review of the HF mixer, because I'm considering some larger projects. Not "large" like you did, but large for me.
Brother....WELL DONE! haters will hate...let them! You may not be a professional but your inspirational and willing to work, let the keyboard warriors hate!
Awesome job. I recently purchased some property that has a 30x40 pole barn with a gravel floor. I want to pour a concrete floor and I am going to use your method. Thanks for the inspiration and tips. Have you considered covering your concrete floor with a layer of decorative epoxy? That would give you a smoother finish on the floor.
Thank you! You’re very welcome. I had originally planned to epoxy the floors but once I moved everything in I thought there’s no way I’m moving this stuff back out to do the epoxy so I never got to it haha good luck with your project, it’s going to turn out great.
Florida checking in 1 year later... 80lb bag of concrete is $5.38 per bag when you buy 42 bags or more. That doesn't include the Lowes discount when you use your credit card.
Inflation has gotten out of hand. The prices around here have been fluctuating by almost 2 dollars over the past year. Hopefully they go on sale soon because I have a few projects coming up.
Great work. Thanks for this follow up video! I actually watched your first one a few days ago and then came across this one and didn’t realize at first it was you again! It so nice to see the 1-year-later results. Definitely inspirational.
This was a badass thing you pulled off. I watched your pour video last night for like an hour trying to brainstorm a way to pull that off where I live in a way that allows for rebar and incremental pours via bulkheads. I dont think youre going to experience unanticipated cracks, btw, since you have the pours abutting each other. And...youre on crush and run + gravel. I mean...maybe at the load bearing points at the rollup doors, but otherwise its a light building.
Thanks brother! I'm glad you got something out of the video. I don't think i'll get any hardcore cracks either but you never know. All concrete cracks eventually that's just part of it. I'm going to be doing yearly updates so stay tuned. I have another one coming in about 4-5 months. Right now everything still looks the same though. Good luck on your project!
I appreciate you checking out my videos and commenting. It did feel good to save that money I can tell you that. Especially when groceries are so high right now.
We had to fix some concrete on our back door of our shop and we dug all of the cracked stuff out and poured it in and stuffed in underneath the good stuff, it turned out awesome, we threw rebar in it because we wanted over kill, we had such good luck with just using quick Crete we are going to fix our parking lot this spring
Wow, you mixed and poured with a cement mixer a slab that large, Omg. You did awesome!!!! Fyi, the rule of thumb is anything over 3 yards, use a truck... lolololoolol Great work.... Thx for sharing Prep is everything and you did good!!!
Thanks brother! I was going to use truck but this was during Covid when prices started going crazy and people stopped working lol they were wanting 200 to 220 per yard with a 4-6 week wait and #80 bags were 3.20 each so I went that route. I couldn’t afford to wait the 4-6 week period because the building would be here then.
1.5M views on the other video now. Good job. I wanted to do the same thing and wasn't sure it could be done. Thanks for the inspiration and just enough info to get someone going. The music wasn't that bad. I have a RUclips channel and yes, you always get the ones that have never done it that are the experts. Great job and keep it up!
Thank you! You’re very welcome. I appreciate you checking it out and taking the time to leave a comment. There are a lot of those “experts” and you’re right. You can tell by most of the comments they have no idea what’s going on haha
Great job man. I do concrete professionally in Arizona. Around here you break even on materials doing bags vs a truck at around 2 yards or so. And most of the time exterior work makes it where you need extra help to get it down, and mixing by hand is out of the question as far as extra labor costs. I trust that it worked out in your case though, props to you for saving money and doing it yourself. From my seat anyway it looks great. Theres always better ways to do things and you can easily get caught up in details, yes a truck mix with large aggregate is stronger, but we do line pump mixes with 3/8 rock all the time. Bag mixes are designed and graded just like any batch mix I order from a truck, and while it may not be the easiest to work with you get a product that is generally good enough as long as youre not trying to do anything crazy with it. For a small metal building like yours it is plenty strong enough.
Thanks for the good info and kind words brother. So far everything still looks the same. I was going to do yearly updates but am going to do every 2 years because nothing is changing haha I’m not sure what prices are around here for concrete now but I can bet they haven’t went down any. Cost of everything in my area is absurd now. Sometimes I wish the finish was a little better because I know it isn’t perfect. But for its use and what I’ve got in it, it serves its purpose. Thanks for checking out my video.
@@reallifetested2605 Absolutely. I can attest that Az prices are not going down. During and right after covid it was hard to get mud from some plants at all if you werent a large commercial contractor. Prices spiked and have not gone back down, and are rising faster than normal. Fun times. For what its worth I probably do more hand mix jobs than most guys, I do subcontract work for some different plumbing companies doing their cutting and pourbacks, its not out of the ordinary for me to hand mix a couple of pallets. Anything over that I normally pump.
We had a driveway that was poured about 4" thickness, it was in good condition after 22+ years, one crack and a small amount of heave in just one small area, but the vast majority of it was solid as a rock still. The main enemy would be ground movement / tree roots, and there were no large trees near it. Sandy compacted soil otherwise. For it's purpose it didn't need re-bar in it. It had square control joints every 2 metres or so. Also extended into a carport. It saw daily light vehicle use.
I appreciate you taking the time to explain that rebar isn't always needed. You'd be surprised at the people that would tell you that would fail after a few years without rebar. You're an excellent example after 22 years with only a minor crack, and heave.
The money savings alone made it well worth it. Plus, the pride of doing it yourself. For me, I love seeing the results of my DIY projects. It gives me confidence that there is nothing I cannot do. Great job sir!
Hey man, usually the reason bar oil leaks out is due to pressure built up from the auto oiling system. When you finish for the day just open up the oil reservoir cap to relieve the pressure and then screw it back in. Should stop your leaks!
Makes sense. This building isn't insulated and it gets hot in the daytime and cold at night. I might turn them all on their sides and crack the cap a bit. Thanks for the advice!
You saved a bundle in labor with forms,pouring and floating. You broke it down into manageable bite size pieces and if you did that with truck concrete, you may have had a minimum charge. Great video
I greatly appreciate this video im in the process of buying a metal building myself and I wasn't sure if I should do bag or truck so thank you so much and you did a great job on that slab.
Hopefully i'm going to get back into posting regularly. I've really been enjoying getting to work with Mrs. Shaw. Thank you for being there in the live, I appreciate it!
Good to hear that it lasted so well ... some folk were forecasting imminent failure bc you didn't use rebar. Wrt lighting up your eyes inside ... why not just off the cap ?
Im going to continue the yearly updates to show everyone that it will be ok haha I’m not sure why I had a hat on. I go through phases of wearing it and not wearing. I more than likely needed a haircut that day.
Truck concrete here (PNW) is $120-$140 per yard. Same 80# bags you used are $4.99 if you buy 42 or more. Prices are different everywhere, we gotta weigh all options.
You’ve got that right. Since Covid and all of the inflation I believe bags are higher now in my area closer to 5 per bag. Mixing yourself using 3,2,1 is most expensive now in my area because of Portland and crazy sand cost.
I watched the original video a few months back, and was thoroughly impressed. Came back to the video to show the wife, since we hope to start building this spring. I just checked, 80 pound bags where we are, are $5.50 and up now. So you definitely picked a good time to do it. I'll have to check how much a truck costs, not sure that they would be willing to take a truck into the property to begin with, though. I really appreciate the original video, as well as this update!
Im not sure what the prices are right now as I had planned to build another shop about a year ago now but prices have went up so much it doesn’t make sense. I will say with bags you can get bulk discount, as well as 5 percent off at Lowe’s. If Home Depot or Lowe’s has a lower price (one always does) speak with the manager at the opposite store and they will usually cut you a pretty big deal especially if you’re buying in bulk.
Dude, this gives me hope! I’m getting quotes for a concrete for my garage & I’m at the point where I’m about to say it’s not worth it because the pad will cost more than my garage. I started wondering if it was possible to do it myself, like I said, it gives me hope. Thanks!
We’re in the same boat. Heck I’m about to have to build a shop if we want one at this point. Got quoted 100k for a 24x24 for just the shell. That price is with me doing grading, electrical, drywall and all of that good stuff. Prices have gotten beyond insane.
I remember seeing the pour video and wondering how it would go without rebar. Just stumbled on this follow up and got the answer. Glad it worked out for you. With the effort you put in pouring those bags, you certainly earned a good outcome.
Hey,... You remind me of me! I'll be 80 years old in June 2024. I've been doing those what most people think are impossible jobs all my life. As far as the "Time is Money " thing, that's a bunch of crap unless you are paying for hired labor. Another benefit is: You'll probably live to be my age or older because of the type of physical work that you do everyday. Oh, BTW, I bought the smaller of the Harbor Freight cement mixer for small projects that I still do.
That’s awesome brother. I see that from my grandpa. The harder you work seems to be the longer you live. He’s pushing 90 and still goes to work everyday, and still has good health. I can’t understand the time is money thing either. It used to drive me crazy. The mixer is awesome. Mine is still kicking! Thank you for checking out my video and for taking the time to leave a comment.
Not sure what you filmed this with but your worries of wind noise is unnecessary. I didn’t hear one bit of wind and your sound was crisp and very clear. Nice sob and shop!! Like others, it inspired me to do my own when/if the day ever comes.
That’s good to know. I was afraid because we were having crazy high winds that day. I appreciate your kindness, and I’m glad you got some inspiration from my video!
Kudos to you doing such a huge job by yourself ! In New York State the slab has to have a gravel base & rebar or steel mesh screen inside the concrete. Rebar really helps hold that slab together. You'll probably be okay but it looks like you plan on parking big trucks inside so the lack of rebar might allow your slab to crack but heh, you have a great garage & it'll last you many years !
I live in Eastern North Carolina I’m going to see if I can do this myself at the age of 68. As for the negative people think about why they’re so negative, I think you made some people jealous of you. Great job. Hahaha young man
So my original comments were spot on. Your savings on the slab cost were the difference between bag concrete cost and the cost to have it poured by a concrete contractor. As for the cracking of a concrete slab. If the slab dosent move due to heaving caused by freezing, or settlement problems caused by improper preperation, there as a rule will be no cracking involved. And saw cutting the slab after its poured or pouring it in sections as these slab obviously was it is less apt to crack. Point is that using bag concrete for pouring large areas is not a good idea from a cost standpoint. Unless you consider your own time and labor as having no value. I was a home builder for more than 45 years, and we did do all of our own concrete work. So yes, i am a very experienced professional at concrete work. Mind you i have used lots of bagged concrete also. And there are times that it pays to use it, but not for large areas like this. As for the strength factor, redi mix concrete can be ordered in various strength factors depending upon the intended use. Normally for finished concrete floors, the concrete will be a 3500 pound mix for a nice hard finish. And you can add portland cement to the bag mixed concrete in order to increase its strength.
Your comment in the previous video I said in the first 40 seconds of the other one that doing it myself saved me the money. lol bagged vs truck saved me about 1200 dollars or so. The 10k saved was what contractors in my area were wanting to charge me 14k and up for. It’s gotten crazy in my area. We got a quote from multiple contractors a few weeks ago for a 24x24 and the Lowest quote we got was 87000 with no electrical or drywall and me doing the grading. I’m sitting here thinking I can do this for 15-18k or so. If it falls down I can rebuild it 3 more times and should’ve learned something by that point haha
@@reallifetested2605 Well maybe you should consider a career change. And im not joking when i say that. You obviously have some talent in that area. My father started in the masonry business after WW2. He was a bricklayer by trade, and had experience in other masonry related areas as well including concrete work. But collecting money for our work especially from some of the builders we were working for became a real issue. So we gradually became home builders, and phased ourselves out of the masonry business. And we did that by building a house on speculation, hoping that it would sell before the loan payments broke us. And we soon had people wanting us to build a house for them on their lot. In 1973 we built 97 houses for lot owning customers. We poured all of the concrete and did all of the carpentry work on all of them. We had two full time supervisors, one being myself, and the other my partner, who was also my brother. We each controlled a certain area of the work, my area was stake out to the drywall phase. His area covered drywall thru completion. Most of the houses were never visited again by me after drywall, unless i was filling in for my brother due to things like vacations etc. You cant lay block for the foundation until the footing is poured. And our footings were poured the day after the excavation was done, weather permitting of coarse. And our framing work began very shortly after the foundation work was complete. We had 2 masonry contractors who worked exclusively for us. Ditto with our excavating/grading contractor, as well as others like the electrician and plumber. There comes a point in time when decisions need to be made as to how you go about running a business. In other words, you can choose to make sawdust, or you can choose to make money. So its not always just about money saved in a certain area by doing the work yourself. But it is always about money.
Thank you! It depends on how thick you want to pour it. If you Google “sakrete slab pour calculator” (you can copy and paste that in google. In the first link there is a calculator that you type in your length, width, and thickness you want to pour. It will tell you how many 80 or 60 lb bags you will need. I always get 5 to 10 percent extra just in case everything isn’t exactly perfect because you can always take back what you don’t use. Hope that helps!
good show. your on the right track with lots of gravel and removing some of the expansive soil. pack it good and you will be fine. when you have freeze and thaw as in my climate rebar and remesh is key. to add strength without the steel you can add long strand fibres to your mix which can give you almost as much strength as steel but saves you time and money. just my thoughts as a professional. but overall great work.
Considering the money you saved it looks like it was very well worth it. Crazy amount of work though. People say "time is money" but time does not buy things that money can buy. Whatever money you saved could buy things like equipement or tools etc.
You've got that right, the tools alone have paid for themselves hundreds of times over at this point. It was definitely worth it, and a bit of work. But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
at 5.48 for bags of high strength concrete, times 45 bags per yard, i would spend roughly 100 dollars more a yard to mix it myself. I can buy for 140 a yard with fiber locally.
I wish truck prices were that low around here. I have a lot of projects I want to do but hoping the prices will come down. They’ve came down since Covid but not enough for me haha
Job well done sir. I pour concrete as a professional. You did a fine job. Ignore the keyboard haters. They have never worked a day in their lives.
I appreciate it brother. There is truth to your comment. Majority of the negative comments have seemed to come from people that have never actually done anything, just researched misinformation to argue. haha
@@reallifetested2605my moustacheless bro what is the thickness of that slab your standing on?
@@UserUser-e3g5z I was aiming for around 4” but by the time I ended up setting the forms and everything it really ended up being between 5-6”.
Awesome shop just what I’m working on finding a good company here in Washington State to put the building up or buy a kit.
@@reallifetested2605win! 5-6” is beastly
Brother, congrats. I worked 8-12 hrs a day. Every spare moment was spent building my home with the help of my father, wife, and my 7 yr old son. Took us 2 years. Did it all but insulation and Sheetrock. Insulation was cheaper than I could buy it, Sheetrock, didn’t have the time, got in a hurry. Home is worth over 300k, and I have around 60k in it. With you 100%
That’s awesome to hear your were able to build your own house. It’s also really cool that your son was able to help you with it. I bet he learned a lot of valuable things. I don’t blame you one bit for subbing out the Sheetrock and insulation. Those are the 2 less fun things about building a house. I appreciate you sharing and for checking out my video.
so how did you figure out the plumbing for your slab?
You posted a similar comment in the last video
I would never criticize the work of a man that just mixed 16,800 lbs of concrete, I don't care if it looked like it was poured from a helicopter troweled with an aerator. I think it looks great. I don't mind doing hard work if it saves money, not to mention I always learn from it. Thanks for sharing your story, hopefully it serves as a motivator to others.
Thank you! I couldn’t imagine how much this would cost today. I thought things were expensive a couple of years ago, but somehow they’ve gotten worse! Thanks for the kind words and thank you for checking out my video.
When I poured 80lb bags years ago I’d look for 4-5 heavy duty pallets (freebies) stacked flat in the back of my flatbed trailer then had the big box store set a whole pallet of bagged concrete on top of my stacked pallets,then back my trailer a couple feet from the portable mixer. Doing this saved my back by only lifting these 80 lb bags at or near waist or chest high, makes a big difference at the end of the day.
That’s a good idea especially for your back. I haven’t had any health issues yet but my dad tells me all the time about how fun getting old is.
@@reallifetested2605 He's right!
If you can do it. Of course a truck is easier, but it's faster and that's not a good idea if you don't have a bunch of friends, family to help. The way you did it is labor intensive, but you worked at your pace. I've been building a 2400 sq. ft house for 2 1/2 years and still not done. I cleared the land, drew up the prints, dug the hole, layed the footings, foundation, and framing. I hired a carpenter for 4 days to help me sheet the exterior plywood. I did the roof, windows, doors and siding, all of the electric and air conditioning. I hired a plumber to tie into the main sewer and water, he stayed on and roughed out the interior for baseboard and 3 full baths. It's insulated and still needs sheet-rock, tile, installing the kitchen, basement stairs, front porch, some decking, patio, 2 car garage, landscaping, trrim, paint and hardwood floor. Through-out all of it I maintained a full-time 40 hr. week job, and did all the work on weekend, holidays, PTO days off. The neighbors think I'm crazy, my wife already knew I was, and my 2 (adult) childrenare seriously undecided. Property cost $195k, Materials 135k, still need to purchase 65k, and I have spent just about 30% of my 401K. I'lll be able to recover 100% and then some when I sell my current home. How and why I 'm doing it myself is simple: I always wanted to build my own house, and I am because I can. I have no professional training in home building, reading blue prints etc. I'm 63 years old, and should be finished in 2 years, not that I'm going to retire, just slow down and admire the fact that I built a house.
That’s an awesome story brother. Especially at 63 years young. You sound like my (much older) grandfather. He’s almost 90 and has the same mindset as you. He says as long as you stay busy and work hard you’ll never get old. He’s in better shape than most 30 year olds these days as I bet you are. Thank you for the story I appreciate it.
1) Rebar isn't necessary if your base is properly compacted and the ground below is dry and undisturbed
2) Bag concrete is fine
3) Bag concrete is more expensive than gravel and cement but you have to mix the two together. I find it remarkable that ready mix was not less than bagged. But I'm in a different area
4) You saved money! And the equity is in your shop. Good job!
5) understand now why you didn't batch your own.
6) you probably didn't need to do any saw cuts. If the concrete was already set, it's too late. But, good news, your slabs were small enough that cracking isn't going to be significant, and the cold joints between slabs is doing the same as saw cuts, only better.
7) don't pin... with your forms make a keyway. A 2x4 with a taper on the form and you've got a groove for the next slab to pour into. Locks it all together.
8) if the concrete isn't dusting, then that's great! You dun good kid!
What do you mean when you say “don’t pin” I’m assuming you mean put rebar between the slabs so that they tie them selves together but I could be wrong and I just wanted to clarify with you. I think I understand the 2 x 4 with a taper. But I’d like more explanation on this process. I plan on doing a similar slab but I also plan on using rebar and was going to have rebar joining all the individual orders together. I do plan on having some heavy equipment on the slab. Any clarification would be fantastic and thanks for your help.
“Slab pours” not “orders” together. 😢
Bs…you can and should green saw control joints in concrete.
You don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground.
@@MCHornerYou do want rebar, especially if you are driving equipment on it. Its also important to have a good base. The keyway he is talking about is basically making an indentation in the side of one slab to give a place for the adjoining slab to lock into. In my opinion, they dont work. Weve tried them for years as an industry, and ive ground down countless linear feet of keyed construction joints that fail to keep the slabs locked together, there is simply not enough rigidity in that type of joint to prevent shifting. Everyone has an opinion, so talk to who you have available and see what works for you. Put a modest grid of rebar over compacted base and you are golden. You can also use structural fibers in the mix. Depending on the size of your squares you will also want control joints cut in on no greater than about a 15’x15’ spacing. If your individual slabs are that small or smaller it will be fine, if you do larger areas at a time go ahead and tool joints in as you finish with a groover, or cut them in with a saw about 2-12 hours after your finish troweling passes depending on the weather (hotter=sooner). Its easy to get really caught up on details but if you talk to people who know what they are doing and follow sound design practices youll be golden. Wish you all the best!
Young man I am 68 years old and it’s very important for me to have a woodworking shop. I want to do it the cheapest way possible being my wife and I are trying to live debt free. This has been the closest I’ve been able to get to understanding what I need to do. Thank you and you have been a blessing. I’m thinking about a 30x30 building but I want to do what I can to save money, this is all new to me. But anyway thank you again this has been very positive to me.
I’m glad you got something out of it. That’s what it’s all about. I really appreciate you checking out my videos and for taking the time to comment! I’m no professional but if you have any questions I’ll try and help to the best of my knowledge. Good luck with your project!
Find a local church and ask around for some volunteers. Many times there will be a few that are willing to help. For that size slab...truck loads are probably the best option
When did you take the forms off? Same day?
Im 60 years old and my back has done manual labor for over 45 years. Lifting that many bags of concrete is not conducive to my age but kudos to you young man for succeeding. Im retiring on my farm in the next coming months and ill just have to bite the bullet and hire a concrete contractor to pour my house, shop, and carport slabs. Fortunately for me, I invested my money during my youth .
That’s awesome you’re able to retire at the young age of 60. Especially this time and day. It’s also really cool you’re going to retire on a farm to keep you busy doing what you want to do. Hopefully you can find a good contractor. The ones we’ve contacted around here seem to think they’re more than they’re worth. (To me and many others anyhow)
@@reallifetested2605 everything is too expensive today.
You actually massively inspired me to pur the concrete myself for my shop. I have a few buddies that do concrete for a living and they've guided me on how to do it myself. I showed them your video of you doing it and they were impressed.
That really means a lot that I was able to inspire you like that. It's awesome you have some experienced buddies that could guide you. I bet your project turned out great.
You did a great job, don't worry about what other people say. On the re-bar subject, doing work for yourself I use 1/2" re-bar on 2' squares. When concrete cracks, the re-bar holds it all together. I poured a 12' x 32' in 8' x 8' squares, all tied together with re-bar. I would go to Lowe's at 6 A.M. and they loaded the 42 bag pallet on my 1/2 ton GMC pickup. I already had a $400. concrete mixer from Lowe's that I made a chute for to move the concrete. I could pour in about 2 hours. Would the concrete truck be easier, yes. You need several helpers to pour a large section at one time. I didn't have any help, so you figure out how I can get this done by myself. I didn't film any of it because who wants to put your hard work on video and post it for other people to be critical. Bottom line is you can't depend on other people, and hiring work done is expensive and done now by people that don't care much about the quality of work they do.
I appreciate it! That's good that you're able to get help from your local lowes, it's hit or miss in my area. Sometimes they come and help in a reasonable time, others you have to wait literally an hour. That was a big deal for me as well being able to do everything myself. I was having to do a little at a time because of my work schedule, and no one was available to help the crazy hours that I was working. I've had a lot of positivity on these videos, but you're right there are quite a few critical (rude) comments as well. That was also a big one for me was the quality. It may not be the best, but I guarantee it was done with more care then if I had hired it out. Thank you for checking out my video, and for commenting.
You're right on the money when it comes to people not caring about their work. Spent 17k on a 30'x40'x8" pad and it ended up being 4" thick with no rebar or vapor barrier. Went through so much hassle going through channels to get this mf-er to do anything and all that happened is I got $1500 back. Next time I'm doing all the work myself and maybe getting some family members to give me a hand
On your 8'x8' tied w rebar.. how did you do that w forms up? Drill in hard concrete after form taken down for first 8x8
I can’t help myself stop explaining to the hater’s, you did a awesome job, I bet your parents are so proud of you. Young man god is with you, just think about that.
"Time is money." Absolutely, but understand the value of the knowledge gained through the process is priceless. I've been debating on pouring my own slab vs. hiring it out, and this was the sign I needed to pour it myself after watching your last video. You're also spreading knowledge to others, and when it's all said and done. Giving is receiving. Best Wishes & God Bless!
You've got that right. I definitely learned a lot doing this, it's awesome that others are getting something from it as well. That's what it's all about! Good luck with your project, and thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment.
Also, depending on how you evaluate your time, the difference between paying $4000 to do it yourself vs paying $14000 to have it done for you can be very close to the whole $10000 savings. Unless it takes (much) more than a month and/or you make $120000 per year, you're saving. When I was teaching, I'd need to have spent 4 months off work before "losing" money on this project. I'm slow, but not that slow.
Listen bro i think the idea that sometimes you have more extra time in life than in other times plays more of a factor than we think. Sometimes ill change my oul but other times might be short and its easier to pay some guys to do it.
@@pmonk1487 What I don't get is why paying other people's labour is so shockingly expensive these days. You would think the truck full of concrete could drive out and dump it for a tiny fraction of the cost of handling all those bags, but in the end, they charge 3x what it would cost doing it by hand, and the box store and concrete manufacturer is *still* making a profit selling the bags.
The comment you said I can screw this up 3 times and redo it... Is very true. I'm 54 over the last 10 years I built a 2200 Sq ft addition onto my house (I'm at 3000 Sq ft), a pole barn that's 40'x32' with 10' ceilings. The left over materials I built a 24'x18' shed. Did everything myself. Home is worth 4 times the original amount and I spent $58,000. My property has all kinds of features big patios, heated floors, extra insulation, too much to list. It includes buying all the speciality tools, and my dump trailer, table saws, renting equipment, etc. And now I own all the tools and the house it's paid off.
And all the work makes you physically stronger and healther than most guys. Working a job, then come home and build till sundown keeps you fit.
I'm always working on something. And I'm in great physical health.
The big reality is you are a rare breed. Young guys can't do anything with their hands. I work for the city and I get temp kids every summer to help out. These guys never cut grass, don't know how to string a weed whip. I have to do a clinic on how to paint a fire hydrant. Out of the 20 years I worked at the city, I may have worked with 3 young guys that have some ability to learn skills. I guess most kids live very sheltered lives these days. But my kid didn't. He is very able too.
Most people get very jealous when you say I did all the work myself, because most guys say that, and they actually hired a contractor to do it and they brag "I built my own home."
I really enjoyed your videos and I wish you and your family all the best. Be sure to pass those skills to your kids and whoevers kid that you can. The world needs it.
Lyle
That's awesome that you were able to do all of that work and save the amount of money you did. Not to mention the amount of knowledge that you now have from doing these projects. I'm a believer in buying tools as well, these things aren't getting any cheaper and it seems like you need them all the time, even the specialty tools.
My grandpa says the same thing, hard work keeps you alive. He's over 90 and still gets out and splits firewood for heating his home. We bring some from time to time and he gets sort of frustrated and says no I NEED to do this. haha
I appreciate the kind comment and what you say is almost sickening to think about but true. It seems like the past couple of generations don't want to work, and don't want to learn how to work. My 2 young girls have asked us when out in public "I can't believe that guy doesn't know how to do that!" because they do and aren't even in middle school. haha
I think you hit the head on the nail when you speak of jealousy. A majority of the negative comments seem to be of people criticizing my work with no idea of what they're actually talking about.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my video, and for leaving a kind comment. I really appreciate it.
Lyle,, not to be condescending but when you build a structure you want to build in 2ft incrimants. Why ,,, less waste. So if you had so much material left over,, someone missed their material quote!!
Chainsaw tip ...store them on their side bar down. The oil is gravity fed onto the bar. Looks great!
Thanks for the tip and the kind comment!
Love your gracious Southern display of brave humility despite the inane jealous industry haters.
There is a ton of hate I can tell you that. Best I can do is show my experience with the project and move on. Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks for the update to the first video. It answered a lot of my questions. Much respect to all your hard work and it looks great.
You’re very welcome, I appreciate you taking the time to comment and for checking out my video.
I’m so glad I came across your videos. I’ve been seeing people dry pour or have 3-4 people helping with a truck and pumping concrete to the backyard. After seeing you do the entire slab alone, with the exception of your wife and kids for one of the sections, I felt at ease and motivated about being able to do it alone! Thank you so much dude! 11:50
I've seen those dry pour videos and I'm not entirely sure I trust that method. There has got to be a reason why companies tell you to mix with water, especially if its more laborious and harder than just dumping the powder out. I messed up and mixed WAY to much when I had my wife come out. It was so heavy I was almost tearing my shoulder out of place so I definitely needed her. haha As long as you don't dump out to much you should be good alone. That was another reason I went bagged is because truck would've been hard to do alone as well as the driver would hate me. haha
One thing for certain, you have patience. Not only for the work, but also addressing some of the goofy comments from people. If anyone ever wants to question you about saving your money, just let THEM pay for what is considered correct or appropriate, haha. That’s a great DIY result!
I honestly thought a lot of the negative comments were jokes because they were so ridiculous! Sadly they weren't. You've got that right. We were going to hire out until we started getting quotes of 14k plus. I was like nope. I could literally tear this thing up and redo it 2-3 times for that amount.
Dude good job! I've been in construction my whole life, mid 30's now and also an engineer. Is your slab perfect? No, but will it work? Yes. Personally, I would have included rebar for extra strength and durability, but considering it's your first time and used for a shop/storage floor of your own use, it'll do the job! I live in a northern climate and 2" rebar is a must. Your shop is awesome, love the garage doors and all steel construction! You should be very proud of what you have here!
I really appreciate it. I did a lot of research and rebar is definitely a must in cold climates. I made another video a while back of me running a power line and got a comment of how you guys have to run them 6' deep if I remember right. I couldn't imagine! I've only had smaller crammed spaces in the past so i'm definitely loving this shop.
Dang that 2 inch rebar has to be expensive!! Just kidding assuming you meant 1/2" ?
@Real Life Tested, when commenters tell you, “Time is money” instead of telling them you saved $10,000, tell them you PAID YOURSELF $10,000 for the job. Yes, it’s semantics but some people can understand that better. I think you did a phenomenal job. No cracks! Yay! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I wish I could say “no cracks” in what I paid professionals to pour and finish for me. 😖
Have you considered an enclosed passage/corridor joining Sallie’s buildings? It would certainly be nice in the rain, cold and heat. I would make it wide enough to roll a utility cart with products on it. Just a thought.
Keep up the good work. You two are a great team!
I really didn't understand the ones telling me I didn't save money. Some of them even argued with me about it after explaining that. Thank you! I know it's not perfect but it works and it isn't cracking or anything crazy so i'm happy with that. Yes, Sallie has asked me about the enclosed walkpath multiple times. It's actually funny that you bring that up. We thought about it and thought about it. We really want to go out of the back of the building, but thats where the main power, exhaust ducts, and a/c sit. We could also go out of the sides but having a door would take a lot of our storage space up. We don't want to lose space as its already limited so just agreed on a sidewalk for now. Maybe if the new building opens up enough space that could be something that we do in the future.
@@reallifetested2605 Consider a covered walkway from one building to the other in the event of rain. A lot of homes in Texas have detached garages and the walkway is covered from the home to the garage. I can’t wait to see what you two do. It’s inspiring to see young, hardworking couples achieve their dreams together. 🥰🥰 Best of luck to you and your family.
you did a GREAT Job addressing ALL of these YT Sideline Coaches!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 and excellent work on the slab!!!
Thank you! So far it’s been in the same condition since the day I finished it. I have another yearly update coming soon.
Damn Son, that project rocks. Don’t listen to the naysayers, they’re hating because they have an ulterior motive whether they’re in a commercial concrete profession and DIYers like yourself are a threat to their business; they’re jealous; or frankly they’re just trolls. Thank you for sharing despite the Negative Nancys.
I appreciate the kindness! We definitely need more of that in this world.
Great job! Ignore the negative comments. I’ve poured a slab with bags and also one using the Portland mix. That was 20 years ago and both are still picture perfect. It does save money!! Oh and I didn’t use wire or rebar.
I didn’t realize that so many thought no matter what it needs rebar! I know in my area you don’t ever see it. That’s awesome to hear that your slab is holding up to the test of time. I’m coming up on my 2 year update and everything still looks great. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
So cool! I am shifting to DIY work because of the low standard contractors and pros seem to deliver. You did a great job.
It must be everywhere. Contractors in my areas quality has gone to poop and their prices are the highest they’ve ever been. People around here are finally waking up and large general contractors are moving to other areas.
Good Job young Man, Hey you already Know you learn by Doing things. I'm 58 years old I've been working since I was a Child, lawn work and odd jobs and when I turned 16 I got a job in a Restaurant learned a lot for 2 years and then 2 years at a Car Dealership Detailing Cars and I have 38 working on 39 year in Seating plant making Seats for G.M. Drive fork lift. I've Done more things then I can list, I Love Restoration of Old Cars and trucks, but Point of this is people Now Days are afraid of Doing things with all the information they have in their hands I Don't Get it. Growing up when I Did if you wanted something you figured it out and Did it.if your born with Money I guess you Don't have to but I think the Pride and Knowledge you get far out weighs the paying someone to Do it for you!! You have inspired me to Pour my own slab. My middle Son used to Do Flat work so I will have him also, But he Roofs all Day so I hate to put that on him. I'm impressed with the Job you Did. God Bless you and your family and Don't ever let No one tell you - you Can't Do it. Obviously you Already Know that!!
It sounds like you’ve got some good experience and knowledge. I think that all the time when I hear people say “I don’t know how to do that” we literally have Google that will tell you anything you need to know. Back in the day it was a lot harder to find information but you’re right if there’s a will there’s a way. That’s awesome you got some inspiration. Good luck pouring your slab I bet it will turn out great.
Dude! Congrats, you did a great job. Everything looks awesome. Your young and physically fit. You have the energy. At night, you can sit down and do all your calculations, Google your questions and research. You might not enjoy all the mental work as much right now, but you figured everything out just fine and really used your head. Great job. Enjoy your work, your family, and your life! Steve
Thank you! I appreciate your good advice.
Not only did you save 10k (and you did save 10k unless you make 10k a week and skipped work to do this) but you did it by yourself and anyone who has done a big project by themself knows how good it feels to be using the fruits of your labor everyday.
You've got that right, it's funny you say that because in the first video I said that pretty much word for word that I definitely didn't make 10k a week. haha What was good about this is I actually did this during the work week. I was working nights at the time. I can tell you that I definitely wanted to go to sleep at work that week.
You may not be a professional but you’ve done a professional job, by yourself at that. You’ve given me inspiration for the 3.5 foot by 40 foot walkway I’m in the process of doing. I’m 66 years young and I hope to do what you’ve done, just on a much smaller scale though.
That’s awesome that you’ve got inspiration from my video. Thank you for the kind comment I really appreciate it. My grandpa tells me you’re not old until you’ve told yourself that you’re old and accepted it. He’s hasn’t accepted it but he’s in his 90s and still gets out everyday and works like me haha good luck with your project. I know you’ll do great!
Good on you for: Showing what you did from the beginning for those of us that are honestly curious if this is something that can be done in lieu of going the traditional way. And, for being honest in the video and willing to take all that the internet can throw at you. Thanks!
Thank you! I have another yearly update coming soon. But honestly everything is the same. Most of the internet has been good to me. Although some of the haters frustrate me with ignorance if you get what I mean.
Haters gonna hate. It's because they are unable to do what you did. Either because they are lazy, unwilling, or too plain dumb. And that's why they hate when someone makes a decision, does the work, and completes a large task. All while they sit in their mommies' basement hating on others. Take them for what they are and move on. Miserable people need to be left in their own misery. And not responding or answering any of their hate-filled responses will deprive the narcissist of what they want: Attention for doing something worthy because they think it's all about them. They are not worthy! Merry Christmas and happy next project!@@reallifetested2605
Great job. I did a 10x12 shed slab with a mixer that did 3 bags at once. Took me 3 hours by hand. I also added broken concrete chunks to eat up volume and use less cement. It was about 60 bags with as much broken concrete as i had laid down before i covered them with concrete....Its a shed so it wont matter...
For the dust: You can use a pump sprayer with water to wet the cement as you cut it with circular saw. I just plugged in to a gfci plug and have someone else spray light stream in front of the blade. It works great to eliminate the dust. i do it when i have to cut in basement floors for drain lines.
That’s awesome. I wish I had a larger mixer but those things get expensive! That’s a good idea using chunks of concrete. I feel the same way it’s just a shop floor who cares what it looks like as long as it works. That’s a good idea on the sprayer with water. Thanks for checking out my video and commenting!
Great example of how you can roll-up your sleeves and save money while doing an excellent job on your concrete slab all of which we find inspirational. I've got a few of those home/small business owner such projects and will hunt for ways to do it myself and save money as other expenses usually come up. We have many tools which gives the added bonus to tackle said projects. Keep up the good work!
I appreciate the positive comment. The money savings is great and having the tools and learned skill is even greater! haha thank you for checking out my video and for taking the time to leave a comment.
Dude you are such an inspiration. Were having a shop built soon and i will definitely be pouring my own shop pad. Luckily we own a big texas truck and a dump trailer so I'm good on hauling stuff. Considering buying a mud mixer as well because i have so mmay DIY projects coming up involving concrete but it's 3k for one machine. It also turns a 3-4 man job into a 1-man job so there's that too. I like how you did it in sections, doing the outside first and then the middle so that the forms worked out just right. Clever. Shops are expensive on their own so i really dont want to pay for a slab and shop from a contractor. I am more than capable of doing my own concrete work, especially since im a stay at home mom so jve got the time while kids are in school every single day. Totally inspired. Much appreciated! ✌️
Thank you! We might have the same trailer. I have a big Tex 7 ton dump and super duty to tow it with. That machine might be expensive but at least you only have to buy it once and can use it an unlimited amount of times. Then you can sell it and get most of your money back! Labor cost in my area are insane so we have to do everything ourselves. Good luck with your projects!
Everybody likes to criticize other people’s work on RUclips because they aren’t standing there face to face with you. I think you’re a smart guy and obviously you put a lot of thought and effort into this project. People just like to assume things and assume that they are smarter than you. I’m planning on building a garage and pouring the pad myself one day. The way I look at it I learned something. I thought you had to use rebar too… lol but I’m not one to criticize without doing any research myself.
I can't remember if I said it in the video or not but I called around and spoke with pros in my area. They said that they don't really use rebar in residential on grade 4" slabs. Mainly homes, commercial, industrial. We have pretty good weather here and our soil is good. It's really up to your area from what I gather. I tried to have everything figured out before I started and so far have been lucky. You're right a lot of the people criticizing probably have never done anything like this in their life. Good luck on your project when you get around to it.
@@reallifetested2605 Thank you!
Just FYI, the saw cut you made is not an expansion joint. It's a control cut or control joint. The purpose is to control where the concrete will crack. (But a lot of guys who do concrete all the time, wrongly call it an expansion joint.). Trust me, that slab can not expand into that cut. To be an expansion joint you have two separate slabs with a piece of semi flexible material in between. Typically the used to use a piece of mineral board sheeting.
A concrete slab can expand and move on the ground fairly east and it puts the slab in compression, where concrete excels in strength. But when concrete shrinks or contracts. the slab is under tension. But concrete has almost no strength in tension and that's when it cracks.
By using a control cut, you pre-weaken the slab at the cut. So when it does crack, it will pretty reliable cracks under the cut. So you do it to control where the crack occurs. That cut does nothing to take up expansion. Just the opposite. it is thee so that when the slab contracts, any stress cracking will occur right under the crack. And you have slight separation between each slab that can serve the same purpose.
If you are going to do a bog slab by yourself, it's a good way to do it because you are pouring multiple slabs over time. Do one slab today and another tomorrow. But pouring it all at once is way more than one person can manage. But there is no time for a break. Wet concrete does not move very easily and no matter how good the concrete driver is, you're still going to have to drag a bunch of wet concrete. It's brutal work! but the way you did it you can pace yourself.
You know what’s sad is I knew that and made a mental note not to call it that and somehow managed to do it anyhow. It was a bad habit that I learned over time and in the past 2 years learned the differences. I appreciate you catching that and giving a detailed explanation!
@@reallifetested2605 Hey, That OK. People who have been doing concrete work for years don't really know.
BRO!! You saved money! actually got me thinkin bout doin' mine this way...34x56/6in deep Thanx for the vid dude!!
You’re very welcome! Yeah I don’t know why i keep getting so many comments on I didn’t save money lol my parents just got a quote for a driveway addition and prices ranged from 6-8000 and I checked and we can do it for a little less than 1800 so we’re going that route haha
Nice job !! More stone on the sides grade, cover with topsoil. The height of the foundation is the most important part keeping the water away from the structure. Nice job again.
I see this problem when installing new driveways. Builders never have proper grade/elevation correct 😂
I actually have plans soon of adding a gravel driveway around the exterior of the building. That will definitely give the foundation some support. You're right about that. I saw an entire section of a development to where all of the houses were at the bottom of a hill, the driveway was going down toward the house. It was graded literally like a water slide would be going into a pool. When it rained the water flowed directly into the garage. The quick fix? A small drain cut out near the garage door that couldn't handle more than a small rain flowing to the left that went into the right side of the neighbors house. I feel sorry for the people that purchase those houses not knowing any better.
Great video. I think rebar or no rebar or mesh depends on how you plan to use the garage. We are buying a house with a couple out buildings, including a 28x40 pole barn that I am going to convert into a shop. My plan is to install a 2 post lift and most manufacturers call for rebar in the slab. To keep costs reasonable I may do rebar in half the slab where the lift will go and no rebar in the rest. If you plan to park a big rig on your slab, you probably want rebar.
Thanks! I actually was looking into installing a lift not to long ago. Check into doing reinforced footers. It doesn't seem like it would be to difficult even with what I have. I appreciate you checking out my video, and commenting. Good luck with your project!
I’ve been contemplating on pouring a 30x40 myself but didn’t think it was possible until I saw your video and damn dude I give you major props thanks I might just try it especially if it’s cheaper
Thanks! Just check pricing before you do. I don’t know what it is now but at the time in my area #80 bags were 3.20 each and truck was 200 to 220 with a 4-6 week wait.
@@reallifetested2605 how many yards did you get for $200 in a truck. Can't be a full truck or are Cali prices that insane? It's like $900 a truck here if I recall
@@getstuk87they were wanting that per yard! I couldn’t believe it when I called. I guess it matches the prices of everything else being crazy. Our groceries are 300 a week now when they were around 175 just 3 or 4 years ago.
@@reallifetested2605 Lunch was $5, now $10
They will often have fiberglass added to the mix over using rebar on thinner and or smaller slabs. You can get bags with fiberglass or you can can add it as you, but really IDK how big a difference it makes....Either way your slab looks awesome and I doubt you'll ever have cracking problem if you haven't yet.👍👍
I appreciate it brother! I called around and spoke with quite a few companies and they said they typically don’t around here and if they do they let you know and charge accordingly. I’ll have to look into that next time around and if it doesn’t cost too much it’d be worth a little more insurance.
Great job.
I'm pricing trades now for my shed / shop and fully believe you saved $10K. Pricing I'm getting for Mat's & Labor is CRAY !
You’ve got that right. Around here labor rates have tripled along with the higher price of concrete. I don’t understand how anyone can afford anything anymore.
Once you get the rough spots out to your satisfaction, you should probably seal the floor so that whatever stains you get will be easier to remove. The sealer keeps oils and such from soaking in real deep. Personally, I like a smoother floor and would have tried to pack, vibrate, screed and float it a little better but as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. I also would've put foamboard insulation, grid wire and radiant heat in thicker & higher PSI concrete slabs with sections deep and strong enough for a pair of equipment lifts but that's just me, I live near the Canadian border in New England on a mountain so -20 degree F in the winter is pretty common, lol. Building codes are much more complex up here because of the cold and snowfall. I can't even build a low-pitched roof on the mountain for fear of it collapsing under 6 ft of snow.
Oh yeah freezing temps and snow makes concrete another ball game. Where I am it rarely gets freezing and we hardly even get any snow. Just rain and thunderstorms occasionally.
I think you did great. Don't let people take your hard work away from you. A+ all the way
Thank you, I really appreciate it. I wish I could understand why a few have gotten all bent out of shape about a concrete video. It makes no sense haha
@reallifetested2605
No matter what you do...there's always the haters out there. Stand in no one's shadow. I give little credence to haters. Quite frankly....they bore me. The amount of effort and determination that you put into that project speaks volumes about your character. Each time you conquer a task...you get better and better. You will succeed greatly in your life.
Love the video, it’s $6.10 with 42 or more bags here in north Fla, it’s well over 200 a yard from the concrete companies, been awhile since I priced them, looks great from my house, better than a lot of houses, driveways I have seen, it will last longer than you and I will live to see!!
Thank you! Pricing is all over the place right now for some strange reason. The price of bags around here fluctuate about 2 dollars from month to month. It’s sad to say that but you’re right. I see driveways and slabs poured here all the time that are busted and cracking all to heck within weeks. They can’t even repave the roads around here without digging it back up 2 or 3 times and doing it over still ending up with a road worse off than they originally started with.
Nice Job!!, I am pouring footers from 80lb bags for a 24x24 storage shed, and get this... I am pouring dry contrect straight from the bag in the ground, no mixing. I will use the water hose in the footer to excelerate the curing process. I am using rebar 1/2 in. in the footers. Nice job.
Thank you! I’ve always wondered about dry pour concrete. I’ve seen tons of videos about it and from the results and what people are saying it works great! Let me know how it goes. Good luck with your project.
Yep. Looking at my local HomeDepot today, an 80 lb 4,000 psi Sakrete is $5.73. If you buy 42+ then it's $5.16. So today it would cost me $1,568 more for 800 bags.
That’s insane. Idk why everything is going up the way it is. If it keeps up at the rate it’s going we’re all going to be soon struggling to keep above water.
Reading some of the other comments, by gollies I've been thinking about doing something like this too a couple of metal carports I've got that I've been thinking about combining and doing something like this on a smaller scale, that I've Now decided I'm going to go for it this summer. Thanks to you and some of the others that are also inspired. Young man you've started a movement! 😆👏👏👏
I'm glad you got some inspiration, that's what its all about! Good luck with your project.
Thank you so much for sharing; it is given me a lot of knowledge and inspiration.
You’re very welcome. Thank you for checking out my video, and for the kind words!
Hey man that looks great and you absolutely saved money. To hell with the "know it all's" and "haters".
I really appreciate it. I feel the same way about the know it alls, and haters. It drives me crazy sometimes haha
Solo concrete is a busy chore. I've done it myself a few times. I couldn't imagine no mesh or pinning between the slabs. Its always amazing how much weight a human can move in a short amount of time. I'll get 2-3 ton of stone at a time and shovel it off. Nice building.
It’s hard work for sure, but we’ll worth it. Thank you!
Well done sir ! I applaud you for taking on a project like this. We poured ours and saved money just as you did here, however we did use a local company to deliver concrete for us. I always enjoy walking into our shop and seeing the work that was accomplished with a little work. Did you decide on garage door openers yet?
Thank you! Hopefully this time around the local companies have adjusted their prices to where it makes sense for me to use truck. If they don't you're going to see me doing all of this again. haha I still haven't decided on the openers yet. I've literally been back and forth. So much so that I have had everything pulled up multiple times on my computer, just haven't pulled the trigger. Thank you for checking out my video!
This appeared in my feed because I've clicked on bagged-concrete videos. I've never seen your other videos but appreciate the commentary addressing the earlier questions. I do dry pours for VERY small projects but will check out your review of the HF mixer, because I'm considering some larger projects. Not "large" like you did, but large for me.
I have put that thing through the ringer and it just keeps going! I highly recommend the hf mixer.
Brother....WELL DONE! haters will hate...let them! You may not be a professional but your inspirational and willing to work, let the keyboard warriors hate!
I appreciate it! You've got that right, there are definitely enough haters in this world.
Awesome job. I recently purchased some property that has a 30x40 pole barn with a gravel floor. I want to pour a concrete floor and I am going to use your method. Thanks for the inspiration and tips. Have you considered covering your concrete floor with a layer of decorative epoxy? That would give you a smoother finish on the floor.
Thank you! You’re very welcome. I had originally planned to epoxy the floors but once I moved everything in I thought there’s no way I’m moving this stuff back out to do the epoxy so I never got to it haha good luck with your project, it’s going to turn out great.
Doing mine right now using the 123 method. Almost half way through. Thank You for the Inspiration to show it can be done 👍
That’s awesome, good luck with your project! You’re going to save a ton and get a free gym membership as an added bonus. 😃
Florida checking in 1 year later... 80lb bag of concrete is $5.38 per bag when you buy 42 bags or more. That doesn't include the Lowes discount when you use your credit card.
Inflation has gotten out of hand. The prices around here have been fluctuating by almost 2 dollars over the past year. Hopefully they go on sale soon because I have a few projects coming up.
Nice work, I think a huge key to no cracks is having that huge pad of rock up nice and high where no water can get under it
That’s the way I felt too. So far the pad still looks like the day I poured it. The thick layer of compacted gravel really did the trick.
@@reallifetested2605 👍
Great work. Thanks for this follow up video! I actually watched your first one a few days ago and then came across this one and didn’t realize at first it was you again! It so nice to see the 1-year-later results. Definitely inspirational.
You're very welcome. I'm going to continue yearly updates to show everyone the progress of the slab so stay tuned. So far so good!
This was a badass thing you pulled off. I watched your pour video last night for like an hour trying to brainstorm a way to pull that off where I live in a way that allows for rebar and incremental pours via bulkheads. I dont think youre going to experience unanticipated cracks, btw, since you have the pours abutting each other. And...youre on crush and run + gravel. I mean...maybe at the load bearing points at the rollup doors, but otherwise its a light building.
Thanks brother! I'm glad you got something out of the video. I don't think i'll get any hardcore cracks either but you never know. All concrete cracks eventually that's just part of it. I'm going to be doing yearly updates so stay tuned. I have another one coming in about 4-5 months. Right now everything still looks the same though. Good luck on your project!
Headed over to see the first video. Always feels good when you do it yourself and save a boat load of money!great job!
I appreciate you checking out my videos and commenting. It did feel good to save that money I can tell you that. Especially when groceries are so high right now.
We had to fix some concrete on our back door of our shop and we dug all of the cracked stuff out and poured it in and stuffed in underneath the good stuff, it turned out awesome, we threw rebar in it because we wanted over kill, we had such good luck with just using quick Crete we are going to fix our parking lot this spring
That’s awesome to hear. There’s no telling how much you saved with that diy. I’ve been really happy with the bagged concrete floor.
Wow, you mixed and poured with a cement mixer a slab that large, Omg. You did awesome!!!! Fyi, the rule of thumb is anything over 3 yards, use a truck... lolololoolol Great work.... Thx for sharing Prep is everything and you did good!!!
Thanks brother! I was going to use truck but this was during Covid when prices started going crazy and people stopped working lol they were wanting 200 to 220 per yard with a 4-6 week wait and #80 bags were 3.20 each so I went that route. I couldn’t afford to wait the 4-6 week period because the building would be here then.
1.5M views on the other video now. Good job. I wanted to do the same thing and wasn't sure it could be done. Thanks for the inspiration and just enough info to get someone going. The music wasn't that bad. I have a RUclips channel and yes, you always get the ones that have never done it that are the experts. Great job and keep it up!
Thank you! You’re very welcome. I appreciate you checking it out and taking the time to leave a comment. There are a lot of those “experts” and you’re right. You can tell by most of the comments they have no idea what’s going on haha
Great job man. I do concrete professionally in Arizona. Around here you break even on materials doing bags vs a truck at around 2 yards or so. And most of the time exterior work makes it where you need extra help to get it down, and mixing by hand is out of the question as far as extra labor costs. I trust that it worked out in your case though, props to you for saving money and doing it yourself. From my seat anyway it looks great. Theres always better ways to do things and you can easily get caught up in details, yes a truck mix with large aggregate is stronger, but we do line pump mixes with 3/8 rock all the time. Bag mixes are designed and graded just like any batch mix I order from a truck, and while it may not be the easiest to work with you get a product that is generally good enough as long as youre not trying to do anything crazy with it. For a small metal building like yours it is plenty strong enough.
Thanks for the good info and kind words brother. So far everything still looks the same. I was going to do yearly updates but am going to do every 2 years because nothing is changing haha I’m not sure what prices are around here for concrete now but I can bet they haven’t went down any. Cost of everything in my area is absurd now. Sometimes I wish the finish was a little better because I know it isn’t perfect. But for its use and what I’ve got in it, it serves its purpose. Thanks for checking out my video.
@@reallifetested2605 Absolutely. I can attest that Az prices are not going down. During and right after covid it was hard to get mud from some plants at all if you werent a large commercial contractor. Prices spiked and have not gone back down, and are rising faster than normal. Fun times. For what its worth I probably do more hand mix jobs than most guys, I do subcontract work for some different plumbing companies doing their cutting and pourbacks, its not out of the ordinary for me to hand mix a couple of pallets. Anything over that I normally pump.
I do home remodeling for a living, I don't do much concrete. I must say you did a great job.
Thank you, I appreciate the kind comment.
We had a driveway that was poured about 4" thickness, it was in good condition after 22+ years, one crack and a small amount of heave in just one small area, but the vast majority of it was solid as a rock still. The main enemy would be ground movement / tree roots, and there were no large trees near it. Sandy compacted soil otherwise. For it's purpose it didn't need re-bar in it. It had square control joints every 2 metres or so. Also extended into a carport. It saw daily light vehicle use.
I appreciate you taking the time to explain that rebar isn't always needed. You'd be surprised at the people that would tell you that would fail after a few years without rebar. You're an excellent example after 22 years with only a minor crack, and heave.
The money savings alone made it well worth it. Plus, the pride of doing it yourself. For me, I love seeing the results of my DIY projects. It gives me confidence that there is nothing I cannot do. Great job sir!
The money savings, and experience I gained doing this was definitely worth it. That's awesome that you diy too. Thank you for the kind comment.
Hey man, usually the reason bar oil leaks out is due to pressure built up from the auto oiling system. When you finish for the day just open up the oil reservoir cap to relieve the pressure and then screw it back in. Should stop your leaks!
Makes sense. This building isn't insulated and it gets hot in the daytime and cold at night. I might turn them all on their sides and crack the cap a bit. Thanks for the advice!
Thanks for the video and I personally liked the music from your original video.
Thank you! I’m in the middle. I think when it comes to editing a RUclips video picking the right music is the hardest thing of all lol!
I built my garage 24 ×48 poured floor with bags from lowes 80# . 8x8 sections at a time. Saved lots of money.
That's awesome brother, glad you got it done safely and saved lots of money!
That’s awesome. I am impressed with your work, thanks for passing it on.
Thank you for the kind comment, and for checking out my video!
You saved a bundle in labor with forms,pouring and floating. You broke it down into manageable bite size pieces and if you did that with truck concrete, you may have had a minimum charge. Great video
As slow as I was working I think I would’ve had a driver cussing at me haha thanks for checking out my video.
I greatly appreciate this video im in the process of buying a metal building myself and I wasn't sure if I should do bag or truck so thank you so much and you did a great job on that slab.
Thank you for checking out my video and for taking the time to leave a comment!
@@reallifetested2605 absolutely
Hey, missed the videos. Seen all of Sallie's videos too. Can't wait to see this one.
Hopefully i'm going to get back into posting regularly. I've really been enjoying getting to work with Mrs. Shaw. Thank you for being there in the live, I appreciate it!
Good to hear that it lasted so well ... some folk were forecasting imminent failure bc you didn't use rebar.
Wrt lighting up your eyes inside ... why not just off the cap ?
Im going to continue the yearly updates to show everyone that it will be ok haha I’m not sure why I had a hat on. I go through phases of wearing it and not wearing. I more than likely needed a haircut that day.
Thanks for the video brother, try to ignore the haters/keyboard warriors… many, if not most of them, have never built anything in their lives.
You’re very welcome, thank you for the motivation. You’re completely right I do need to ignore the haters.
Truck concrete here (PNW) is $120-$140 per yard. Same 80# bags you used are $4.99 if you buy 42 or more. Prices are different everywhere, we gotta weigh all options.
You’ve got that right. Since Covid and all of the inflation I believe bags are higher now in my area closer to 5 per bag. Mixing yourself using 3,2,1 is most expensive now in my area because of Portland and crazy sand cost.
I loved your concrete pour video. I am going to pour my own shed 12x16 this weekend for $600
That’s awesome. No telling how much you’re going to save especially these days. Good luck on your project.
I watched the original video a few months back, and was thoroughly impressed. Came back to the video to show the wife, since we hope to start building this spring. I just checked, 80 pound bags where we are, are $5.50 and up now. So you definitely picked a good time to do it. I'll have to check how much a truck costs, not sure that they would be willing to take a truck into the property to begin with, though. I really appreciate the original video, as well as this update!
Im not sure what the prices are right now as I had planned to build another shop about a year ago now but prices have went up so much it doesn’t make sense. I will say with bags you can get bulk discount, as well as 5 percent off at Lowe’s. If Home Depot or Lowe’s has a lower price (one always does) speak with the manager at the opposite store and they will usually cut you a pretty big deal especially if you’re buying in bulk.
Dude, this gives me hope! I’m getting quotes for a concrete for my garage & I’m at the point where I’m about to say it’s not worth it because the pad will cost more than my garage. I started wondering if it was possible to do it myself, like I said, it gives me hope. Thanks!
We’re in the same boat. Heck I’m about to have to build a shop if we want one at this point. Got quoted 100k for a 24x24 for just the shell. That price is with me doing grading, electrical, drywall and all of that good stuff. Prices have gotten beyond insane.
thanks for the explanation dude... about to pour a 20 x 16 garage slab.....back breaking therapeutic
That’s awesome brother. Plan, prepare, execute! You’ll do a great job. Good luck with your project.
Great follow up vid man. Much respect. I do all my own concrete myself also. 6x20 sections is impressive. Subbed. Looking forward to the next build.
I appreciate it brother. I have a few projects coming up, just have to find the time to do them. Thank you for subscribing it means a lot!
Congrats bro. It’s always a good feeling to save money and do it yourself
You’ve got that right. I did this when prices were going up on everything and glad I did. It saved me a few weeks extra of groceries haha
I remember seeing the pour video and wondering how it would go without rebar. Just stumbled on this follow up and got the answer. Glad it worked out for you. With the effort you put in pouring those bags, you certainly earned a good outcome.
Thank you! I really appreciate it. Stay tuned, i'm going to do yearly updates to show everyone how it's going.
You are a genius and a very hard worker. Thanks budd.
I wish I was a genius, I wouldn’t have to work so hard 🤣 thank you for the view and comment! I appreciate it.
Hey,... You remind me of me! I'll be 80 years old in June 2024. I've been doing those what most people think are impossible jobs all my life. As far as the "Time is Money " thing, that's a bunch of crap unless you are paying for hired labor. Another benefit is: You'll probably live to be my age or older because of the type of physical work that you do everyday. Oh, BTW, I bought the smaller of the Harbor Freight cement mixer for small projects that I still do.
That’s awesome brother. I see that from my grandpa. The harder you work seems to be the longer you live. He’s pushing 90 and still goes to work everyday, and still has good health. I can’t understand the time is money thing either. It used to drive me crazy. The mixer is awesome. Mine is still kicking! Thank you for checking out my video and for taking the time to leave a comment.
Not sure what you filmed this with but your worries of wind noise is unnecessary. I didn’t hear one bit of wind and your sound was crisp and very clear. Nice sob and shop!! Like others, it inspired me to do my own when/if the day ever comes.
That’s good to know. I was afraid because we were having crazy high winds that day. I appreciate your kindness, and I’m glad you got some inspiration from my video!
Screw the haters, you done good, son!
That’s what I want to tell them haha thank you!
Definitely saved money. Good job!
Definitely. Thank you!
Kudos to you doing such a huge job by yourself ! In New York State the slab has to have a gravel base & rebar or steel mesh screen inside the concrete. Rebar really helps hold that slab together. You'll probably be okay but it looks like you plan on parking big trucks inside so the lack of rebar might allow your slab to crack but heh, you have a great garage & it'll last you many years !
I appreciate it! Yeah it gets a lot colder where you are than it does around here. It's mainly going to be used for storage so far so good!
I live in Eastern North Carolina I’m going to see if I can do this myself at the age of 68. As for the negative people think about why they’re so negative, I think you made some people jealous of you. Great job. Hahaha young man
Hey neighbor! I’m here in Emerald Isle NC. ✌️
Can you sure...but sometimes the work is worth saving. Truck is probably a better option. Easier to get it all down then finish nicely
So my original comments were spot on.
Your savings on the slab cost were the difference between bag concrete cost and the cost to have it poured by a concrete contractor.
As for the cracking of a concrete slab.
If the slab dosent move due to heaving caused by freezing, or settlement problems caused by improper preperation, there as a rule will be no cracking involved.
And saw cutting the slab after its poured or pouring it in sections as these slab obviously was it is less apt to crack.
Point is that using bag concrete for pouring large areas is not a good idea from a cost standpoint.
Unless you consider your own time and labor as having no value.
I was a home builder for more than 45 years, and we did do all of our own concrete work.
So yes, i am a very experienced professional at concrete work.
Mind you i have used lots of bagged concrete also.
And there are times that it pays to use it, but not for large areas like this.
As for the strength factor, redi mix concrete can be ordered in various strength factors depending upon the intended use.
Normally for finished concrete floors, the concrete will be a 3500 pound mix for a nice hard finish.
And you can add portland cement to the bag mixed concrete in order to increase its strength.
Your comment in the previous video I said in the first 40 seconds of the other one that doing it myself saved me the money. lol bagged vs truck saved me about 1200 dollars or so. The 10k saved was what contractors in my area were wanting to charge me 14k and up for. It’s gotten crazy in my area. We got a quote from multiple contractors a few weeks ago for a 24x24 and the Lowest quote we got was 87000 with no electrical or drywall and me doing the grading. I’m sitting here thinking I can do this for 15-18k or so. If it falls down I can rebuild it 3 more times and should’ve learned something by that point haha
@@reallifetested2605 Well maybe you should consider a career change.
And im not joking when i say that.
You obviously have some talent in that area.
My father started in the masonry business after WW2.
He was a bricklayer by trade, and had experience in other masonry related areas as well including concrete work.
But collecting money for our work especially from some of the builders we were working for became a real issue.
So we gradually became home builders, and phased ourselves out of the masonry business.
And we did that by building a house on speculation, hoping that it would sell before the loan payments broke us.
And we soon had people wanting us to build a house for them on their lot.
In 1973 we built 97 houses for lot owning customers.
We poured all of the concrete and did all of the carpentry work on all of them.
We had two full time supervisors, one being myself, and the other my partner, who was also my brother.
We each controlled a certain area of the work, my area was stake out to the drywall phase.
His area covered drywall thru completion.
Most of the houses were never visited again by me after drywall, unless i was filling in for my brother due to things like vacations etc.
You cant lay block for the foundation until the footing is poured.
And our footings were poured the day after the excavation was done, weather permitting of coarse.
And our framing work began very shortly after the foundation work was complete.
We had 2 masonry contractors who worked exclusively for us.
Ditto with our excavating/grading contractor, as well as others like the electrician and plumber.
There comes a point in time when decisions need to be made as to how you go about running a business.
In other words, you can choose to make sawdust, or you can choose to make money.
So its not always just about money saved in a certain area by doing the work yourself.
But it is always about money.
12ft Gap Between your new build and the existing. It makes it easier to get a fire 🔥 truk through. 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
You've got that right. Hopefully I won't ever need it but if I do! haha
In the shop I store my saws on their side - caps up. I find it leaks much less bar oil.
That’s a good tip. I’ll have to give that a try!
Thanks for the update, this is the best!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for checking it out.
Good job, question how much concrete would I need to do a slab for a 10x8 metal shed
Thank you! It depends on how thick you want to pour it. If you Google “sakrete slab pour calculator” (you can copy and paste that in google. In the first link there is a calculator that you type in your length, width, and thickness you want to pour. It will tell you how many 80 or 60 lb bags you will need. I always get 5 to 10 percent extra just in case everything isn’t exactly perfect because you can always take back what you don’t use. Hope that helps!
should be proud of yourself dude...can do anything you put your mind too
Thanks brother, I appreciate it.
good show. your on the right track with lots of gravel and removing some of the expansive soil. pack it good and you will be fine. when you have freeze and thaw as in my climate rebar and remesh is key. to add strength without the steel you can add long strand fibres to your mix which can give you almost as much strength as steel but saves you time and money. just my thoughts as a professional. but overall great work.
Thanks brother! So far so good no cracks. I think foundation is one of the most important things.
Considering the money you saved it looks like it was very well worth it. Crazy amount of work though. People say "time is money" but time does not buy things that money can buy. Whatever money you saved could buy things like equipement or tools etc.
You've got that right, the tools alone have paid for themselves hundreds of times over at this point. It was definitely worth it, and a bit of work. But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
at 5.48 for bags of high strength concrete, times 45 bags per yard, i would spend roughly 100 dollars more a yard to mix it myself. I can buy for 140 a yard with fiber locally.
I wish truck prices were that low around here. I have a lot of projects I want to do but hoping the prices will come down. They’ve came down since Covid but not enough for me haha
@@reallifetested2605 what are your truck prices then?
At long as it gets the job done. Great job!
Thank you!