New sandy coloured Shed base.

[Penelopejean]

Hello all,
I know there are lots of questions about bases but none that answers my exact question.
Bit worried as we've had a base built yesterday and it looks a bit dodgy. The chap was going to put slabs down but decided as the ground is very soggy he should do a slab.
It's 10 w x 12 long. Grass was cleared.Very little hard core went down if any. Sand about 2-3inches went on top. I have only found 1 nearly empty bag of cement. Fine gravelly ballast with sand was used but not sure what ratio. After a frosty night uncovered I looked to see and it is very very sand coloured. Not grey concrete. It has a rough gravelly surface and is far from smooth. It it also not level in any particular direction. One end where he started seems firm but other is soft. He said not to remove shuttering ever and wait for it to rot. Am I worrying un necessarily? the patio he built isn't brilliant either but he's a nice chap and he's hard-up as he keeps asking for money. we've paid half of £1750 for patio and base so far.
What to say to him if anything.....
Please help. Why do I always get these dodgy people?
Penny

 

[spartacus1]

Photo?

 

[Penelopejean]

Trying to find out how to load them!

 

[Penelopejean]

 

[Penelopejean]

Hello anyone,
Can anyone please give me advice in uploading photos here. I've jpg'd them on to computerbut haven't been successful I don't think. Going round in circles.
xx

 

[Penelopejean]

Oh I may have done it so will try to send more!

 

[Penelopejean]

Another one. No idea how I did it.

 

[bernardgreen]

He said not to remove shuttering ever and wait for it to rot.

I have heard that one before, the "builder" a friend employed had used hardly any cement in the mix and the shuttering was necessary to keep the crumbly "concrete" in place. The fix was to build a perimeter retaining wall around the slab.

 

[Penelopejean]

Are we safe to put a nice summerhouse 10 x 8 on it?
The shed builder (who I'm pretty sure know what he's doing)plans to put bearers down first before the shed floor goes on.

 

[bernardgreen]

With bearers and paving slabs to distribute the load you probably will be alright.

 

[Penelopejean]

We hadn't planned on slabs too! The concrete was instead of slabs. He's put 5 slabs along the outside at the front of the shed resting on the concrete. He decided on braces(concrete) not the belt(slab)as well. It was meant to be a budget project. eeek.

 

[Burnerman]

He hasn't got much clue, has he.....there should have been shuttering put around the dug out base, the ground consolidated, some hard core and a few inches of ready mix poured and tamped.
However, as Bernard says it will probably hold your summerhouse well enough, but if you get hard winters, expect what's there to crumble.
I hope it's dead level....
John

 

[Penelopejean]

No it's not..............but that's no surprise is it.
How did zay ever vin?

 

[Burnerman]

If it ain't level, whoever builds the summer house isn't going to be too pleased......you may get water pooling too.
John

 

[r896neo]

That concrete will have very little strength. In compression it will be fine but any kind of uneven weight especially near the edges will probably cause it to crack.

Try and protect the edges and use good wide bearers, 4'' or similar.

Its a pretty poor effort at a concrete slab to be honest, there is a big difference between messing something up because you dont know better and deliberately doing something wrong because your trying to skimp on materials or pull the wool over someones eyes.


One is annoying but forgivable. One is not.

If he set out to pour that with just one bag of cement he knew exactly what would happen.