log cabin base

[diycooper]

Looking at getting my base done for a 5m x 4m log cabin in the next few weeks. I have just ripped up all flags from my front garden, so want to ask would it be suitable to dig down 100mm then smash up the flags (hardcore) then knock up some concrete and pour over. This would use all the hardcore I have and save on concrete cost. Would this be ok for a base ?

Thanks

 

[pantsmachine]

It depends on how hard the ground is at 100mm depth. Its amazing how much a whacker plate compacts down hardcore(learned this on a path project i did in the garden couple of years ago). In saying that i did the very thing you are proposing for my hot tub base and its seeing a load of approx 86 kgs per sq ft and shows no sign of shifting after 2 years. Do you know the weight of your cabin? You can work it out from there with your cabin area.

 

[Static]

Also depends on if you are ok it cracking and sinking in the corner..

 

[cantaloup63]

Must admit, I whacked down the soil, then whacked about 100 MOT hardcore before shuttering a 100mm footprint (to allow for peashingle drainage strip around the surround). Ordered the concrete from a barrowmix company with my son and I there to tamp and level it out.

Worked for me - added a couple of hundred to the build but as any builder will tell you, preparation and proper groundwork is essential