What sort of base for garden studio (games room)...

[timcunnell]

Hi guys

I am just looking for some advice/thoughts/options on what sort of base I might need for a games room I am planning to build. The main purpose of the building is going to be for a full-size snooker table which obviously is fairly heavy and also needs to be nice and flat.

The footprint of the building is going to be 50-60 m sq. so potentially a pretty large/expensive base, but no point cutting corners I guess! At present the site (and the bottom of my garden) is just overgrown bushes, weeds and earth. So I have got to spend some time clearing and leveling the ground. But once its all level I was intending to just cast a big ol' concrete pad. I just have a few questions!

1 - Is a concrete base the best option?
2 - If I go with a concrete pad, how deep should I make it?
3 - Is concrete okay to go straight down on compacted earth?

Sorry this is basic stuff! Any advice would be very gratefully received!

 

[noseall]

1 - Is a concrete base the best option?

Always when in contact with the ground.

2 - If I go with a concrete pad, how deep should I make it?
3 - Is concrete okay to go straight down on compacted earth?

Depends upon the ground conditions and how long you want the structure to last. Removing all fertile matter is a must. A building of the size you are proposing will fall under LABC scrutiny so will need to adhere to reg's in any case. A timber superstructure will flex better than a masonry one.​