That’s a very rural/suburb thing though. Try laying down a thick concrete bed in your back garden in a terraced house. If you’re lucky, you can sneak the truck over the alleyway behind the garden. If not, you’re going to have to somehow pipe it through the house from the road, or do it all manually, in stages, and hope that the damn thing doesn’t crack.
Agreement on the power tools, but it’s still a big commitment in terms of dedicating space to having them. I have mine hanging on an inside wall next to my TV because I don’t have a garage or shed
Well I’m thinking along the lines of a 4m x 5m base and about 30cm deep. I can’t get a mixing bucket for that without having to do it in dry/wet/dry/wet batches which I think might lead to cracking.
A truck like that would do the job nicely, and probably could reach through the house, but parking that on a public road would be a big no-no
Are you sure that the parking portion wouldn’t be part of the permitting process? I’d be hard pressed to expect that you could pour such a large slab of concrete without needing a permit in the first place, but where I am in the US I got hassled over not pulling a permit for an 8x8 shed.
Over here you can pretty much build anything in your backyard (HOA does not exist, thank god for that) within 2m of your fences as long as it’s no taller than 2.5m high. If you wanna build higher, you can go up to 4m but you need to increase the distance from the fence.
There also needs to be “prior art” (i.e. other people in the area have built similar extensions or outhouses)
DIY concrete is fucking brutal work, though, even with a mixer, unless you’re pretty strong or have strong friends, and you have to do it in one go if structural strength is a concern. I love the savings and personal satisfaction of DIY, but I started eating the cost of getting concrete poured professionally somewhere in my early thirties.
My dad passed down to me early that all DIY projects are substantially easier with the right tools. Not only will you earn your money back on the project, youll earn it in time, peace of mind, and safety.
I dunno where you live but in my state I at least need to apply for a temporary hoisting license before I can get anything with an arm or other mechanism capable of lifting over 500lbs
Also need to have a way to haul it to the site yourself; most places don’t deliver (but perhaps this isn’t true for mobile equipment like tractors; I’ve only ever rented specialized lawn equipment)
Here in California, the companies deliver. With special weekend rates for DIYers, Sunday’s free, since it’s technically illegal to make construction noises then. First time I ran an excavator, I was 8yo.
Most power tools pay for themselves with the first project.
You can rent the tractors. It’s easier than renting a car, don’t even need a license. More fun, too.
That’s a very rural/suburb thing though. Try laying down a thick concrete bed in your back garden in a terraced house. If you’re lucky, you can sneak the truck over the alleyway behind the garden. If not, you’re going to have to somehow pipe it through the house from the road, or do it all manually, in stages, and hope that the damn thing doesn’t crack.
Agreement on the power tools, but it’s still a big commitment in terms of dedicating space to having them. I have mine hanging on an inside wall next to my TV because I don’t have a garage or shed
If you are pouring that much concrete you should maybe consider having one of these brought out. Otherwise just mix the concrete in the garden.
Well I’m thinking along the lines of a 4m x 5m base and about 30cm deep. I can’t get a mixing bucket for that without having to do it in dry/wet/dry/wet batches which I think might lead to cracking.
A truck like that would do the job nicely, and probably could reach through the house, but parking that on a public road would be a big no-no
Are you sure that the parking portion wouldn’t be part of the permitting process? I’d be hard pressed to expect that you could pour such a large slab of concrete without needing a permit in the first place, but where I am in the US I got hassled over not pulling a permit for an 8x8 shed.
Over here you can pretty much build anything in your backyard (HOA does not exist, thank god for that) within 2m of your fences as long as it’s no taller than 2.5m high. If you wanna build higher, you can go up to 4m but you need to increase the distance from the fence.
There also needs to be “prior art” (i.e. other people in the area have built similar extensions or outhouses)
DIY concrete is fucking brutal work, though, even with a mixer, unless you’re pretty strong or have strong friends, and you have to do it in one go if structural strength is a concern. I love the savings and personal satisfaction of DIY, but I started eating the cost of getting concrete poured professionally somewhere in my early thirties.
My dad passed down to me early that all DIY projects are substantially easier with the right tools. Not only will you earn your money back on the project, youll earn it in time, peace of mind, and safety.
Who is going to pay you that money?
I dunno where you live but in my state I at least need to apply for a temporary hoisting license before I can get anything with an arm or other mechanism capable of lifting over 500lbs
Also need to have a way to haul it to the site yourself; most places don’t deliver (but perhaps this isn’t true for mobile equipment like tractors; I’ve only ever rented specialized lawn equipment)
Goodness, that’s terrible.
Here in California, the companies deliver. With special weekend rates for DIYers, Sunday’s free, since it’s technically illegal to make construction noises then. First time I ran an excavator, I was 8yo.