Concrete!

And so to the concrete.


Initially I was tempted to buy the ballast and cement and mix it all in the mixer, but when I thought about how many loads it would take, how long it would be from the first mix to the last and how quickly it was likely to set, it really didn't seem such a valid option.  The materials for the two buttresses cost £70 and this needed at least 5 times the quantity of concrete to be poured in a very short time.


I contacted three local suppliers whose quotes ranged from £445 to £360 for the 3 cubic metres of concrete we needed.  The Concrete Supply Company (£360) were really helpful and could deliver at 3:30 on Thursday 25th in a truck that would at least fit through the gate even if it wouldn't get as far as the car port let alone the extension itself!





Rob, Anne and Carre came to help barrow it into the trench, along with Sam Raynham from school.  I was very surprised how well it went, the driver being very happy to load barrow after barrow as we trailed round the house and tipped.  In fact with 4 barrows we spent as much time waiting for the barrow to be loaded as we did wheeling and tipping it into the trench.




Anne was great at levelling and raking it all into position and in under an hour we had the trench filled and levelled. 

Within another hour it had set sufficiently for me to stand on it.

So now the next stage is to build up to floor level, make a hardcore sub-base which is covered with a sand 'blinding' layer to stop the damp course being punctured by sharp stones from the crushed concrete sub-base.  I am very pleased I will not have to take up the existing concrete floor, just drill some reinforcing steel bars (rebars) into the edge of it to link it to the new slab.

But first the old Soil pipe needs to be removed and the tiles must be taken up so I can match the levels properly.