Hey all,
We are looking at putting in a swim spa in our backyard and are looking at quotes for our trades. Our slab needs to be around 6000mm x 2500mm x 200mm with a strength of 25mpa. The quote we received for the concrete slab was approximately $5,000 which does include excavation and removal but, I wouldn't of picked this quote coming to this total. Does this seem to be in the right ballpark, or is this too steep? Any advice is welcome! Thanks everyone!
This is my first one. I am organising others but want to see if anyone has had experience with similar projects.
Its more like…
Why dont you get more quotes first?
That is the best advice for OP
Now go away and do that first OP
its only steep if the concrete is not level
+1
That’s not how it works… 🙃 Click on the three dots to the right of the post, then click the green + sign.
-1
Love your reply Donaldhump
Get a few quotes and you can get as much info what is required.
Is your spa over an easement as that might be an issue (permit required from the council)
Thank you, I will get a few more to compare.
No, there are no easements on my lot. Only a sewer maintenance hole where the sewer mains flow away to the neighbours side. I am building far enough away from this, only thing that I would need to check is if I need pier footings for the slab, then I might need to reassess the position of the slab.
No worries. Many don't look into easements and can have adverse effects financially if they need to access due to maintenance, upgrades etc.
Seems about right, if anything a bit cheap. About 3 cubic metres of concrete will be around $700 on it's own before allowing for any waste. Add in labour, rebar, formwork, pump truck, bobcat and tipper and the rest will be eaten up pretty quick. Certainly get other quotes though.
Thank you. The costs do add up when you go through all of it. I will get a few other quotes. Cheers
Typical all-up rate for concrete slabs is around $1200 per cubic metre excluding pumping, so $3600 plus the pump and excavation (and a little bit of profit) - $5k sounds about right.
just do it yourself…
Thank you. I am fairly handy, but for something that supports the 11 tonne filled weight of a $35k product, I might leave this to people that know exactly what they are doing.
As you’re new here, I’ll give you another piece of free advice… You can ignore OzBargain’s foremost troll, the one and only, jv.
Unless it’s in bold then it’s really true
It's very hard work doing a slab that size, especially if you need to bring the concrete from road to site by wheel barrow. Even if you use a pump truck (and if you do make sure you order the correct aggregate size) spreading and screeding that volume is tough. Unless you're young and/or very fit and have a lot of mates the same, I wouldn't recommend it.
Good to know. Thanks for the information.
200 mm thick? Are you parking the Titanic on the slab?
Haha not the whole Titanic, just its hot tub. No, all seriousness, these swim spas need a minimum of 150mm thickness, we are getting one that is slightly deeper so with that comes the added weight (approximately 11.5 tonne filled).
If a pump truck is needed then the cost will increase a lot. Is that the case?
There is a lot of shonks in the concreting trade.. fly by nighter types… amateurs… Quality of the job is paramount, price is secondary.
Yeah that’s right, a pump truck is needed. Yeah I think you are bang on the money there. I know this company has experience doing slabs for this purpose which is swaying me to go with them.
If a pump truck is needed then the price sounds reasonable. They dont come cheap!
Just make sure that everything is included in the quote, disposal of the excavation and rubble and especially the cost of the pump truck.
I would still get a couple of more quotes, not so much for chasing a cheaper price but to see if they can give you any more recommendations on the job.
One thing most concretors overlook is drainage from under, around and run off from the slab.
Check their licence and insurance is current.
They are all your best friend until after the job is done. You can't return a concrete slab for a refund.
What sort of drainage system would you expect to be used in this case, where there's lots of weight above it?
Comparison… I got 4 quotes for a 107m2 driveway…
11k, 13k, 17k, 22k
5k for a spa is crazy
What thickness was it and did it involve a pump truck?
125mm 32mpa…
No pump needed
No pump and easy access??
@Cheeper: Yeah… But a pump can't be that much can it. For a spa couldn't you just wheelbarrow or use a dingo or something?
@Kaz0551: Pumps are very expensive :-( I have had a few diy jobs where I would have liked the luxury of a pump but wheelbarrowed it instead with a couple of mates for a slab each.
Access is sometimes a big factor too… See what his other quotes come in at.
Building quotes can be an odd thing… one time I got some quotes for a deck 3mr x10mr.
Had 3 quotes, 2 were for 2 men and estimated 5 days for the job. The other was one man working alone and 2 days. Out of curiosity I asked if I could see any of his work and he gave me an address where he would be working the next day. I went and had a look and paid the deposit on the spot. His work was perfect.
He worked alone because he was super fussy and very organised.
He came out one day and laid the foundations and put up the deck the next. Perfect & cheap :-)
Hiring tradies is like a box of chocolates…… LOL.
Had a funny experience with a big driveway laid once… that is another story.
@Kaz0551: Been a while since I've done it but most pump trucks are around $150/hr min 4 hour charge. You could wheel barrow it of course but we're talking a little over 7 tonnes of concrete and concrete rates typically only factor a 20min delivery time and you pay for anything over that. Unless you've got easy access and a fair number of blokes and barrows you're not doing it in the allotted time.
@apsilon: For one or two cubic of concrete then wheelbarrow might be ok, anything over that I'll take the pump truck. Regardless of the price, spreading those concrete out within a short time frame is best, you don't want to make the job in multiple batches.
@lgacb08: Yeah but OP is talking about 3 cubic metres given their dimensions and you're going to want a bit on top as well. Assuming a standard tradie size barrow you'll get about 200kg per barrow so about 40 barrow loads or a barrow loaded, moved to site and unloaded and back to the truck every 30 seconds to not run over the 20 minute delivery window. Any size is doable with the right people and sufficient barrows.
What is the model of swim spa?
Depends on the angle of the driveway
You can escalate the area yourself, to save money. You can say leave all the rubbish, and I will get rid of it, to save money. 5k for clean hands, just pay it.
Whats the point of asking us?
Every job is so different
Have you had other quotes?
Iits the only way to find out
Its the only way to give yourself a choice
No go away and do that to find out your answer
Seems good
How many quotes have you received?