Concrete Base for a Greenhouse

[Bender]

Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

-----Signatures are for humans!!------

** Bite My Shiny Metal Ass to email **

['Mike']

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

3 Cubic Metres?

THREE?

That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
there.

Mike

[Nick Maclaren]

In article <***@bt.com>,
"'Mike'" <3d&***@woolies.com> writes:
|> "Bender" <***@shiny_Fe_ass_starspath.com> wrote in message
|> news:***@4ax.com...
|> > Hi
|> > Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
|> > How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
|> > Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
|> > I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
|> > concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
|> > I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
|> > drive to barrow/pump.
|>
|> 3 Cubic Metres?
|>
|> THREE?
|>
|> That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
|> there.

Made up out of 25 Kg bags of ballast, too :-) Either it is a commercial
sized greenhouse, of the sort that would fit neatly on top of my garden,
or it is a launch pad for the weapons of mass destruction that that nice
Mr Blair assured us are everywhere.

To answer Bender's question, ballast has a bulk specific density of
something like 1.5.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

[Mary Fisher]

Post by Nick Maclaren
...
or it is a launch pad for the weapons of mass destruction that that nice
Mr Blair assured us are everywhere.

He's not still doing that, is he?
Mary

[Sally Thompson]

Post by Mary Fisher

Post by Nick Maclaren
...
or it is a launch pad for the weapons of mass destruction that that nice
Mr Blair assured us are everywhere.

He's not still doing that, is he?

I thought he *was* a weapon of mass destruction.

[Mary Fisher]

Post by Sally Thompson

Post by Mary Fisher

Post by Nick Maclaren
...
or it is a launch pad for the weapons of mass destruction that that nice
Mr Blair assured us are everywhere.

He's not still doing that, is he?

I thought he *was* a weapon of mass destruction.

Trouble is, where he is now he might still be :-(

Mary

Post by Sally Thompson
--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

['Mike']

Post by Sally Thompson

Post by Mary Fisher

Post by Nick Maclaren
...
or it is a launch pad for the weapons of mass destruction that that nice
Mr Blair assured us are everywhere.

He's not still doing that, is he?

I thought he *was* a weapon of mass destruction.

No that was Thatcher :-(((

Nearly did what Hitler failed to do

Thatcher and Blair!! What a destructive partnership! What would it be like
if they were to marry, OR be in the same Political Party??????

Mike

[CWatters]

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

3 Cubic Metres?
THREE?
That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
there.

Google says the density of concrete is about 2400 kg/m3 so it looks he
needs 7200 Kg or 288 x 25 Kg bags! (Actually less than that if you allow for
the water. Either way I wouldn't want that in the back of my car :-)

Lets say his house is 4 x 3 M and 150mm thick = 1.8 cubic meters. .So 3
cubic does sound a lot.

[Nick Maclaren]

In article <***@corp.supernews.com>,
"CWatters" <***@turnersoak.plus.com> writes:
|>
|> Google says the density of concrete is about 2400 kg/m3 so it looks he
|> needs 7200 Kg or 288 x 25 Kg bags! (Actually less than that if you allow for
|> the water. Either way I wouldn't want that in the back of my car :-)

Google says many things that aren't so. A specific density of 2.4 is
a very dense concrete, of the sort used to make paving slabs - completely
overkill for a greenhouse base.

|> Lets say his house is 4 x 3 M and 150mm thick = 1.8 cubic meters. .So 3
|> cubic does sound a lot.

150 mm thick is also overkill.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

[Bender]

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

3 Cubic Metres?
THREE?
That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
there.
Mike

The greenhouse is going to sit on a 2' wall to protect from potential
flooding. This years rains put the bottom of my garden in 6 inch of
water. :(
-Iain

-----Signatures are for humans!!------

** Bite My Shiny Metal Ass to email **

['Mike']

Post by Bender

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

3 Cubic Metres?
THREE?
That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
there.
Mike

The greenhouse is going to sit on a 2' wall to protect from potential
flooding. This years rains put the bottom of my garden in 6 inch of
water. :(
-Iain

How do you get in without the water getting in?

Or are you going to allow the water to get in, but everything is going to be
on staging?

Mike

[Bender]

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

3 Cubic Metres?
THREE?
That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
there.
Mike

The greenhouse is going to sit on a 2' wall to protect from potential
flooding. This years rains put the bottom of my garden in 6 inch of
water. :(
-Iain

How do you get in without the water getting in?
Or are you going to allow the water to get in, but everything is going to be
on staging?
Mike

Maybe I wasnt clear in my post sorry :(
I will get in from the end that isn't wet.
Its the bottom of the garden that floods and the garden is on a
steep'ish slope, the greenhouse will stand on a level above the slope
rather than into it.
Hope This Helps
Iain

-----Signatures are for humans!!------

** Bite My Shiny Metal Ass to email **

['Mike']

Post by Bender

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

3 Cubic Metres?
THREE?
That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
there.
Mike

The greenhouse is going to sit on a 2' wall to protect from potential
flooding. This years rains put the bottom of my garden in 6 inch of
water. :(
-Iain

How do you get in without the water getting in?
Or are you going to allow the water to get in, but everything is going to be
on staging?
Mike

Maybe I wasnt clear in my post sorry :(
I will get in from the end that isn't wet.
Its the bottom of the garden that floods and the garden is on a
steep'ish slope, the greenhouse will stand on a level above the slope
rather than into it.
Hope This Helps
Iain

Thanks for the explanation Iain :-))

Having had a garden with quite a terrific slope, I can picture it:-)

In our case and I don't know if it is of any use to you, there was the
footings of a very old cottage which was on the flat at one end and which
had a drop of 'about' 8 feet at the other end. The previous people and
myself just put more rubble there and had a nice 'steepish' bank at the far
end. Certainly strong enough for a greenhouse on the flat. (We could have
had a big greenhouse there)!! It's a wonder that the present owners have not
tried to re build the cottage seeing as building is going on everywhere,
EXCEPT that it's in an AOB!!

Mike

[Charlie Pridham]

Post by Bender

Post by 'Mike'

Post by Bender

Post by 'Mike'
THREE?
That is one hell of a lot of concrete. Me thinks you have something wrong
there.
Mike

The greenhouse is going to sit on a 2' wall to protect from potential
flooding. This years rains put the bottom of my garden in 6 inch of
water. :(
-Iain

How do you get in without the water getting in?
Or are you going to allow the water to get in, but everything is going to be
on staging?
Mike

Maybe I wasnt clear in my post sorry :(
I will get in from the end that isn't wet.
Its the bottom of the garden that floods and the garden is on a
steep'ish slope, the greenhouse will stand on a level above the slope
rather than into it.
Hope This Helps
Iain

In which case why not create a solid floor using concrete T beams sitting on
the walls? the floor is then made slotting in concrete blocks and skimming
over.
Unless you can get a ready mix lorry to the site 3 m3 is a lot of mixing!

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cultivars

[Nick Maclaren]

In article <***@mid.individual.net>,
"Charlie Pridham" <***@roselandhouse.co.uk> writes:
|> "Bender" <***@shiny_Fe_ass_starspath.com> wrote in message
|> news:***@4ax.com...
|>
|> > Its the bottom of the garden that floods and the garden is on a
|> > steep'ish slope, the greenhouse will stand on a level above the slope
|> > rather than into it.
|> >
|> In which case why not create a solid floor using concrete T beams sitting on
|> the walls? the floor is then made slotting in concrete blocks and skimming
|> over.
|> Unless you can get a ready mix lorry to the site 3 m3 is a lot of mixing!

It's insane, unless you are building a gun emplacement, and will be an
obstacle to selling the house afterwards. If anyone wants to break up
a concrete block of that size, it is a pain even for navvies with
pneumatic drills.

The normal way of following the original plan would be to fill the void
between the walls with compacted rubble (and builder's rubble is cheap
to free), topped by 100 mm of concrete.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

[CWatters]

Post by Bender
The greenhouse is going to sit on a 2' wall to protect from potential
flooding. This years rains put the bottom of my garden in 6 inch of
water. :(

Perhaps a beam and block floor would be easier than filling the inside with
hardcore and concrete.

['Mike']

Post by CWatters

Post by Bender
The greenhouse is going to sit on a 2' wall to protect from potential
flooding. This years rains put the bottom of my garden in 6 inch of
water. :(

Perhaps a beam and block floor would be easier than filling the inside with
hardcore and concrete.

Having read that response, I am confused ;-). Is the greenhouse going to sit
high up with the floor at existing level? Or, as I now suspect, it is going
to sit on a slab 2 ft high which WILL take it out of the flood area and
steps will be needed to get to it?

Problems with this:-
Lifting it this high watering cans are going to have to be taken up steps,
unless rain butts or a tap are arranged up there.
Is the greenhouse now going to be subject to windage?
What if at a later stage you wish to move the greenhouse?
What will prospective purchasers think of having a 2 ft x X feet x X feet
concrete slab in the garden?
The roof of your greenhouse is going to be 8 ft +? how many feet in the air.
Planning permission? Complaints from neighbours as an 'eye sore'?

Just a few thoughts.

Mike

[Chris Hogg]

On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:45:55 +0100, Bender

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain
-----Signatures are for humans!!------
** Bite My Shiny Metal Ass to email **

Have a look at Cormac's site
http://www.pavingexpert.com/mortars.htm#mixos

[Gill Matthews]

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain
-----Signatures are for humans!!------
** Bite My Shiny Metal Ass to email **

3 Cubic meters is an awful lot. Once some one has told you how many bags you
need be sure to buy them sale or return :-)

Gill M

['Mike']

Post by Bender
Hi
Just a quick question if anyone has the time to answer
How many 25kg bags of ballast/cement to mix 1 cubic metre of concrete?
Assuming a mix of 4:1 ballast:concrete
I'm laying a base for a greenhouse and need about 3 cubic metres of
concrete but I need to know how many bags of ballast/cement to order.
I would have ordered in ready-mix but its just too far away from the
drive to barrow/pump.
Many thanks in advance
-Iain

Be very interested to know what you have decided to do it following all of
the suggestions posted :-)

I know how I would tackle the problem :-)

Mike

[CWatters]

Post by 'Mike'
Be very interested to know what you have decided to do it following all of
the suggestions posted :-)
I know how I would tackle the problem :-)
Mike

Also interested to know what you decide.

If you decide to fill it with concrete best put some foam insulation around
the walls first - to stop the concrete expanding and cracking the brick
walls.