Recently, TexCon Ready Mix published an article on the website blog titled, “The Ultimate Guide to the Cost of Concrete” along with its Concrete Calculator. Whether you’re a ‘Do-it-Yourselfer’ or a professional builder, it’s important to have a detailed budget outlined before the work begins.
- How much concrete is needed?
- What type of concrete?
- Does the concrete need to be delivered in a ready mix truck, or can it be purchased by the bag and mixed it by hand?
- Will the concrete need to be colored or stamped?
All of these considerations affect the cost of your overall project. To help estimation for your concrete needs, TexCon Ready Mix put together a guide to teach how to calculate concrete requirements and determine the concrete cost per yard.
The caveat?
The concrete prices mentioned in this guide might be different to what is available in your area. They serve as a guideline for your initial estimates, so consult your local supplier for an accurate budget. The cost of concrete varies by location according to the rules of supply and demand.
1 What TYPE OF CONCRETE does your project require?
The most basic concrete mixtures are composed of Portland cement, aggregate (gravel or sand) and water. But depending on the purpose of the concrete, different materials can be added to the mixture to give it various properties, such as slowing or increasing the drying time, affecting the viscosity to make it easier to move around, or simply making it resistant to water damage.
Determining the right CONCRETE MIXTURE for a specific purpose is an art (or rather, a science) known as mix design. The extra ingredients added to the basic components of cement, aggregate and water are known as admixtures. Admixtures are typically needed for special circumstances and can improve the workability of the concrete:
- Stamped concrete often requires a slower drying time and thus needs an admixture to affect the concrete’s water retention
- Weather makes a difference in drying time when pouring concrete
- Pour the concrete directly where it is needed, or move it around once it has been poured?
Discuss your needs with the local ready-mix supplier to determine whether admixtures are necessary for your concrete installation, and get a cost estimate at the same time.
How THICK should your concrete be? A general rule is 4 inches for an average patio or driveway. Heavy loads, like a dump truck or other heavy machinery, on the concrete slab will increase the thickness to 5 or 6 inches. For technical purposes, it’s best to consult with an engineer to be certain the concrete is strong enough. Finally, add about 5% to the total yardage in order to have a small amount of extra concrete on hand in the event of spillage. Now you can complete the equation to determine the number of cubic yards.
Finally, add about 5% to the total yardage in order to have a small amount of extra concrete on hand in the event of spillage. The local ready mix supplier will likely give you the concrete cost per yard or per cubic yard, but how many cubic yards will your project require? A cubic yard is calculated by multiplying the length, width, and depth of your concrete in feet, then dividing by 27. Now you can complete the equation to determine the number of cubic yards.
2 How to CALCULATE CONCRETE COST:
The local ready mix supplier will likely give you the concrete cost per yard or per cubic yard, but how many cubic yards will your project require? A cubic yard is calculated by multiplying the length, width, and depth of your concrete in feet, then dividing by 27. To help accurately calculate concrete cost, use the concrete cost calculator. Some sketches may be needed, as well as additional math, in order to estimate how many cubic yards are needed. Please go to: http://www.texconreadymix.com/concrete-calculators/
THE PRICE: According to the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), concrete prices in the U.S. average $98.23 per cubic yard.
3 What OTHER COSTS are Entailed to Pour Concrete?
Along with the cost of concrete itself, there are the costs of raw materials. Other costs associated with pouring concrete can significantly affect the final bill … Because concrete has great versatility and viscosity, pouring concrete is the easier aspect of installation.
Labor and material costs must be taken into account. Other services or products that may need purchasing, depending on your goals:
- Land grading ensures that a gentle slope will carry rainwater away from the concrete, prevents future structure from flooding, and keeps the integrity of the concrete intact. A professional service holds technical knowledge and access to machinery, so land grading can cost upwards of $50 an hour.
- Compaction equipment. Compacting the soil reduces the likelihood of it shifting in the future, thereby reducing the likelihood of cracks occurring in the concrete, and can be done by the grading contractor. Or, one can rent compaction equipment for a do-it-yourself project. Depending on location, equipment can typically be rented for about $75 per day.
- Gravel or sand for the subbase. The soil underneath any structure needs to be of the same consistency and easily compacted, so amending the soil with gravel or sand helps to achieve a more uniform subbase. Once the layer of gravel or sand is spread over the top of the compacted soil, it too will need to be compacted.
- Concrete forms. Usually comprised of wood, forms must be set up around the perimeter for the concrete pouring; must be installed in a way that allows no concrete to leak out of the bottom or between the joints; and need to be tall enough and braced to prevent the heavy concrete from bowing the wood.
- Rebar. Preventing concrete from cracking is the number-one goal—of the professional or amateur—the key is to use reinforcement. Rebar is the most common material and can be installed as rods or mesh sheets in order to provide greater stability, tension, and strength. It is typically $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot.
- Concrete delivery. Depending on the amount of concrete needed, it is sometimes easiest to just have concrete delivered in a ready-mix truck. For best results, concrete will be poured at the same to have consistent drying time, and a cohesive finish over the entire surface. The cost of concrete delivery depends on driver travel distance and time spent on the site.
- Concrete stamps (optional). If pouring concrete for jobs where the concrete will be admired, one may opt to stamp the concrete. This allows a creative appearance of tile, brick or stone without the added costs associated with those materials. For a DIY project, a single stamp mat could easily cost around $100.
- Color (optional). Color can be added to the concrete in two ways—by adding a powder to the concrete mix, or by using chemical washes and powders on top of the concrete after the finishing process.
COST OF A CONCRETE SLAB:
Once all of the above information is decided, a sample budget can be made to determine the cost of a concrete slab. Using your own specifications, draw up a detailed list of requirements and get estimates on everything in order to see how much your project will cost. Because the price of concrete, gravel, lumber, rebar, and services vary by region, check with local services, suppliers, and contractors. Please use this guide to calculate some of the hidden costs of installing concrete, and it will help you make a useful budget for your next project!
For the entire article/blog and the sample budget described above, please go to the Tex Con Ready Mix Blog: http://www.texconreadymix.com/ultimate-guide-cost-concrete/
For an updated list of concrete prices, additives, mix designs, additives, time/rentals, please go to the site, “Everything-about-concrete.com”: https://www.everything-about-concrete.com/how-much-does-concrete-cost.html