typical cost of ready mix concrete for footings

[davphi338]

Hi,

Having an extension built 3m by 10m. Builder priced it up for 1m footings but it looks like I may have to have 2m footings, the BCO is coming back tomorrow to confirm.

The builder has warned me its going to add significantly to the costs i.e extra labour, skips etc. and then the obvious cost of the extra concrete. I just wanted to know what the typical cost of readymix concrete is in the SE.

The builder is a good guy and is as worried as me at the moment because the block and beams are already on site so if I can't afford to go ahead he's left with the a block and beam floor. I'm pretty certain thats not going to happen because I don't let people down I'm just trying to get an approx additional cost so I'm not too shocked tomorrow.

I can get around the extra skips and waste removal because I have an area where the waste can be put in my garden and then level it off (its all sand anyway). He already has the digger on site so hopefully it just the cost of the extra concrete and an extra days work.

 

[^woody^]

Get a proper price.

You are surely not going to rely on a web forum to decide if you are to go ahead or not

I'm curious how the builder will be left with the floor if you don't go ahead - surely the floor is chargeable to you?

In any case the wise thing to do is go ahead with the footings, and either cut costs elsewhere, or carry on building until the money runs out and then start again when you've saved some more

 

[noseall]

Why the extra metre if it is sand you are excavating?

a 6m3 load of readymix concrete is usually around £500 - £600.

part loads work out more expensive per cube.

 

[davphi338]

No my decision to continue isn't going to depend on replies here but it will depend on the additional cost. When I asked the builder how much the additional cost was likely to be he couldn't say only the fact that he priced approx £7000 for the footings and flooring. If the costs were to rise by a few £1000's I have to start thinking about if its worth it.

I was half joking when I said the builder would be left with the block and beams and its not going to happen. However, I haven't paid anything and no contract was signed so there would be nothing to stop me saying shove it you should have dug a test pit, although that would probably result in a well deserved punch and then a court summons.

I just wanted to get a rougth guide to the price of ready mix as I am going to have an extra 8m2 to budget for.

 

[^woody^]

that would probably result in a well deserved punch and then a court summons.

Not necessarily .... you would find yourself in the footings as the concrete is poured FOC

Incidently the builder is/was under no obligation to dig a trial pit. The depth of the foundations are out of his control.

 

[davphi338]

noseall, the reason why the extra depth is because my house is built on a hill. The house to my right is 6ft higher with a retaining wall and the house to the left 6 6ft lower with a retaining wall. The BCO came to inspect the trench and said that he would like us to keep digging until we hit the original foundations of the house. We now seem to have done that and they're about 2m deep. We were hoping that only the 3m length would need to be dug to that depth because that was closet to the lower retaining wall.

However, the BCO went away and spoke to the structural engineer and it seems they have come to the conclusion that the garden may have been backfilled and so all the foundations will have to be the extra depth. I spoke to a neighbour who knew the area before the houses were built and he said my plot was not backfilled but I think because the ground is pure sand and it was probably all dug up and leveled at the time of construction its impossinle to tell. I'm hoping that we may get away with stepped foundations, the area that was dug today would be at the lower part of the slope that this may have been backfilled in tthat particular corner. The builder is going to dig a test trench in the opposite corner tomorrow for the BCO to inspect to see if 2m ( or more ) is going to be required.

 

[davphi338]

woody, I did mention to him a couple of times that I was worried about the footings because of the retaining walls and he assusred me there would be no problem with 1m footing because the whole area is built on sand.

 

[noseall]

a 'contract' can exist between a builder and a customer without a shred of paper in sight.

as woody has said, it is typical to assume all foundations are 1m deep and quotes are based upon this premise. as are most drawings unless visual evidence suggests otherwise. it is only upon excavation that the true state of the ground is revealed.

you as the customer are responsible for test holes. whether you employ someone is up to you.

 

[davphi338]

noseall, I don't disagree. My point though was that I haven't paid anything so could quite easily say i don't want it anymore but as I also said that would duly end in a court summons.

I like to think I have a good relationship with the builder and there is no way I would contemplate leaving him out of pocket through no fault of his own. However, that doesn't mean I can't negotiate with him on the additional costs, which i need to keep to a min. Thus trying to get round not having the extra skips and knowing the cost of an extra 8m2 concrete so i can at least have a ball park figure of the extra costs.

 

[^woody^]

It may be worth cosidering a piled foundation

 

[davphi338]

Sounds expensive. Would it matter that 3m have already been dug at 2m depth and another couple of meters at 1m. i.e can you simply refill the trench and then pile. Thing is the skips already been collected so theres shag all to put back in the trench.