Base for Gamesroom

[samusaran]

Hi guys,

Im after some info on how deep the base should be and what to use for it,for my gamesroom im having.

Ive seen some summer houses on ebay which measure 18 feet x 8 feet.Its going to house around 8 to 10 cabs in total.

I went to BnQ last week and he said 6 inch of hardcore followed by 6 inch of concrete.

Do you think thats a bit overkill or about right?

cheers Adi

 

[forcefulfil]

suppose it depends on the weight of the summer house too and the cabs/amount etc.and what the ground is like beneath etc.

but if you want the base to be proud of the ground level,a 6" base with a good hardcore underneath sounds like it will keep the wooden structure above ground level,which is much needed using a wooden structure.

If you put mesh in the concrete this will increase its strength & you can then reduce the concrete base thickness if needed

 

[samusaran]

thats a good idea with the mesh,thanks.

 

[guddler]

Yep. My office is about the same (5m x 4m) and the base isn't that deep. But it's reinforced with a steel 'rebar' mesh.

Also, it's not just about the thickness of the base. I think minimum we were working to was 4" with steel reinforced for the base itself but all around the edges, it needs to be a lot deeper. Picture it like a box lid. I think, due to structural restrictions, one edge of mine is about 4' deep, the other is less, the front doesn't have a footing at all which strictly is bad but there's a reason and it'll be fine (

), the back edge, I can't remember how deep we went but again it wasn't 4'.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[samusaran]

so if i went with 4" of concrete the rebar mesh would sit in the middle of it,ie: 2" inch of concrete either side of the mesh?

if thats the case id need to lift it off the floor somehow.

 

[guddler]

I can't really remember what they did to be honest as I was working in Dublin that week. Hence, sadly why it was pointing in the wrong direction when I got back!! Bloody builders!

I know you're not going to want to, but you really should get advice from a surveyor or structural engineer before you start. Your not talking about a small greenhouse here. What I did was get a guy I went to school with round who is exactly that. He told me what i should do in order to play it by the book, in terms of weight vs spread and strength etc. I then took the info on board and talked to various builder mates and between us we were able to water it down to an affordable, workable compromise.

This is the best advice I (and realistically we) can give without knowing the ins and outs of the land you're putting it on. You may live on the edge of a cliff for all we know and require 20' pile driven poles! I, for instance live on the side of as steep hill and my advice takes this into account.

That's a good point actually. Another way of doing it is to pile drive pillars into the ground at structurally strategic points, build a framework on top of that, then build onto that. For me that method wasn't viable due to equipment access.

 

[Unit504]

Not overkill, just would make it more solid, my base was 10" deep and half and half (size 19ft x 10ft)

 

[andyman]

so if i went with 4" of concrete the rebar mesh would sit in the middle of it,ie: 2" inch of concrete either side of the mesh?

if thats the case id need to lift it off the floor somehow.

Rebar is put in as a box and sits within the complete slab, no need to raise off the floor plus it will weigh about 3 tonnes.

Andy.