Concrete or cement base for a garage - how much?

[prophead]

I'll be doing this in the new year, putting down hardcore myself.

I think I'll need about 2 cubic metres of concrete or cement for a 3m x 6m garage with about 4 inches thickness although I'm open to correction as maths isn't my strong point

Is cement a viable alternative to concrete, assuming its cheaper?

I would prefer to do it in one go so me and a mate will be barrowing it up the driveway as a truck wont fit, is this feasible to do with two fat blokes before it goes off?

Finally, how much am I looking at? I was talking to a fella that said most places will only do 6 cubic metres minimum which is way too much.

Any advice greatly

[oldnbold]

Concrete is what you need, plenty of suppliers will do small loads, it just costs a bit more. From memory when I did my garage back in Jan it was about £120+VAT per m3.

Just buy a big tarp for about £15 and have the guy shoot it straight onto that at the bottom of your drive, as I don't suppose he will be to keen to hang around while 2 fat blokes barrow it up the drive. When you order it explain that you need it workable for a couple of hours and they will put some retarder in if they need to.

Obviously make sure that all the shuttering is solid before you start and that whatever you are going to tamp it down with is long enough.

Edited by oldnbold on Monday 8th December 21:44

[prophead]

That's brilliant, a couple of fumbley Google searches had given me somthing far dearer than that!

Good advice on the tarp and retarder aswell, thanks a million.

I'll just have to wait for the ground to warm up now...

[ad260S]

Where in the northeast are you? There are a few places that do small loads of concrete, with the 6m3 wagons you will pay a part load charge on the 4m3 of fresh air they are carrying.

[Rocket City]

These guys are really good http://ezimixnortheast.co.uk/
You'll pay a bit more but they'll barrow it right into the job for you, leaving you to flex your muscles on levelling and smoothing. The extra cost is worth it, let them do the hard and heavy work.

[prophead]

Ooh, they look great! That would be a real help to a fattish lazy man such as myself :-)

[ShampooEfficient]

Is the price for a garage base roughly comparable to a simple concrete drive? We don't need anything fancy as it's round the back, we're going to look in more detail in the new year, we're thinking either basic paving slabs or concrete, just to stand a pair of cars on.