Removing concrete base that shed sits on

BaconandEggs

Hi - might seem like a simple question but was wondering about the best way forward to remove a thick concrete slab a shed sits on.

From what I can see it is at least 5 inches in depth.

Pick axe or rent something out?

ormus

borrow two sledgehammers and two big blokes.
get a case of beer in.


a large pry bar/spike will help a lot.

phill99

Big sledgehammer and muscles!!

Plasterer

phill99 wrote: »

Big sledgehammer and muscles!!

And the crate of BEER :beer:

googler

Ask around at local builders merchants or building firms for a couple of 'general labourers' who might be interested in doing the job in their free time for standard rates. Keep them topped up with tea and snacks on the job, give them the beer once they're done.

If they can bring pickaxes etc all good and well; if not hire them

Unless you're going to take the rubble away in your car, then freecycle it or hire a skip.

Ebe_Scrooge

Agreed the sledge-hammer and some beer-fuelled mates is the MSE answer. But it does depend on how large an area you're talking about. Hiring a breaker for about 30 or 40 quid for a day may be a blessing if it's a reasonably big area.

You also need to think about how you'll get rid of it all, concrete is deceptively heavy and it would take many trips in your car to take to the tip. You may be able to freecycle it if someone wants to break it up and use it as hardcore, to save hiring a skip or grabber lorry.

BaconandEggs

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

The freecycle one is something that I had not considered.

How would a hammer drill fitted with a chisel bit cope with the task?

Ebe_Scrooge

If you're talking about a decent SDS drill, then yes it would do the job. But it would still be hard going if it's an "ordinary" sized drill. The weight of a proper breaker makes an enormous difference when tackling tough concrete ( speaking from painful experience, here !! ).

It really does depend on (a) how big an area you're talking about and (b) how far you want to take the MSE mantra :-) A hammer and cold chisel is the cheapest option, but the chiropractors bills may outweigh any savings, and it's not all that much to hire a decent breaker for the day

pimento

The people two along from me hired a small pneumatic drill when they dug up their patio.

Ebe_Scrooge

pimento wrote: »

The people two along from me hired a small pneumatic drill when they dug up their patio.

Yes, by far the easiest way, and not a huge amount of money. To be pedantic, it was probably an electric breaker like a Kango or Hilti or similar, rather than pneumatic ( which requires an air compressor, and not commonly hired for small domestic jobs ). But the net effect is the same, as far as the average DIY-er is concerned:)

slipperyshoe

I had to do exactly this when I moved my shed. I bought a cheap (but big) domestic SDS drill (ebay and search SDS hammer) which came with all the necessary bits. Cost about £40 but died after about 2hrs of solid use, which was perfect as I just finished! I gave it a good send off as I put it in the bin! Cheaper than hiring!