Concrete shed base poorly done

booksandbikes

I did have a thread here a little while back but removed the photos as I thought it would be sorted.

We have paid just under £2k for this shed base (plus some rendering and a small bit of knocking some steps out). We think it is a sub-standard job, we have just had another tradesman who basically confirmed that, but can be remedied by putting slabs over it to level it out.

We don't want the original tradesman to come back to sort it, as I don't trust he has the skill or attention to detail.

We have paid him all but £200…..what recourse do we have? Can I email him and ask for him to refund some of our money? Do I chalk it up to 'lesson learned'? I hate confrontation, but this is £2k and I'm not sure it would be fit for purpose for a metal shed??

Any advice or opinions welcome.

jaybeetoo

Can you get a second opinion from another builder?

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6675880/concrete-shed-base-poorly-done

We think it is a sub-standard job, we have just had another tradesman who basically confirmed that, but can be remedied by putting slabs over it to level it out.

We don't want the original tradesman to come back to sort it, as I don't trust he has the skill or attention to detail.

Unless the shed is larger than the base you don't really want the base to be level, as water landing on the edges of the base can pool underneath the shed.

The ideal is to have a base which is flat (not 'humped') with a small fall (slope) in one direction. Although the pictures don't really show how much fall is there, the direction of fall is the one I'd have chosen if I were doing it myself.

The second trader (who wants to level it out with slabs) is the one whose skill and attention to detail might be questionable.

The quality of the finish to the concrete isn't great, but then if it will be covered by a shed it isn't unreasonable, unless you specified a better quality finish than that.

What kind of floor will the shed come with?

booksandbikes

Won't it be a problem if the base has a very rimpled and uneven surface - ie water is likely to pool in the divots?

It's going to be an Asgard shed, so the base will be metal which is why I thought it would be a problem that it is not completely level.

To be fair we didn't specify a high quality finish, as I assumed that would be the standard. I was expecting a tamped finish. Is that something that should be specified when quoting?

stuart45

It looks like a tamped finish, just not a very good one.

I

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82065923#Comment_82065923

Builders generally will give an opinion based on whether they can see a worthwhile job in it.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6675880/concrete-shed-base-poorly-done

I have seen worse.

Haggle over the £200 if you want but just get the discount/reduction in writing so he can't come back for more.

Why was it built so high off the ground?

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82065983#Comment_82065983

Asgard seem to recommend the base should be absolutely level and the shed built direct onto the slab.

Obviously you need to consider the consequences of not following the manufacturer's recommendations.

It seems the reason they say the base should be level is so the doors shut properly… that would be a reason for having the base flat, not necessarily for having it level. The instructions I saw do reference the use of packing shims to level the shed if the door(s) don't close properly.

Personally I'd have a slight fall on the base (as mentioned above) and then build the shed on timber bearers so the metal base is off the ground. Metal (steel) in constant contact with the ground is going to rust, no matter how good the paint and/or galvanising. Timber bearers would help keep the metal drier and (if done properly) would help spread the load and compensate for surface variations.

Lorian

Why so tall?

Is that a solid block of concrete?

Why is it rendered?

Does it have mixed aggregates in the concrete?

bjorn_toby_wilde

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82066054#Comment_82066054

I’ve seen composite bearers advertised, which may be even better than timber.

booksandbikes

Ok, so if it not entirely level then there is a workaround using shims/bearers - that is good to know.

I'm getting the impression that you guys don't necessarily think it is a poor quality job?

It is on the first level of a terraced garden, that is why it is so high. There was an old crumbling concrete base already in place and a tree growing out of it on the left hand side next to the fence (see pic below from diff angle).

No idea if it there was aggregate in the concrete. It came from one of those large ready mix concrete lorrys - if that makes any difference.

We asked for it to be rendered because the retaining wall was in a poor cosmetic state…however the renderer said he couldn't do a proper job because the wall wasn't straight. See the second pic below…..to the left of the existing wall, originally was a section rough stonework and an upright breeze block at an angle and two concrete slabs balanced on the top of the pad. NO idea why it was like this - the tree was infront of the slabs and the whole thing had clearly been there for a while - I'd say 10 years, as the tree was well established. The tradesman was going to leave it but it was an absolute mess, we insisted he do something about it so he used the concrete slabs as shuttering and poured the concrete down behind it. 🤷‍♀️ So this part of the 'wall' slightly curves out now.

Also, on the pic below from the side, he chipped into the existing lip to put shuttering there, and then used dolly blocks to bring it up to the same level of the slab. He said the renderer was going to cover it, but the renderer showed up and said he couldn't do anything with it. Does anyone have any suggestions what to do with that bit of it to neaten it up?