Plain concrete drive, reinforcing required? - Can i get away without reinforcing the a

[jotto]

Hey all. New to the forum and looking for some advice.

Am constructing a parking area at the bottom of the garden for 2 cars.

Dug out all the top soil and have laid hardcore to a depth of around 400mm. This has been compacted heavily during its laying down.

I now have a hard standing....

I need to pour a concrete base that will vary in thickness from 150mm to 250mm and will cover an area of around 5m2.

This is all getting very expensive now and as Im on a tight budget, I wondered if I really needed to add reinforcing mesh to the pads construction.

I know the concrete will probably crack which isnt a real issue for me. If it cracks down to the bars then they are going to rust out anyway.

What are the pro's and cons to me reinforcing or not?

As I said before, the hardcore has been well and truly compacted and there arent any major side to side stresses that I can forsee...but then Im new to all this!!!

TIA.

[seanandruby]

It is always best to reinforce a slab. but you are doing the right thing by thickening yours.you will need to place a DPM and also shutter the edges to contain the concrete. maybe you could use "fibre" added to the concrete instead of steel. remember to use fibre board or similar material if you are forming joints. just for parking i cant see any problems apart from slight cracking but you can control those.

[Dave_L]

How much would a couple of mesh sections cost, for the benefits given?

Surely worthwhile doing?

[jotto]

Thanks guys.

I can get 3 sheets of mesh for £94 delivered which isnt as bad as I was expecting. Adding fibre to the mix would have cost a little more so I may as well go with the flow and bite the bullet. I suppose if I do it right now it will last!!!

Thanks.