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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:42 pm
by bri
Sorry about this. I feel like a real lamer. Some of you might remember I was in tizz with my concrete edging and mortar. In the end I took advice and shuttered the framework using the very straightest wood I could get. I took my time and in the end the shuttering was almost mm perfect. I did the math and well...I didn't fancy hauling and mixing the amounts of ingredients I had come up with (wheelbarrow + hernia). So I paid somebody else to fill my shuttering...they claimed they had 25yrs experience.
When he was pouring the concrete..well..it just looked very very watery. After he told me I'd have to wait 2 weeks before I drilled it - which didn't sound right either. The things already cracked in one corner and my own granolitic mix (I did one corner myself) is way stronger than his after just a few days setting (I can break inch thick bits of his concrete by hand and its been setting for about a month-ish).
Ah anyway today I put the aluminium greenhouse on it to see how it seated and I have to say its quite at its worst I have ever seen! I am really fed up 
.
Here are eg pics...for scale the height of the aluminium base pieces is 4inches. So as you can see there is nothing like the perfect seating I had wanted with plenty long large gaps.
I don't know what to do really:
Begin again and try to lay the edgings on this (couldn't do it before on the raw ground tho - much difference with a thinner layer on a hard flatter area?),
Mix granolitic mortar and bed the aluminium base straight into that (base is just short of 1 1/4 inches wide...too little...needs the weight spread out more??),
Maybe there is something I could use from a tube..you know like the stuff they seal window frames into a wall with, or
Maybe try some little paving bocks on mortar rather than the edgings (easier to lay flat that edgings?).
On the plus side I might have misgivings about the concrete but at least I made it deep 4 - 5 inches region (verging on 6 in odd spots).
Urgh I dunno. Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated.
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:54 pm
by Amogen
This may not help but you say you PAID someone to do that???
The person you paid had 25 years experience doing it???
I would get him back, get him to remove that load of tripe and do it from scratch again... for free!!!!
I did my own a while back, spent ages getting the shuttering to the correct dimensions, depths, etc and perfectly level. Poured the concrete, tamped it and it is level and flat on first ever try.
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:33 pm
by GB_Groundworks
we always put a course of concrete commons on top of the concrete to get plinth for the greenhouse to sit on
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:42 pm
by rab1
emailed your pictures to my wee brother, he said kango the lot and start again and I quote "what the fuc8 with the monkey mix"
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 10:16 pm
by seanandruby
Why people think it's okay to piss up the concrete i dont know. it never finishes level when to much of a slump. i would get him back to break it out for free then give him the gooner. if it was solid then you could lay a course of bricks, edging laid flat, or grout underneath. think you have no option but to start again. 25 years experience my a***.
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:01 am
by Big Phil
tell me about it mate. i wonder how many of these cowboys realise that concrete has a water/cement ratio to achieve a strength as well as slump. the more water added reduces said strength. just easier to place i guess without thinking of the consequences later...same (but kinda different) as the ones who lay soft grade binder asphalts on driveways with turning areas.
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:57 am
by oioisonnyboy
why would you even wet up such a small quantity of concrete? knocked up by hand, it is no hardship to place it at correct slump.
to put greenhouse on top your best bet is as per gb's advice, lay one course TO A STRING LINE, and get used to a step as you go into the greenhouse.
If the fella does come back to redo his work, use a timber fillet on side of the shutter a bit like this. (shown from inside the shutter)
|_ _|
|/ \| timber fillet
| |
| concrete |
| goes |
| here |
| |
the wiggly lines at the edge are your shutters, and the timber fillet is nailed to the inside of the shutter. All you do is fillt he shutters with concrete, poker it and then run the trowel along the top of the wooden fillet. Then when the shutters come off, you will have a level top and the square corners of the wall will be eliminated too...less chance of barking your shin on the angled corner.
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:27 pm
by bri
Thank you for all your replies.
I really don't want to have a fight with the guy who did this and have to start again so am going to work on the assumption that althought the cement is sh!te its is deep (say average 5inches) and wide (say average of 7 inches) and will be strong enough to go with GB and oioi's idea to put a plinth on this.
I have just been to Jewsons and WRT concrete commons do I get the ones with a recess in one side or ones that are flat on both sides? I also noticed block paving there which looks nicer than the concrete commons and are not as high (I live in a fairly rough area and the more the GH is raised the more it it visible from the street - 'Oooh look...greenhouse...get stones...must throw at it.'). Could I use block paving equally to concrete commons? (They are also a bit cheaper).
Also when I explained the situation one of the yard lads suggested Cementone Cemploy Ultra self levelling compound. Any thoughts on that as to longevity outside? I realise I'd have to get more wood for shuttering but would it be so runny it would be like water? (thus run out my shuttering).
I was gunna scan the guys business card and post 
it but can't find it. Grrrrrrrr.
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:34 pm
by bri
Oh one more thing I was wondering. Now I have my aluminium base would this work: put down the mortar all round. Put the little bricks on top of that. Then put the aluminium base on top of that and tap down the little bricks so the aluminium base is level? Not the kind of thing I could try out just to see but does (to my naieve brain) hold some idea of being easier and 'fool proof match to the base' (don't laugh !) 
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:19 am
by oioisonnyboy
hello Bri
for what its worth you can forget jewsons...chocolate dildo anyone? :p
if you prefer something a bit more along the lines of block paving, a course of engineering bricks would do just as well as concrete commons, again laid nicely to a string line.
the person trying to sell you the self levelling cementone stuff was probably after shifting some of it quickly, not really worth bothering with. if you really want to go down that route, ask for some kerb repair paste, it will be pricey, from specialist suppliers only.
Your best bet is to lay one course of eng bricks and take it from there.
hope this helps
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:58 am
by bri
Hi mate, Jewsons are handy as they are a 10min walk away and I have no transport apart from my wheel barrow. OK now I will go ask them about these engineering bricks. Do you know what is the score with using the block paving and which commons to get (recessed or not).
Since I'm doing this I want to get off on the right direction to start with.
UPDATE: Just been and fond out what an engineering brick is so they are out the equation because they have big holes in them that would collect water. When the winter comes = cracked.
Concrete commons: they have a few left with the 'frog' otherwise they are all without frog and the open pallet has plenty knacked bricks.
The concrete block pavings look OK to me.
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:48 pm
by mickg
what part of the UK are you from Bri ?
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:39 pm
by bri
Hi I am in Wigan near the Victoria Street Jewsons
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:37 pm
by Big Phil
how much are the chocolate dildos?
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:51 pm
by Mikey_C
chocolate dildos?? Typo?? accidental post meant to be in another thread, on different website??
it but can't find it. Grrrrrrrr.