Kit shed- doing the poured walls myself

[diyshed]

Hi everyone. Im 19 years old. I am training as a car mechanic and want to put up my own workshop for working on cars.

I am after ordering a new kit shed. It is only a very handy shed as thats all I can afford at the moment It is going to be 47ft x 30ft x 12ft. Roof sheeting is non drip. 16ft bays Everything is coming with the kit except the side sheeting as I am unsure of the size of this yet and will order this at a later date. RSjs which are being used are 8 x5ft. My parents are going to pay for the site to be dug out and foundations laid by a friend of theirs who is a builder. The rest is going to be left to me to pay for and erect.

Doing this shed is a learning experience in itself and I want to try it out myself. I am very capable when it comes to the metal and know exactly what to do.

I want to put in shuttered concrete walls. and I want to try this myself. One of my best friends has a tractor and pan mixer he will lend me and I can be tipping away at this during the weekends. But I need advice on this part as I have never shuttered walls myself before. I will make the walls 8 inchs thick to fit in between the RSJs. Is this thick enough?

Questions I have and where I need help from ye experts:
I want to make the shutters myself (to try and save money I dont really have). Can I make a shutter 16ft wide and 5ft high? How easy will this be to manage? We already have a tractor and loader here to lift them. AS I said the builder will have the foundations laid. I will have the rails stood. Do the shutters just sit on top of the foundation and stick to it? Or what do I need to ensure in order to get the poured wall to stick to the foundation?

How do I stop the shutters from rising up when concrete is poured into them and all concrete flowing out the bottom?

Will I get away without steel for these walls? Its only a workshop. Or should I stick in a few randoms pieces of rebar every few feet vertically?

Btw I know they have to be pokered. I presume I can hire one of these from the local hire place? Are these just electric and you just wash them down afterwards?


All this may show that I dont know what im doing when it comes to the concrete section but I just really want to learn. If worst came to the worst and the first bay turned out a diaster I could just know it and get professionals in but I want to try and do it for myself. I will be able to get a few friends to help me but again they wont have a clue either what their doing and I dont really have the money to pay professionals.

 

[designanddetail]

If you are on a budget why would you want to pour shuttered walls in a workshop building?

 

[diyshed]

If you are on a budget why would you want to pour shuttered walls in a workshop building?

I think it would be just a better job long term and also look better. Should also be better to keep damp away. I am on a budget but can tip away at this and maybe do a bay a week during the weekends.

 

[Frodo]

If you are on a budget why would you want to pour shuttered walls in a workshop building?

What would you use? Panels or just sheet it to the ground?

 

[pine_guy]

What would you use? Panels or just sheet it to the ground?

* disclaimer, I not heavily experienced in this area*
But I’d of thought panels, they are not taking any side load so wouldn’t need to be very thick 100mm maybe As opposed to filling between the RSJ with 200mm of poured concrete. you Would buy them for similar money than the raw materials to shutter the wall. A 4’ high shutterd wall right round that shed (no door) would need £1000 worth of ready mix before you make shutters, hire a vibrating poker etc.
Have you considered blocking the walls with a Cavity so you can insulate the shed?

 

[GeorgeK]

Concrete is the most expensive part of a shed, I'd save it for the floor. @grainboy is the one to talk to, he might have some used steel grain walling for the sides it's good stuff, galvanised and strong enough to pour the concrete floor straight into

 

[Chae1]

I think it would be just a better job long term and also look better. Should also be better to keep damp away. I am on a budget but can tip away at this and maybe do a bay a week during the weekends.

Would be worth pricing panels anyway. Look at both options.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Youd have all those panels up in a day. Need to be 15ft mind. Probably get them for £150 each circa £1500

 

[kill]

Concrete blocks maybe an easier option really if wanta wall from recess of leg to recess of leg and not retaining ground.

 

[Chae1]

Concrete blocks maybe an easier option really if wanta wall from recess of leg to recess of leg and not retaining ground.

One of my friends is a mechanic and he used concrete blocks for garage he built.

His stepdad is a brickie to trade though. Which I'm sure influenced the decision.

 

[herman]

Only limited experience in this myself, but pouring a concrete wall is a specialist thing to do.
You must never underestimate the weight of 8" of concrete over the width of the bay you are doing, making a shutter is quite difficult and has to be very strong with a lot of thru clamps or divvy dags as they call them to stop it bulging out. Also it would want to be poured over a short period and not a weekend as it would start to go off and not bind together properly and look a mess.
Concrete panels would be the cheapest and fastest option and they could be used partly as a shutter for your concrete floor.
Probably the best option would be bricks and blocks with a cavity at least, or insulation between.
You will possibly regret in the future not insulating when you want to heat the place. You still have the option with the roof and sides at a later date to add insulation. Trust me working in a cold shed when it's warmer outside is not very inspiring, especially when the weather is as it is now.

This is only my opinion and I'm sure someone will have a better understanding than me.

But, you sound very keen to get on and I can only wish you good luck and I hope you are very successful.

 

[davidroberts30]

I've got 8x16foot shutters here
You need to mix and pour in a hour or so otherwise it wont bind and look sh!t
Panels every time

 

[jimbo69]

My Grandfather poured concrete walls on the last shed he built 30 year ago. He borrowed steel shutters from a friend and had a mixer on the front loader of his Zetor. What he did to save concrete was chuck loads and I mean loads of big stones in with the concrete and tamp them down into the concrete. He also pored them 8 feet high but 4 feet at a time. Poured the bottom one day then moved the shutters up a day or 2 later.

 

[Suckndiesel]

Would have thought the same as others, block built so you can insulate or else panels instead of shuttered concrete as with panels you’ve the advantage of extending the shed easier if that’s an option in the future.

Also if you decide to do diy shuttering YouTube has plenty of videos

 

[diyshed]

Only limited experience in this myself, but pouring a concrete wall is a specialist thing to do.
You must never underestimate the weight of 8" of concrete over the width of the bay you are doing, making a shutter is quite difficult and has to be very strong with a lot of thru clamps or divvy dags as they call them to stop it bulging out. Also it would want to be poured over a short period and not a weekend as it would start to go off and not bind together properly and look a mess.
Concrete panels would be the cheapest and fastest option and they could be used partly as a shutter for your concrete floor.
Probably the best option would be bricks and blocks with a cavity at least, or insulation between.
You will possibly regret in the future not insulating when you want to heat the place. You still have the option with the roof and sides at a later date to add insulation. Trust me working in a cold shed when it's warmer outside is not very inspiring, especially when the weather is as it is now.

This is only my opinion and I'm sure someone will have a better understanding than me.

But, you sound very keen to get on and I can only wish you good luck and I hope you are very successful.

Thanks for all the replies so far everyone. I will defo be putting in shuttered walls. I wont be using blocked walls or precast walls. I can mix the required amount in a pan mixed and tip it in with the loader bucket and will get this done easily in an hour.

Are there any experts on this that I can Pm if I have any questions? I suppose my biggest question so far is now do you make sure the shutter sticks to the ground and to make sure it wont rise up when concrete is poured in and leave concrete pour out?

 

[davidroberts30]

Thanks for all the replies so far everyone. I will defo be putting in shuttered walls. I wont be using blocked walls or precast walls. I can mix the required amount in a pan mixed and tip it in with the loader bucket and will get this done easily in an hour.

Are there any experts on this that I can Pm if I have any questions? I suppose my biggest question so far is now do you make sure the shutter sticks to the ground and to make sure it wont rise up when concrete is poured in and leave concrete pour out?

As long as you can mix 1.5cube in a hour,both mixes the same and get it poured and pokered
It wont be a easy hour
I'd go panels and slot them in the steel

 

[Tealo]

@Pan mixer

 

[Half Pipe]

If you used 4" panels just now, it leaves room for insulation etc later on and alot easier to alter later on if you decide to fit aside door, 2nd building on side etc

 

[bobk]

4 inch concrete blocks @ £10/ m , decent bricklayer will make a mess of that in a week

 

[Hilly]

As long as you can mix 1.5cube in a hour,both mixes the same and get it poured and pokered
It wont be a easy hour
I'd go panels and slot them in the steel

Some price difference mind and proper shutterd wall twice that of pannels and half price .