Concrete Bases & Shed Slabs in Ireland
A concrete base or shed slab is built by stripping to formation, placing and compacting granular stone, setting formwork and mesh or fibre reinforcement, then pouring and finishing the concrete to level with a fall for drainage. Rayco Civils installs bases for domestic sheds and garages, agricultural sheds, machinery, yards and commercial units across Ireland.
Overview
A base looks like the simplest thing on a site and is one of the most common things to get wrong. Slabs crack because the stone underneath was not compacted, because there is no fall on them, or because the thickness and mesh were guessed rather than matched to what will sit on them.
We build bases the same way we build any slab: proper formation, compacted stone in layers, reinforcement to suit the load, and a finish appropriate to the use.
Rayco Civils is a civil engineering and groundworks contractor based in Monamolin, Co. Wexford, working on sites across Ireland. Send drawings or a site location and we will price the works.
Scope of works
Domestic shed and garage bases
For a garden shed, garage or home gym the base needs to be flat, dry and slightly larger than the building, with a fall away from any doorway and a membrane where the building will be enclosed and heated. Where the shed or garage is supplied by a manufacturer we set out from their base drawing so the building lands where it should.
Bases for cars and light storage are straightforward; bases carrying a hoist, a heavy vehicle or a machine are a different specification and we will say so rather than pouring a domestic slab and hoping.
Agricultural and machinery bases
Farm sheds, feed passages, machinery stands and tank bases take point loads and abrasion that domestic slabs never see, and they usually need a fall to a collection point rather than a flat finish.
We take the loads and finish from the shed supplier's or engineer's information and build the sub-base to match, because on agricultural work the layer under the concrete does most of the structural job.
Yards, hard standings and commercial slabs
Loaded vehicles, racking legs and forklift wheels concentrate load in small areas, so commercial slabs are about thickness, joint layout and a sub-base that will not settle differentially. Surface water needs somewhere to go, which means falls, channels and a connection into the drainage system.
These are designed slabs on most commercial sites, and we build them to the engineer's detail with level and compaction records.
Frequently asked questions
How thick should a shed base be?
It depends on what will sit on it and the ground underneath, so it is not a fixed number. A light garden shed and a base carrying a tractor or a vehicle hoist are very different specifications. Tell us the building and the load and we will price it correctly.
Do you dig out and prepare the ground as well as pouring?
Yes. The strip, excavation, muck-away and compacted stone sub-base are part of the job — the preparation is what determines whether the slab lasts.
Can you set out from a shed manufacturer's drawing?
Yes. We work from the supplier's base drawing including dimensions, holding-down bolt positions and any level requirement, and we survey the finished base before delivery is booked.
Do concrete bases need a fall?
Almost always. Water needs to run away from doorways and off the surface, and on yards it needs to reach a channel or gully rather than pond on the slab.
What does a concrete base cost?
It depends on area, thickness, how much digging and muck-away is involved, reinforcement and access for the concrete. Send dimensions and a site location for an itemised price.
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