Concrete Slabs in Port St. Lucie, FL

Concrete Slabs are the plain, hard-working pads around a property: the base for a shed, a generator, an A/C condenser or pool equipment, a garage or workshop floor, or a place to park a boat or RV. They come up when a household adds a standby generator, replaces a storm-worn shed, or needs somewhere off the lawn to keep a boat.

Common slab jobs

• Shed and storage building pads: square, level and slightly larger than the building
• Equipment pads: for generators, A/C units, pool pumps and heaters, often with conduit or pipe sleeves set before the pour
• Garage and workshop floors: thicker, with reinforcement and a smooth trowel finish
• RV and boat pads: a 6-inch slab sized for the trailer and tongue jack
• Hot tub pads: sized for the weight of a filled spa

Built for the load

The right thickness depends on what sits on the slab. A 4-inch slab is usually fine for a shed or patio furniture. Vehicles, boats and RVs call for 6 inches, and point loads such as a trailer jack, a car lift or a hot tub need extra attention. HomeGuide lists 4-inch slabs at $6 to $8 per square foot and 6-inch slabs at $8 to $10, so the difference on a small pad is modest compared with the cost of a cracked one.

The base on sandy ground

On Florida's sandy soils the base decides whether a slab stays level. We strip sod and organic soil, compact the subgrade, add base and compact it again. A slab on uncompacted fill or dark topsoil will settle unevenly, which is the most common reason sheds end up with doors that will not close. If a slab sits low on the lot, we set it high enough and slope it so rainwater does not pool around it.

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Reinforcement and joints

Rebar or wire mesh holds cracks tight, and control joints at the right spacing give the slab a place to crack in a straight line. For equipment pads we set anchor bolts or embedded sleeves where the installer needs them, so nothing has to be drilled into fresh concrete later.

Permits and placement

Sheds, generators and large pads may need a permit or have setback rules depending on the address, and in HOA communities they usually need approval. The City's residential permits cap impervious area at 80% of the lot, which can matter when a large RV pad is added beside an already wide driveway. We check the requirements before we schedule and leave pulling any building permit for the shed or generator itself to whoever installs it, unless we arrange otherwise.

How much concrete is that?

HomeGuide notes that one cubic yard covers about 81 square feet of a 4-inch slab. A 10x12 shed pad needs about 1.5 yards; a 12x40 RV pad at 6 inches needs close to 9 yards. Small loads often carry a short-load charge from the plant, which is part of why small pads cost more per square foot than large ones.

Curing and first use

Keep heavy equipment and vehicles off a new slab until it has gained strength. Light sheds can usually be set after about a week. Vehicles and boats should wait for most of the 28-day cure if possible. Keep the slab damp or covered with curing compound early on, especially in summer heat.