Kris, re concrete, dont know which way you are going , mix yourself, volumetric ( mix on site) or Ready Mix (mixer truck delivery) , as someone that batches concrete for a living be careful , getting material delivered to site and mixing a barrowload at a time will save a little money ( you will be surprised at how little) volumetric you can order roughley what you want have a little more or a little less than what's required and have no waste, around here the price is approx £130 m3 and you get 15 mins a m3 to unload, readymix from 1 of the more reputupiutable suppliers should be approx £90 a m3 , trucks hold 6m3 (we have mainly 8M3 trucks) if you want less than 6m3 you may be charged for uncarried meterage at half price IE if you want 5 m3 , it will be 5X£90 + 1 X£45, the main drawback is waiting time is charged at about £120 per hour after 30 mins , i know this seems excessive but Readymix is after bulk and small 1 off jobs are a pain as they hold the trucks up when they could be on major pours (100m3 +).
i have 2 sheds up the 1st the base was done by volumetric truck before i started in the readymix industry, as i worked out it was so much cheaper, (the quality was a lot less inferior than readymix)
2nd was done with my current employer, with staff discount and a drink for my driver to deliver to my house on a saturday morning.
that said some of the volumetric firms are shall we say using inferior material, i have seen recycled glass , and crushed concrete going in the mixes , with the major suppliers (Hanson , Cemex Tarmac, Lafarge ect) you will get a guarantee of quality (QSRMS scheme or equivalent).
you pay your money you take your choice
Hope this helps
Tim
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