Hi all.

I wonder if someone could spare me some time to answer some worries I have. I\'m looking to build a brick outhouse at the bottom of my long garden. Im a keen DIYer and will have to self-build as I cannot afford to hire professional builders.

My footings will be 800mm deep and 7m x 4m approx - so I\'m gonna need two Concrete Lorryies of 6m3.

As there is no road access to the bottom of my garden, I will have to hire a line-pump to pump the concrete approx 220ft to the bottom of my garden. I can\'t use a boom as there are telephone wires in the way, and the road wont be big enough for a boom lorry to spead its supports. So a line running along the ground is the only way I guess.

Worry number 1) The road I live down is quite small and I am concerned that a 26tonne mixing lorry might cause damage to the road or that the mixing lorry and pumping lorry might not have enough space to manouver together etc. Also, as they will be parked on a public road, I am really worried that they might leave loads of mess everywhere. How much mess does this kind of thing usually leave? As its a quite back-street, the neighbours would go mad if there was any damage or mess to the road, and I would probably be getting a clean-up bill from the council. What kind of mess can I expect?

2) The footings are obviously quite large for a DIYer and I am worried that I won\'t be able to move the pump-line around the footings to pump the 12m3 of concrete evenly around them. If the line is too heavy for me to move, I guess the only option would be to spread the concrete around with a spade. Would this be too hard for a single person to do or does the concrete almost self-level as it has to be quite runny to get through the pump etc?

Sorry if these are really stupid questions. I\'d have no reservations if I was just mixing it myself and barrowing it into position etc, but this is obviously such a massive job for a DIYer, and I have no experience of pumps or mixing lorries etc.

Thanks for any advice you could give.

Regards
Steve ( England UK)

you can get a small pump to pump it for you the one\'s we have at work weigh about 12 tons and are able of pumping that distance, as for the concrete lorry u can get small 3m trucks that are about the same weight as the pump.the concrete company will work out how much you need if you give the the size of the footings.just reply on the board or email me through my name (anypump)And i will give you a contact

Hi Steve

I\'m thrilled you came to this site,most DIY\'rs don\'t think about it.That fact puts you one step ahead.

concern #1 - the small trailer line pumps are small and weigh very little.Most are pulled by a 3/4 or 1 ton trucks.These pumps typically pump a 3/8 inch mix and the hoses are very easy to move around.I would say contact your redimix supplier and have them look at the conditions before hand (good planning).As for washing out I have used wheel barrows for the mixers with no problems,then you can dispose by the new foundation.The small line pump guys are used to this and usually know how to zero mess on a job.Using plastic on the ground helps as well.

concern #2 - If you were using conventional line (4\") yes it is way to hard for one man to do.This is why I suggested a small line pump and 2\" line.I would of course suggest the help of 2 others as well.Another thought is since it\'s DIY and you may not understand how fast concrete can set,I would use a retard additive such as delvo.You redi-mix company can advise there.

It\'s not a massive job and you have good insight this far.A well layed out game plan can really help in the end.Good luck,let us know how it went and send pic\'s.

Thanks for your replies and advice!! I feel a little more confident now.