How Much Does It Cost to Pour a 24×24 Slab of Concrete?

Concrete slabs are necessary for a variety of different projects. Maybe you need a concrete patio for your summer night parties- or a foundation to build your shed. Perhaps, you have another project in mind.

Regardless of the reason, one thing is for sure: It’s going to cost you. A concrete slab that is 24 X 24 is the average size needed to make a patio. How much would that cost, exactly?

The average cost to pour a 24×24 slab of concrete is $3,456, which includes materials and labor. Homeowners spend an average of $45 per hour on labor, and it costs $15.90 per square foot to pour concrete. Material costs include $4 per cubic foot of concrete, or $900 total before labor costs.

If the cost of a concrete slab is too much, you could always try concrete instead. Not many people know this, but concrete and cement are not the same.

Concrete’s made from cement, plus other granular materials, mortar, and water.

The average flat-rate cost for labor is around $45 per hour. This price will be different depending on the contractor, or company you hire. If there are any additional fees, these should be discussed before hiring so that you are aware.

Although, sometimes, a contractor will charge a rate per square foot. You can expect to pay between $5.35 and $10.55 per square foot for the installation of concrete. This price reflects the average cost per square foot of a slab that is four inches thick.

If you find that you cannot afford to hire a professional, there is the option of doing it yourself. However, you would need to make sure you have all the materials available. Configuring the price also includes safety equipment.

To figure out how much it would cost you to do it yourself, you need to know the cost of the materials.

Although, the most common thickness of concrete is between 4″ and 8″ depending on the job. Rarely ever will you need a foot thick of poured concrete.

Let’s say you need a four-inch-thick slab for your project. You could expect to pay around $900 for your materials, and the necessary equipment. While this is cheaper, it would be a better idea to save up and hire a professional instead.

The contractor, or company, will have the necessary materials available. Besides, having a professional do it always turns out better! Hiring someone takes the hard work away from you and puts it into the hands of someone trained to do this work. Unless, of course, you have your equipment.

RCC holds the same components as conventional concrete- it is made from cement, aggregates, and water. However, the mix is driver, allowing compaction with a roller without the risk of cracking.

The cost of roller-compacted concrete is around $90 per cubic yard.

Ready-Mix Concrete is mixed at a plant, rather than on the site. It is either then mixed while in transit with a cement truck, or re-mixed upon arrival.

The cost of ready-mix concrete is $119 to $147 per cubic yard. If you order less than ten cubic yards (7.11 yards for a 24 X 24 slab with 4″ depth), then you may be charged an additional $53 per cubic yard.

Stamped concrete is a type of concrete that has patterns and textures to it. This particular type of concrete can look like wood, brick, stone, or any other kind of material.

On average, stamped concrete costs between $8 and $12 per square foot. Sometimes, though, it can go as high as $18 square feet.

Asphalt concrete has two components, asphalt cement, and aggregate. The aggregate makes up about 90%-95% of this concrete. Think of a parking lot or a highway. These are great examples of asphalt concrete.

This concrete can cost you between $7 per square foot, and $13 per square foot.

Of course, we can’t forget about the regular concrete. Standard concrete comes in a variety of ways:

Your subbase is what your concrete rests on. Typically road base or granular fill is used as a subbase. Although, an exception to that is if you have adequately stable soil. In that instance, you can use the earth as a subbase. However, you would need a contractor to come in to check your soil to see if it’s stable enough.

You can use either fine grade stone or open grade stone. However, the open grade stone tends to allow water to slip through. Fine grade stone is more expensive.

Your subbase should be 4 to 8 inches thick, depending on your project. You can compact it with either a hand tamper or a plate compactor.

In the case that you decided to combine the concrete yourself, here are some tips to help you achieve the best concrete mixture:

You can mix the concrete in a wheelbarrow with a shovel if you do not have a concrete mixer. From there, you can dump the concrete into your form from the wheelbarrow, or shovel it out.

You will then want to take your screening tool and start at the uphill point. The point of screening is to flatten out your concrete. Do this until everything is level and smooth. Get rid of any air bubbles as well as this will affect the finish to your slab.