[steve_pr]

Well we finally splashed out and replaced the old open bay shed and corrugated iron (nissan) hut opposite it with a spanking new steel framed barn 60 foot by 35 foot - looks HUGE but all the advice was to build it as big as you can, you will only regret it otherwise.  Now we need to decide what to do on the floor.  Sides will be blocks to about 4 feet then yorkshire boards and a couple of galebreaker panels to aid ventilation. The aim is to be able to house all the sheep in winter and through lambing, together with their feed and enough space for the tractor etc.


Two thirds of the floor area is laid down to concrete, but it is cracking and slopes in all the wrong directions so water pools against the back wall. The rest is earth and we will need to lay a new slab base there.  Not sure how best to renovate the concrete slab. Reading around there are some good screeds that could level it all out at about 50mm depth but we were quoted best part of £4000, and that was just the materials. 100mm of concrete over the whole lot was quoted at £1500 - and we were advised against anything thinner since it will likely crack.


More web searching reveals the concept of chalk or limestone (crushed) floor for livestock housing - reckoned to be much cheaper in a 150-200mm layer (compacted) and the wee just soaks in and is neutralised keeping the straw much dryer (allegedly!). 


Anyone got any suggestions, advice, comments (especially if based on practical experience!) or should I just stop whinging, brace myself and get the chequebook out for a new concrete slab?

[john and helen]

what did you decide on steve ?

[goosepimple]

Hi, I'm an architect so I'll give my 2p's worth.
 
Depends on the compactness of your earth floor but I would go for concrete every time and yes, don't go any less than 100mm and lay it before the frost comes.  It will serve you a lifetime and you can wash it out.  Self levelling screeds can be applied on top of the existing bit - that's a pour on screed which will find a level - you can do this yourself, don't be scared, there must be something on Youtube you can follow, or get the existing stuff out and redo the whole lot in a one-er.  We're putting up a new barn and were quoted recently for an 20m x 6m (old money    that's approx 60ft x 18ft) £1500 from the ready mix company - all you need to do is have the framework and they pour it in, there's not much to do.  The readymix co will work out how much you need if you give them the dimensions and you get different mixes depending on if you're putting in a tractor or heavy goods, so not sure if that's where the expense comes in.  Normally reinforcement can be put in which is just sheets of grid metal bars which you can get from your builders merchants and it is put in the concrete to give it a mesh span reinforcement basically.
Do a bit of Youtube research I would say and don't worry about doing it yourself and just getting in the readymix lorry - speak to them too, they will be helpful, other materials will end up being temporary and you'll end up going down the concrete route eventually, so take a short cut and just do the concrete.   2p