Question 1

We're adding a hot tub, a shed or a spot for the RV. What does a pad usually run?

Accepted Answer

A hot tub pad usually runs $1,000–$2,500. Shed and equipment slabs run $7–$12 per square foot, and an RV pad $8–$12 per square foot, about $3,800–$5,800 for a 12 by 40 foot pad. Small pads cost more per square foot because the crew and the truck cost the same, so most carry a minimum charge.

Question 2

How thick should a hot tub pad be?

Accepted Answer

At least four inches of reinforced concrete on a compacted base, and many tub makers ask for more, so we check your model’s requirement. A filled tub with people in it can weigh as much as a car, all on a few square feet.

Question 3

How big should an RV pad be?

Accepted Answer

At least as long as the RV plus a few feet, and 12 to 14 feet wide so you can open doors and walk around it. Six inches of reinforced concrete on a compacted base keeps the tires from rutting it.

Question 4

Do I need a permit for a shed slab?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the size of the shed and the city: small sheds are often exempt, larger ones need a permit, and HOAs often have their own rules about sheds. We check before we pour.

Question 5

Can you run power to a hot tub through the pad?

Accepted Answer

We set conduit sleeves in the slab before the pour so your electrician can pull wire later without cutting concrete. Tell us where the tub’s disconnect will go and we place them to match.

Question 6

We need small pads for the pool equipment and the AC unit. Will you pour something that small?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Small pads get the same compacted base and reinforcement as larger slabs, so they stay level. Since the crew and the truck cost the same either way, small pads usually carry a minimum charge, and pouring a few at once spreads that out.

Question 7

The spot where the shed's going slopes a bit. Does the pad have to be dead level?

Accepted Answer

The top of the pad should sit flat enough for the shed, with a slight fall so water doesn't pool. On a slope, we build the low side up with compacted base, so the pad doesn't settle on that end.

Question 8

Our trash cans sit in the dirt next to the garage. Could a small slab there connect to the driveway?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The new pad is tied to the driveway with steel dowels or separated by an isolation joint, on a base built to the same standard, so the two don't move against each other. We match the grade so water still drains away from the garage.

Question 9

There's caliche right where we want the pad. Is that going to cause trouble?

Accepted Answer

It can if it's left in the base. We dig to firm ground, break out caliche that sits high and haul it off, then build on compacted aggregate base. That keeps water from sitting on the hardpan and softening the ground under the pad.

Question 10

We're thinking about a carport over the pad someday. Can you plan for it now?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Tell us at the estimate and we plan the thickness and rebar for the load, and the post footings can be set before the pour. Building that in now saves cutting concrete later.

Concrete Pads & Slabs in North Phoenix, AZ

Pads & Slabs

Pads & Slabs by Sam The Concrete Man

Pads & Slabs, start to finish

What goes into it

What Phoenix asks of a pad or slab

Hot tub pads

Wash ground that settles

Water under the edge

A slab sized for what sits on it

Estimate to final walkthrough

Straightforward or decorative

Broom finish

Stamped

Smooth trowel

Sealed

A pad or slab on caliche is a different job than one on wash sand

Caliche desert floor

River and wash alluvium

Expansive clay pockets

Desert foothills and rock

Pads & Slabs: what people ask us

Explore our concrete services

Get a clear price on your pad or slab.