Shed bases are the classic small pour: simple spec, small footage, and a customer who found a number online that didn’t include a concrete truck showing up. The calculator above gets you a fast ballpark. Your minimum job charge does the rest.
Small pours, honest pricing
- The footage is tiny. A 10 by 12 shed base is 120 square feet. At the example $9 rate that’s $1,080. If your real costs make that number too thin, that’s your minimum charge talking. Listen to it.
- Spec is light but not nothing. 4 inches is typical for a garden shed. Going bigger, or parking a ride-on mower or motorcycle inside? Think thicker and add mesh. The example mesh add-on runs $1.50 per square foot.
- Level matters more than looks. The shed kit assumes a flat, level base. Out-of-level concrete becomes the customer’s framing problem and then your phone call.
- Access decides effort. Backyard pours mean wheelbarrows, buggies, or a pump if the truck can’t reach. Walk the path before you give the number.
Why contractors lose money on sheds
Not on the concrete. On the mobilization. The truck, the crew, and the morning are committed whether you pour 120 square feet or 600. Quote the visit, not just the slab. The full method, minimum and all, is in how to price a shed slab.
Your calculator, your floor price
These are example rates. PriceDesk runs this same calculator with your rates and your minimum built in, on your phone. The small jobs stay profitable because the math is locked before you answer the phone.