A 12 by 40 pad is the standard home for a motorhome or travel trailer: long enough for most rigs, wide enough to walk around one. That is 480 square feet, the size preloaded above, the same area as a common 2-car driveway laid out long and narrow instead.
The example-rate math
| Finish | Example rate | 480 sq ft comes to |
|---|---|---|
| Standard broom | $9 / sq ft | $4,320 |
| Exposed aggregate | $13 / sq ft | $6,240 |
Broom finish is the sensible pick here, since the pad lives under a vehicle. Both rows are example rates multiplied out, not market prices. Add-ons at the example numbers: site prep and grading at $2 per square foot is $960, and rebar or mesh at $1.50 is $720, money well spent on a pad that carries this kind of weight.
Why an RV pad pours like a driveway, not a patio
An RV is heavy, but the real issue is where the weight lands. It arrives through a handful of tire patches and jack points instead of spreading across the slab, so the concrete sees concentrated loads a patio never will. That is why RV pads pour at 5 to 6 inches with reinforcement, especially under the wheel paths. A 4-inch patio-style pour under a parked rig is how corner cracks happen.
Slope, drainage, and the conduit you cannot add later
The pad needs enough fall to shed rainwater, but an RV also has to sit on it without the fridge complaining, so the slope has to stay gentle and predictable. Good contractors plan the fall direction around where the water should go and where the rig will level.
The other before-the-pour decision is power. If a pedestal or outlet is ever going near this pad, the conduit goes in the ground first. Same for a water line or a sewer connection. Trenching beside a finished slab is an annoyance; cutting through one is an expensive regret.
For other pad sizes, the RV pad concrete calculator takes any dimensions. Building a garage instead? See the 24x24 garage slab breakdown. And if gravel is on the table as the budget option, gravel vs concrete lays out that trade.
Contractors who pour pads can load their own rates into PriceDesk and quote one of these in about ten seconds. The first 14 days are free, no card needed.