There are a myriad of costs associated with building a new home or adding a two-story extension to an existing one. Luckily (or not, depending on one’s point of view), the decision to use pumped concrete or ready mix concrete is typically dictated by the size of the building project. But in those select cases when a consumer is afforded the opportunity to be ambivalent regarding this choice, we offer the following cost analysis.
Pumped concrete prices
Pumped concreted is delivered via a truck and pump. A number of factors determine the cost of the concrete. A smaller pump is less expensive than a larger one but the latter will pump a greater volume of concrete. Also, the length of the pump hose affects the price, as does the distance of the building site from the company that is supplying the concrete. Pumped concrete is priced by the cubic meter. Prices vary from contractor to contractor.
The cost of ready mix concrete
As with pumped concrete, many variables drive the cost of ready mix concrete in London. First, ready mix concrete is priced by the cubic meter. Typically, this price ranges between £65 and £85 (note: these are prices for ready mix concrete delivered by a truck). And as with pumped concrete, this cost is also driven by the type of concrete used and the consumer’s physical location. For more modest concrete needs, hardware retail outlets offer bags of ready mix for roughly £5 a bag.
The cost of building extensions
Construction projects do not occur in a vacuum; nor do the expenses associated with them. The cost of concrete is but one construction expense. Owing to the lack of space, adding a second storey extension in London is a popular building project. According to one popular household website, the average price of this type of project is 50 percent of the cost of a single storey extension. This works out to about £76,050. (Alas, sadly for Londoners – because everything is more expensive in London – second storey extension price will be higher, as it will be for people living in the South East.)
There is an old saying that, in the end, homes end up owning the homeowners. This is obviously subject to debate. But is not debatable is the fact a savvy homeowner does his or her homework when it comes to calculating costs, either for concrete or home extensions.