The concrete pad is the most important part of your shop build — and it's the one most people don't think about until something goes wrong. A bad slab will crack, heave, and cause problems for the entire life of the building. A good slab will sit flat and solid for 50+ years. Here's what actually matters and why we pour our own.
Frost Depth — The Prairie Factor
On the Canadian prairies, frost penetrates 4–5 feet deep in a typical winter. If your footings aren't below the frost line, the ground underneath will freeze, expand, and push your slab upward — then settle back down when it thaws. That cycle cracks concrete, shifts walls, and jams overhead doors. Every pad we pour has proper frost walls that extend below the frost line. We don't do floating slabs sitting on grade — those belong in BC, not Manitoba.
Rebar & Reinforcement
A slab without rebar is just a sidewalk waiting to crack. We tie rebar on a grid pattern throughout the pad, which holds the concrete together as a single structural unit when the ground shifts underneath. Anchor bolts are set in the wet concrete at engineered spacings so the building bolts down tight and stays square for the life of the structure.
The size and spacing of rebar matters. We follow the engineered specs for each build — not a generic "good enough" approach. A 40×60 heated shop has different reinforcement needs than a 60×100 cold storage building, and the engineering reflects that.
Vapour Barrier & Drainage
Moisture wicking up through the slab causes condensation on tools and equipment, rust, musty air, and can damage anything stored directly on the floor. We lay 6-mil poly vapour barrier under every pad and make sure the gravel base is properly compacted and graded for drainage. This is especially important if you're planning in-floor heat — without a proper vapour barrier, you'll fight moisture problems forever.
The gravel base itself matters too. We use properly graded, compacted gravel to create a stable, draining base. If your site has clay soil (common on the prairies), proper base preparation is even more critical to prevent settling and cracking down the road.
In-Floor Heat Prep
If you're considering in-floor heat for your shop — and it's one of the best upgrades you can make for a prairie shop — the prep needs to happen during the concrete pour, not after. That means PEX tubing laid on top of the insulation board before the pour, with proper spacing and manifold placement. We can rough this in during the pour so it's ready for your HVAC contractor to connect later.
Why We Pour Our Own
We don't sub out concrete — our own crew handles every pour. That means the slab is done to the same standard as the building going on top of it, by the same company that's accountable for the whole project. When one crew does concrete and structure, the anchor bolt placement is right, the slab is level, and everything lines up when the framing starts. No finger-pointing between trades, no gaps in the timeline. One crew, one standard, from gravel base to ridge cap.