Hey everyone! I'm working on pouring 24" cement footers for my deck, but it turns out the hole I dug is larger than I'd planned. I was considering using sonotubing for the forms, but the price is a bit out of hand—like $55 per foot! Plus, they only sell it in 12-foot sections. Does anyone know of a budget-friendly method for creating 24" diameter tubing that's around 10" high? Thanks in advance!
6 Answers
I found that Menards sells a 4' sonotube for about $20, but you'll probably need to cut it down since they only sell the larger ones in 12' sections. Just keep looking around, you might find a better deal!
Don't stress too much about the shape. Just fill the hole with concrete; it doesn’t need to be perfectly round to do its job!
You might check for a 55-gallon metal drum; they’re usually around 23" in diameter and can be cut down to your desired height. Just make sure it was empty and safe to cut. Sometimes filling it with soap water helps too!
I hear you on the sonotube pricing—it's insane! If you go to a local building supply store instead of a big chain, you might find it for a lot cheaper, like around $10 for a 48"! That's what I did for my project and it worked great.
You can always make your own forms using a 10' 2x12. Just cut it to size for a basic concrete form; a square footer functions just as well as a round one. Plus, if you prep them right, you can reuse the forms for future projects.
I've had to dig wider holes too because of rocky soil. Once I figured out the depth, I compared the costs and found it was often cheaper to just fill the whole hole with concrete instead of using sonotubes. You might want to check your math to see if that works for you!
Totally agree, it might be simpler! Just wanted to see if there was an easy solution before I go and buy a ton more concrete.