Im going to pour a pad to put a small building on. 14x14 sugar house. How thick should the pad be? I was going to go 3" and thicker on the perimeter, maybe 6" there. Will this work? Also what is the going rate on a yard right now? Ken

I am certainly not qualified to answer your question but if your ground freezes and thaws, you will surely get cracks with only 3".

Do you plan to include reinforcing wire and a drainage plan around the building?

I am not one to give anything more than precaution. I am not a concrete man att all.

If you want it last pour 4 thick to get below frost 6 inches wide 30 deap.

4” minumninum

6 wide 30 deep around edge

OK thanks for the pointers. Will start digging tomorrow.

Any idea of cost per yard?

As stated 4 minimum, 5 if it was mine. The frost footing is a question, not sure about your climate I would either dig it like stated above or not at all. A floating slab will ride the frost on a small building around hear, but may not be level after many years.
In my region $110/yrd is a good average for crete, I am curios to see others prices.

$90/yard here last summer when I did my project

Something I didn't think to mention is you may ask for the real cost of concrete. Around here they tell ya 70 or 80 bucks, but it is like a phone bill with all the add on charges for this and that. The final cost is around $110.

If your on good gravel water and compact. Do a monolithic slab 4 inched with 8 inch around the perimeter and # 4 bar 16 inched on center and double bars in the thickened part on 3 inch dobie blocks.

$142 per yard here. 4" thick on your floor.

Lots of was to do it....one 'by the book' way.

You could drill some post holes for pier footings and tie them to the floor with rebar. That would be simple/inexpensive and probably work pretty good. Good compaction of the soil and good gravel base under the concrete is always good. Keep the gravel level.....put a screed from one end of the floor form to the other and move it along while you measure the distance from the bottom of the screed to the gravel and even the gravel with a cumalong.....that will give a good consistent depth for the concrete. One post hole in the center and four for the corners may work out pretty well. 8-12" round piers would be plenty.

I've got about 20 years pouring concrete. This is what I would do. I do not like floating slabs and I prefer to put anchors in more than 4" of concrete. So i would go a minimum of 6×6 footing around and 4" the rest. First dig out all black dirt plus enough to allow for a least 4" of a gravel/sand base. There should not be any black dirt under the concrete. Also if the site you have chosen has been disturbed in the last some what recently I would go with closer to 6"-8" base. Pack the base very good. You can incorporate the footing with the rest when you pour just make sure the transition from one to the other isn't a sharp corner. Round it or graduate it together. Your base is very important. So again pack very well and keep level. No piles or ridges. If water is convenient wet down while packing and leveling also after packing and leveling just enough to get it wet. No puddles. Rebar 2' on center or closer if you want. I personally don't like or would use mess or wire. Make sure the rebar/ mesh gets center in the concrete. I use 1 1/2" rebar chairs. You can use bricks if you like. Rebar to low does nothing and to close to the surface can pop concrete. Make sure the base is damp before you pour. Pour the concrete at a 4 to 5 slump and vibrate. We use a vibrating screed and/or a hand vibrater. Don't over vibrate. You want to settle it and remove air pockets. Finish however you like. When you have achieved the finish that you like and it is hard to the touch lightly mist it with water. This will help keep the top from curing faster than the rest. I would also cut the concrete in quarters. Corner to corner or in squares whatever you like. 1/4" deep. This helps to control cracks. You can go a few steps farther and keep it wet for a few days to help it cure more evenly. And you can put the anchors for the walls in the concrete when it's wet. They'll hold better. Just make sure you put them in the right place so they don't end up where you have a doorway. Its also not real fun to have them end up where you need to put a stud. So if you add the anchors in the concrete have your building planned out.
This is what I would do and have done lots of times.

Our concrete prices are around $140 plus mileage depending.

I pour mine 6" with 3" chairs the wire ones,mesh on the chairs,haunch the perimeter 12" with two rows of 1\2" rebar at 6" tied to the bottom of the chair that extends over the haunch.had a concrete guy tell me when he came to pour that it was textbook.all my floors seem to hold up real well.

One thing nobody has mentioned is putting a vapor barrier between the pad and concrete. After you level/water /compact your fill to grade and before putting your rebar down you need to put visqueen down over the pad for a vapor barrier. If you don't do that the floor will "sweat" whenever it's high humidity. Not hard to tell who skipped that step around here, maybe your conditions are different.

This is just a sugar shack. A 4" floating slab should hold up just fine. I wouldn't overthink it.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I didnt mention that this is being poured under an existing wood shed roof. So it cant float since it will be attached to that roof.

Skimp on the foundation and your building won't last. Don't matter how much the concrete costs if you don't do it right.

This is close, however I would have the arch on its own separate pad with good deep footers. You don't want that thing moving around at all. I would also not build the building itself on the pad. I would build a pole building then put the floating slab in on good compacted gravel (the more the better). I am also not a professional.