I’m looking for some advice about the best plan of action in regards to pouring a new slab for a garage.
Attached is a rough site plan.
My plan is to pour the slab in one session.
It will be a monlithic slab with #5 rebar around the perimeter and 6×6 mesh on the face.
The question I have is that once I have set the rebar and mesh it seems like the cement truck will not be able to reach the back of the slab with it’s boom.
So am I forced into renting a cement truck with a pump or is there some other plan that would work better.
And in the spirit of full disclosure I am the homeowner. And although I have never poured a slab I have done pretty much everything else.
So I’m looking for advice to help me get it done.
cje
Take what you want, leave the rest
Replies
lets see if this works
Wheelbarrow.
Have the truck fill it up and then wheel the mud back where the boom won't reach.
place some 4x4 in the footer and back the truck onto slab.
I second what MPHARPER says but I would like to make it at least two wheelbarrows, a third for a spare. Of course get a few of yor strong buddies to help. I find promising Pizza HUt after the pour gets a few helpers!Have a good day
Cliffy
Your best plan is to hire a concrete contractor. From your post it seems like you want to pour the slab yourself. You need a minimum of two cement finishers and four laborers to pour this in one piece.Even if your slab is only 4" deep your talking about 9 yards.
mike
Why do you say six people are needed? I did my basement slab with three guys - one finisher/placer and two wheelbarrows. 22 yards and we had to wheel 15 yards of it because the floor deck was already on. Once it was all placed, it was bullfloated, and then the finish guy hung around and power troweled it until it was done. Turned out great. Only about half of that slab should have to be wheeled, and the front 20' should be able to be placed right off the truck with a couple extension chutes.
Another way to do that is to remove the front formboards and run the truck right in, pour half, and then one guy can be leveling and floating while someone else replaces and re-levels the front forms. That way you don't have to wheel any of it. I see it done with footings all the time. Remove a section of footing, and then as soon as the truck backs out, replace the forms and pour. Takes a few minutes, but shouldn't be a big deal.
Here's why I figured on six men. Two finishers, one rake man, three men wheeling the buggies or wheel barrows. Sure you could get away with less men, but if I was the contractor this is the way I'd do it.Everybody works, no one gets exhausted.
Wheeling concrete is hard work, if it's pumped , I would use five men.Two finishers, rake man, two men on the hose.
mike
First of all, it's CONCRETE and not just cement. Start calling around and asking for a delivery of cement and you're definitely going te be distinguishing yourself.
Sometimes a pump is the best way, even if it costs more. I hate wheeling mud around--I would rather get all of it off the truck right away, screed it down, and start waiting.... save my back for the finishing. Around here the only pump is a boom, and I've learned to appreciate that, because one guy can place all the mud and there's no hauling a hose around. Anyway, I suggest you spend the $300 or whatever and get a pump. Ask your CONCRETE supplier who they recommend for a small slab pour and they should refer you to a guy with a small line pump.
I'm somewhere between Jon and Mike in terms of manpower... I would do that pour with either 3 or 4 guys, and at least 2 of them able to handle finishing tools. With a line pump you need 3... two on the hose, one with a rake and shovel. The pump operator will not help much, since he's running the pump.
If you've handled a lot of pours you can probably do what BrownBagg says and remove some of the forms for the truck to drive in. On a DIY job that might be a disaster.
we move concret 28 feet -- if the truck can back into the driveway -- build yourself a plywood chute -- the truck's chute is 12 feet, your 12 foot chute will get it to the back and move your chute as you have to -- if you do nothing else, get a vibrator -- well worth the rental fee
There are a couple other good reasons for getting it pumped. First, you're saving wear and tear on your existing driveway- a 10 yard truck is not forgiving. Also, I know that it takes about 30 minutes to pump out a 10 yard truck, so it will take allot longer with wheel barrows and then you'll pay extra for the time.
You better have enough people (at least one or two experienced) ready to work fast if the load starts to go off fast. I've seen this happen on hot days and it's especially bad when you get a "hot" mix right out of the truck.
Good luck!
Jim
Get a line pump. You'll get a good consolidation (little or no vibration needed), you won't spill any, the truck is clear of your forms and the hose guy on the pump will do the placement....your responsibility is to screed, make sure your forms don't blow, float and finish.
I used to do all that wheelbarrow stuff, and back trucks onto wire mesh and create a mess, and vibrate and tap forms and still ind up with voids and have helpers spill loads.....
No more!
Thanks for all the replys and advice--keep it coming if anyone has more to add--you all have given me enough to at least talk intelligently about the project.
Thanks
cjeTake what you want, leave the rest
I would use a convayor belt truck . save the cost of pump mix.
You must have friendly pump operators, because I've never seen them lug the hose during a pour.... just one guy and he stands there with the on/off switch.
Cant u just tamp the gravel level and use Pergo?
Love the spare wheelbarrow advice.Just poured a footer yesterday and on the second wheelbarrow load my buddy hands me the broken handle of his!Dang burn it! That meant just one of us could wheelbarrow and the other had to rake.Young buck got the barrow..i got the rake. :-}
I'm in a fairly small market where, 10 years ago, we had to get a pump 100 miles away.
Now there are three line pump outfits and one boom locally.
And yeah, they're "user friendly." On a pour of 30 yds or more, or pouring a high wall, the line pump guy will have a helper to feed hose. The pump operator runs the business end of the hose, and the truck drivers will run the pump....or if the line is out of line-of-site, me, or one of my guys will run the remote.
I usually tip the pump guy $50 bucks or so, depending on his effort. Always get great service.
BTW, the truck drivers are union, but they pitch in; if we're tailgating, they will often run the chute if we're short-handed and they've even pulled screed on occasion!
(I've been known to slip them some beer money, too! Pays off in the long run!).
It's different where I live. Truck drivers set up the chutes, operate the mixer, clean the mixer/chute, put the chute away and leave. That's it. When you rent a pump, it's the same - one guy - he operates the remote and the rest of the machinery - wouldn't get near the business end of the hose - too mesy ;-)
To the initial poster: 1) if you have the concrete truck drive on your existing driveway, they will have you sign a release first. There is more than a small chance that your existing concrete will be damaged. 2) If you try that pour by yourself, you will be sorry.
Matt