Concrete recommendations near San Antonio?

[Cuda416]

Folks many of you will recognize me as the guy posting all sorts of questions related to building my own shop over the last few weeks. Instead of cluttering existing threads further, i thought I'd just start a new one.

I am almost ready to pull the trigger on my building, leaning towards doing it myself with a kit from either Hansen or APB (possibly 84 lumber but they haven't gotten back to me yet) , but I need to find someone to do the final concrete work. I've gotten in touch with one guy who normally does houses and other large projects and so this pole barn thing is a little alien to him. So much so that he include setting forms etc in the bid..

So I am trying to save some time by asking here if anyone has any leads for concrete folks on the west side of SA you'd hire for your own projects?

Thanks

 

[matt_i]

My typical advice: start with the ready mix plant in your area, ask for recommendations for your particular job. They will know the people who generally work in that area.

 

[Cuda416]

My typical advice: start with the ready mix plant in your area, ask for recommendations for your particular job. They will know the people who generally work in that area.

That sounds reasonable. Thanks

 

[Cuda416]

Got a hold of another concrete person today. He is the second guy (out of two), who says the soil around here is too soft and expansive for a simple slab and recommended 1' beams and posts under the slab with #3 rebar spaced at 12" or 16", I can't recall right now. Raises the concrete price about a 3rd but that doesn't hurt my head too much. He's done a lot of work around the area and complained about the shops around town with cracked floors because they took the cheap way out.

Anyone else done it that way?

I have a feeling I'm going to end up digging a huge hole and filling it with rock to do a simple slab.

 

[JollyRgr]

From what I have seen up here west of Austin, you will want to take their advice. The new subdivision going in behind us is using a similar method, along with post-stressing cables. I'm from up North and had to Google the wherefores and whys. The slabs end up looking like a waffle iron lid.

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[rburke65]

Well I'm sure the local ready mix concrete plant could very well confirm the soil and beam comments from the second contractor. If I remember being correctly, I have read...seen....the beam construction on this site begore in Texas.

 

[Cuda416]

From what I have seen up here west of Austin, you will want to take their advice. The new subdivision going in behind us is using a similar method, along with post-stressing cables. I'm from up North and had to Google the wherefores and whys. The slabs end up looking like a waffle iron lid.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Well I'm sure the local ready mix concrete plant could very well confirm the soil and beam comments from the second contractor. If I remember being correctly, I have read...seen....the beam construction on this site begore in Texas.

The guy I spoke to yesterday explained it pretty well and I have to agree it sounds like a good idea. He actually recommended a 5" slab instead of 4.

I'll call the concrete people today and ask them what they recommend. I'm a skeptic on advice from those who stand to gain from adding things, but when the guy told me about the crew he uses and wasn't trying to put himself in the middle, it went a long way with me.

Thanks for the follow up folks!