Concrete Work Alone

[Tscott]

I'm considering doing some concrete work solo. I've got 2 individual pours. The first is a 35' section of sidewalk and the second is an 8' x 20' slab that will be poured adjacent to an existing driveway slab. If I do this I will likely have no help for the pour so I am a bit hesitant to pull the trigger on this project.

My biggest concern is time. If I try to pour them both with the same truck, I am afraid I'll run out of working time and ruin the finish. I plan to start with the sidewalk and screed it level as I pour and then leave it to pour the slab the same way. Once the slab is poured and leveled I will bounce back to the sidewalk to float it and do the edges. Then I'll move back to the slab to float and edge it. Then back to the sidewalk for the brush finish and then to the slab for its finish.

I plan to do this in about 2 weeks so temps will be in the mid 70's to low 80's unless we get a freak heat wave. Rough math puts me at around 9 yards for the whole job. How long will concrete take to set in those temps? Am I crazy to attempt this on my own?

Tom

 

[gregtwojeeps]

I have a pro concrete contractor stepson that used to pour 9 yds. by himself, but it whipped him. A non-pro ? I say do not attempt it. At least get a helper to get it out and screed down, then finish it by yourself if money is tight. Too many things can go wrong that necessitates getting the concrete out of the truck and down to screed promptly. JMO

 

[182RG]

Yes, it's crazy to attempt solo. Suggest you find some local temp help that can assist you. Suggest 2-3 guys. Even if you have to pay a couple of hundred dollars, it will be worth it. Not an area to cheap out in.

 

[crkleve]

IMO this thread tells you exactly why you do not want to take this on yourself.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312029

 

[dbabicky]

How thick are you pouring this? Because at 4 inches thick you have just shy of 4 yards of concrete guessing your sidewalk is 4 feet wide.
Your slab 8'x20' = 160 sq/ft divided by 81(4" thick concrete) =1.975 yds.
your sidewalk 4'x35' =140 sq/ft divided by 81 = 1.728 yds

1.975+1.728 = 3.703 yds of concrete at 4" thick.

Still, if you haven't had a lot of experience I bet it will get away from you. I used to do this for a living, and yes, I could do it then, but I wouldn't do it alone now, especially in the temps your talking about.

 

[rburke65]

No expert here, but I have placed a fair amount of concrete but that's a lot of concrete for a one man band. Get help.

 

[JunkYardDawg]

I'm feeling this.

The Wife Unit wants me to build a detached garage for my shenanigans, thusly moving my shop from the garage under the house. My biggest concern is the cash I'd need to spend to get a decent foundation built. The rest I can handle myself.

I've studied and studied and wracked my brain trying to find a way to get a slab done cheaply, and its a no go. Best of luck to you, Tom.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Get help.
There is nothing better than to be steel troweling and wake up to find your permanent imprint on the shop slab.
My employees seemed to enjoy it.

 

[myredracer]

Lots of youtube vids on this. Watch as many as you can/need to get a handle on what to do. Really though, I would ask the concrete supplier for the names of some guys that will do small jobs. Some of them like small jobs as fill-ins between larger jobs. For a few hundred $$. it's well worth it. You wouldn't have to rent tools either. If you get a concrete guy in, they can also take care of the order at the plant so timing and mix is right for the job.

Based on what I've been able to do (more like get away with) over the years, I would say it is do-able. I've done lots of everything from foundation to roof, but concrete is one of those things that is more like an art and is not as easy as the pros make it look. If you are not absolutely certain you can do it and are hesitant, don't even think about trying to do it.

You will need an assistant of some sort. Timing is everything when it comes to concrete and if you're too slow and it gets away on you, you are screwed. You can ask for a retarder to be added to the mix to slow it down, but even then sometimes it's not enough. Do it as early in the am as possible.

I would get the concrete truck driver to wait until you have the sidewalk raked out and screeded and ready to run an edge trowel around before moving to the large slab. I would suggest a broom finish as it's faster and easier and will hide some imperfections. An assistant can do this while focusing on the larger piece. Some truck drivers are happy to help a little esp. if you give them a tip.

Getting concrete flat is not easy if you aren't experienced but at 8' across you can run a screed across it. You'll need an assistant for the other end of it. You'll need a magnesium bull float (large trowel on a pole) and hand trowel (rentals). The slab is small enough that you could finish it by hand. You'll need a couple of plywood squares to kneel on to get to the middle area. Again, timing is everything and you want the water to evaporate off the surface before the final trowel finish. Gotta work fast as the window will be short in those temps.

I trust you have mesh or rebar installed.

 

[doctordirt]

I agree, do not attempt it alone. Get a few helpers and pour it all, to avoid extra drop off changes.

 

[Falcon67]

No, hire it out. My 24x40 had 6 guys working non stop.

 

[Kaizen]

I've done some concrete work but only an amateur. The problem with concrete is there is no do over if you make a mistake. I had a truck bring in a few yards and poured a 4 inch slab inside my house in one room. it was a freaking disaster. trough wasn't at an angle good enough so had to wheel barrel it in. only had three of us and neither of them could lift a wheel barrel full of concrete so I moved it and they attempted to move it around. as I got tired I dumped a full load on my entry way floor. by the time we had it moved in it had already set up in the first pour location. I had to top coat it to smooth the floor.
if you had an experienced guy and you were the labor it might work. I'd get at least 3 others that know what they are doing. if you can't I'd hire it out.
one other thing I ran into was they scheduled all the other pro's and big jobs first and I was "some time in the afternoon".

 

[SteveCh]

I've done it myself, solo, a number of times. Latest projects were two carport floors. Well, one was for my tractor. each about 14' x 22'.

With my pickup, I hauled in the sand/gravel mix and piled it nearby. Moved the little electric mixer to location. I mixed the concrete a wheelbarrow at a time and so forth.

The secret was to pour the floor in sections. My 14 x 22 ft. floors are actually four different pours, each on a different day. You can't tell it: the sections end about where I'd want to put breaks anyway. After twenty years on one floor, ten on the other, no cracks, no problems, etc.

A good friend, his wife, and I did the same procedure for their 40 x 70 foot shop, in four pours. Same set-up though he rented a larger mixer and his wife ran it full time and we hustled. No, I don't want to ever do that one again.

 

[kaymccampbell]

one other thing I ran into was they scheduled all the other pro's and big jobs first and I was "some time in the afternoon".

I've had that treatment from a couple. Higher prices and hot loads are also among their offerings, too.
I did find a place that treats the 3 yard jobs the same as the 100 yd job. You get a fresh truck and a helpful driver and an on-time scheduled delivery every time.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Call the concrete redimix company and get recommendations on someone to pour it for you. Usually you can get some one with a helper to pour it for less than $500 if you have everything ready to pour. DO NOT TRY THIS ALONE OR WITH ONLY ONE INEXPERIENCED HELPER. I have had garage slabs poured and finished for $200 but that was 20 years ago. Last driveway cost me $600 and there is no way I could have done it. If everything is ready two experienced people can make it look easy, don't believe it. Knowing how is what makes it look easy.

 

[Tscott]

OK, looks unanimous. I think I'll just hire it done. I wasn't excited about it anyway so this will save me the headache.

Tom

 

[cdaiscool]

As a guy about to get a 4'x12' slab poured that I prep myself, how should one go about getting help with this?

Bunch of people saying to go to the pros, but how's one find a pro in this situation?

 

[Falcon67]

I would recommend you check and double check the forms for square and level. But yes - the stuff comes quick and sets up in a hurry. The house next door took 92 yards and that was a team of 12, working no-stop from 7AM to right around 11 AM. They had the forms off by 3. Which is to say that it sets up quick. There was one truck late on my pour by about 1 hour and you can see it in the floor because the first load was setting up already.

 

[philofab]

I like to have as many people around as possible just as backup for cleaning tools, ect. Doing anything more than a short sidewalk or small patio is a bad idea for one person.

 

[myredracer]

As a guy about to get a 4'x12' slab poured that I prep myself, how should one go about getting help with this?

Bunch of people saying to go to the pros, but how's one find a pro in this situation?

Ask your local concrete suppliers. They often have a list of a few people that can do a good job. They aren't going to keep a list of the bad ones. If you try from the phone book or CL, without getting references, you'll have no idea about them. I have had many jobs done over the decades from small slabs to large house foundations and have gotten all the names from the concrete suppliers and have never had a problem in any way. I recently had a guy do a long driveway curb for us of about 6 yards and again got the name from the concrete supplier and got a superb job done.

 

[brownbagg]

if you go rent one of those weed eater type vibration screed. no problem.

 

[T_R]

That is what we did for my garage floor. Called the concrete place and asked for a recommendation. The guy they recommended was an older guy who did a good job. The concrete guy recommended a site work guy, who did the ground prep and did a good job too. Neither of these guy advertise beyond handing you a business card. Generally suppliers won't recommend a bad contractor.

 

[dutchgray]

I wouldn't do a full truck alone and I have put down a lot of concrete, two who knew what they were doing would be ok.

 

[Bondo]

I'm considering doing some concrete work solo. I've got 2 individual pours. The first is a 35' section of sidewalk and the second is an 8' x 20' slab that will be poured adjacent to an existing driveway slab. If I do this I will likely have no help for the pour so I am a bit hesitant to pull the trigger on this project.

My biggest concern is time. If I try to pour them both with the same truck, I am afraid I'll run out of working time and ruin the finish. I plan to start with the sidewalk and screed it level as I pour and then leave it to pour the slab the same way. Once the slab is poured and leveled I will bounce back to the sidewalk to float it and do the edges. Then I'll move back to the slab to float and edge it. Then back to the sidewalk for the brush finish and then to the slab for its finish.

I plan to do this in about 2 weeks so temps will be in the mid 70's to low 80's unless we get a freak heat wave. Rough math puts me at around 9 yards for the whole job. How long will concrete take to set in those temps? Am I crazy to attempt this on my own?

Tom

Ayuh,.... I do most everything by Myself,....
But I donno's I'd try to screed off that patio,...
I think yer Nuts,...

A sidewalk is tough enough to screed off by yerself, an 8' patio ain't gonna happen,....

 

[Brad Beam]

I would just do it. Not a big deal easy pour with one person

 

[rsnip988]

The sidewalk could be done by one person, but I wouldn't try to do a slab with only one person... i'm not sure how you would screed with only one person holding one side of a board...

 

[matt_i]

As a guy about to get a 4'x12' slab poured that I prep myself, how should one go about getting help with this?

Bunch of people saying to go to the pros, but how's one find a pro in this situation?

What I did was this: I called up Gotts Transit mix (its in our area, but out in the farmland part of that area) and asked for a couple phone numbers of guys who do garage and basement slabs. After its all done, I feel good about this choice.

In generalities, I'd call up a smaller ready mix-yard that's in your area and ask for a couple of phone numbers. It benefits the mix yard as they get to sell more concrete. Concrete work, is sort of a fraternity, in my experience. The drivers know the guys who place and finish, the pump truck guy knows all of them, etc. And so keeping their contact info out there helps everyone keep working.

I would recommend against self-placing that much concrete. You will get so tired just placing and screeding it you will be unable to focus on finish. I poured a 6 yard footer with 4 guys total which did not need a lot of fine finishing. I did most of the placement down in the hole with a come-along (specialized rake) and I was wrung out to the point where I did very little the rest of the day other than wash up the tools and take the buggy back to the rental yard.

 

[YeahPete]

Wet concrete weighs 150 lbs per cu foot. An 8 x 20 x.33 = 52 cu ft. = 7,800 lbs.

If anything start w/ the walkway to get your feet wet. That would be pretty manageable since it would be smaller pours.

 

[wrench409]

Get some experienced help.

Do it right or do it twice.

 

[Rookie2]

How old are you, are you into bodybuilding ? Is it going to rain ? If you have one blowout then your behind.

Get help !

 

[Farrier]

Yep, what everyone else said.

I tried a big pour solo several years back. It looked so awful afterwards, that I hammered it out a year later. I got to pay for concrete twice.

 

[dave*99]

A friend at work walks in one day with a good story. He sees the concrete truck pull up across the street from his house. The neighbor is talking to the driver and clearly something is wrong. My buddy goes over to check it out. It seems his neighbor wanted about 30 feet of sidewalk behind his house. So he called the concrete supplier and ordered.......... you guessed it. 30 feet of sidewalk.

Now there is a load of concrete getting hot in the truck. No forms. No prep. Nada. My buddy grabs some 2x4's from his garage and cobbles together some forms. Poured the concrete right over grass.

And speaking of grass, that same neighbor bought a new lawn tractor. Rode it around for an hour and could not get the grass any shorter. My buddy had to go over and turn the blade PTO switch on for him.

So I guess my answer to the OP's question is - you can do it if you have the right neighbors.

 

[jd_1138]

I wouldn't try it. Hiring someone is a lot cheaper than screwing up and having a crappy job for 30 years until you get sick of it and then jackhammer it up and start over.

Plus hiring someone will help your local economy. I hired a guy who's good with concrete to be my helper on a 2 day pour/projects. $15 an hour and he knew 5 times more about concrete than me, so I became his laborer and he supervised the job. Turned out great.

 

[Tscott]

Found a guy locally who has good reviews. He showed up the day I called him and looks to be a pretty straight shooter. He quoted me $1500 to do the whole job which is only about $500 more than I was estimating to spend to do it myself with no help. He'll be here Monday and I'm happy I don't have to deal with it.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Bondo]

He'll be here Monday and I'm happy I don't have to deal with it.

Ayuh,... Glad to hear it,...

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

So I guess my answer to the OP's question is - you can do it if you have the right neighbors.

You just can't make stuff of like this!

Found a guy locally who has good reviews. He showed up the day I called him and looks to be a pretty straight shooter. He quoted me $1500 to do the whole job which is only about $500 more than I was estimating to spend to do it myself with no help. He'll be here Monday and I'm happy I don't have to deal with it.

Thanks,
Tom

We're all glad to hear you're going to have help.

My aunt and uncle plus cousin and his wife live near Keystone Heights on a small lake that is half dry. Nice area.

Good luck with your project. GJF saves another project!

 

[captain14]

Can we see the finished work next week?

 

[bczygan]

I've done a couple of slabs. Some I mixed myself, in a wheelbarrow.

Mixing in a wheelbarrow, I wouldn't do more than a 3'x3'x4" thick slab, which I have. Being prepared with base and forms and a cover in case of rain, and materials all staged and ready to mix, makes the difference.

Similarly with ready mix. If the material must be transported from the truck, then you need people and either buggies or wheelbarrows. I've done an 8'x12'x4" by myself this way, and it was a pain. Ended up with a joint in the middle because it was setting up. It's solid, but looks funny.

If the truck can get to the job or it's a pumper, then you still need enough people to place the concrete and finish it. I wouldn't do more than an 8'x12'x4" by myself. All the prep work still needs to be ready, and perfect weather helps.

Bill

 

[Samh]

For my last Barn, the slab was 38x52, and 6 inches thick. It was a father and his 2 sons. Father was in his 60s, and the sons were in their 20s. They aren't even halfway through the first truck, and you can see them start arguing. Can't hear anything because of the truck. Son gets so mad, just walks through the concrete that was just poured and keeps walking, past their truck, out the driveway, out the neighborhood and down the road. Now I start to get worried thinking they won't be able to finish it. I ask the father if he wants me to help. He says No. So I drive a few miles down the road, and pick up the son, and try to talk to him to get him back to the pour. He won't do it, says he is tired of his dad treating the other son better than him. End up dropping him off at a gas station by the interstate. By the time I got back, the father and son had 3/4 of the slab poured and screeded.