New Garage Slab isnt level.

[Planethill]

Hey everyone!

After ten long years at our house with no garage we are in the process of having one built! The 24'x28' monolithic slab is poured and the walls are up...roof trusses come soon.

My question to you all is about the slab. It isn't level. It rained hard the other day and water puddled in the rear 1/3 of the garage. Probably close to an inch of standing water at the back wall while the front 2/3 were bone dry. Now, obviously I have no roof so this is an extreme circumstance. But what about when I drive snow covered cars into the garage? Wouldn't the melt-off run to the back and collect right where my work benches will be, etc?

The job forman is telling me it isn't a big deal and that the slab is within spec/tolerance. I said "Yes, but when you gave me the choice of a slab pitched towards the door, or flat, I went with flat assuming flat = level. Had I known it would be like this I would have gone with pitched!"

To add insult to injury, the cement sub put the bolts in the wrong place for about a 10 foot section of the rear wall. I know mistakes happen, but I am really starting to think the cement sub crew were slackers. I think they overworked the slab with the power trowel in the now low-lying area (it was a very hot day when they poured). They even left some faint boot prints in the slab! They are going cut those bolt off, then drill and anchor new ones...but still. Slack.

SO! Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Being a "Karen"? And even so, how would it be fixed? Self leveling cement on top of the slab? That seems like just more problems.

I am going to cover it all with Race Deck anyway, but still. When you are paying someone $40,000, you want things done properly! I'm so bummed.

 

[Planethill]

Right after it rained. You can see that it's a lot of standing water. The front 2/3 were already bone dry.

A wider shot. It had already dried quite a bit, but you can see the remains of the water.

Misplaced bolts

.

 

[ConCretin]

I'm not aware of any published or commonly used tolerances that permit a slab to be an inch out of level, which is what an inch of water pooling on the slab suggests. It all depends on the terms of your agreement and any applicable local codes but a common measure of acceptable flatness is a 1/4" gap under a 10' straightedge. I'd use such a straightedge to survey the floor and see exactly what's out. I agree with your reluctance to fill low spots but maybe the problem is high spots, which could be ground down to improve the floor's flatness.

I agree that the misplaced anchor bolts suggest sloppy workmanship but it's a relatively simple solution to install some new ones. Hopefully the rest of the project goes a little better but I'd keep my eyes on these guys. Good luck!

 

[benwah]

+1

If you want to be a ****, ask the foreman to provide the tolerances he is quoting. Been doing concrete quite some time, never been 1" off on a 500 sq ft. garage or any slab for that matter..

I understand stuff happens, but geez that's pretty bad with the anchor bolts too. Amateur work IMO [emoji2357]

 

[nadogail]

If you don't know get satisfaction from your concrete guy be sure to let him know that you will be telling your story to everyone who reads this forum.

 

[CombatNinja]

If the slab really is that low at the back (not just a high spot in the middle that makes it look that way), I would refuse to pay for that. There is no cheap, easy fix for that.

 

[bczygan]

Where is the spec?

It should have been in the contract.

Bill

 

[Toomanytools?]

Some builders like to throw out out the "It's in spec's/tolerance" line, but whose spec's is he talking about?
Show him this: https://www.archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/concrete/ff-and-fl-numbers.html
Too bad the doors aren't on the low side. If you build cabinets along that back wall silicon down a pressure treated 2x4 on edge for your toe kick you can add a vinyl base in front or use a PVC trim. This will at least stop water going under cabinets.
Not sure what recourse you have, I'd express your displeasure with it for the reasons you stated.

 

[Ron_J]

If you don't know get satisfaction from your concrete guy be sure to let him know that you will be telling your story to everyone who reads this forum.

Social media is a powerful thing. There is a reason retailer/contractors say "if you are happy with us, tell everyone. If not, tell us so we can fix it"

A few pictures posted on facebook or whatever you like with the contractors name will probably make them more willing to fix it.

 

[Kevin54]

Unless you go high dollar and have everything laser shot and leveled, you get what everyone else gets. But the worst thing you could do is put your bottom plate on a slab. Just asking for trouble doing that and good luck finishing it off if you ever want to wash out your garage.

 

[HoZr]

We just did a 5000 sq ft (50 x 100) monolithic pour and it's almost dead on flat. 50' power screed and 2 power trowels made sure of it.

What was the ground prep like? Any chance the entire thing sunk an inch on the back side?

Being hot just means you have to be quicker and the power trowels aren't going to push it down an inch. Sounds like the forms were off from the get go maybe?

 

[Bobthetractor]

Unless you go high dollar and have everything laser shot and leveled, you get what everyone else gets. But the worst thing you could do is put your bottom plate on a slab. Just asking for trouble doing that and good luck finishing it off if you ever want to wash out your garage.

Maybe it’s regional but even the most backwoods redneck around me uses a laser level and knows how to use them. I’ve actually been blown away with the adoption rate recently. I agree with the bottom plate. I’d try and figure out a waterproofing solution.

Back to the OP I think it comes down to what was in writing and if you nickel and dimed it I’d be less Karen than if I was really paying a premium. Not sure what the $40k represents. The bolt is an annoying but easy fix (again was placement clear)? The biggest thing to me is lies and quoting phantom specs is a flag. Mistakes happen and most are fixable and if you’re honest about correcting it I will work with you. In my experience usually the “premium” guys end up arguing more and hiding stuff and the one arguing wasn’t even present for the work being done.

 

[nadogail]

I am seeing an update from the OP (original poster). Maybe, he has no stomach for a fight.

 

[PWC Repair]

Dude......mine is 30x48 and was placed and finished by Arkansas hillbillies. After a good rain before my building went up I had a few low places that MIGHT have been 1/4" at best.

 

[Cairo94507]

I would not pay a cent until that is corrected to what you specified. I would never let them pour a leveler on top of the concrete as that will just fail in the future and create more trouble.

I guess another solution would be instead of using Race Deck or something similar, go with a porcelain tile and correct the low with the tile mud.

 

[BombShelter]

That's a tough situation, my old-home garage has no slope to it and it stinks in winter, or when it rains, and the moisture falling off the car puddles everywhere. You can't have anything on the floor.

Back when I used to sell concrete flat-work we never had that call but our foreman was a perfectionist and always used a high end laser-level. We also had EVERYTHING in writing, it's the only proof you have for the way you want it, verbal conversation won't work in court and the slope of the garage floor was always documented in our contract.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

I couldn't live with that. Not only is it a bad job but I would feel like a pushover every time I closed my eyes.

 

[casmurbax]

Looking at your picture it appears that some time has passed from the time your slab was done and you took those pictures. Just curious how long ago was that slab done?

What is the green pipe for sticking out on the corner by the man door?

 

[bigdav160]

meh, once it's roofed you may never notice.

Of course we don't get snow here so I have no idea how much water that can make.