I have a project coming up with no access for a concrete truck. The slab will be 20' x 17' x 4", has anyone ever poured something this large out of 80lb bags? I estimate around 200 bags. I have done smaller 8' x 8' slabs without much difficulty. Any thoughts? Tips?
Largest slab poured from 80lb bags?
curapa
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Well, he tried taking advantage of you...Call him back and take advantage of him. Tell him you know of his situation, and that even though he tried to rip you off, you'd still be willing to hire him for the job and pay him $300.00 for his time.
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First - I think you're crazy.
Second - I think you're going to need 226 bags ... but that's neither here nor there ....
Third ... doesn't make sense financially to do it this way. I'm not wasting time breaking this down for you (i will later if you ask). But it'll cost more doing it by the bag
Most I've ever done by myself (at least within past 5 years that I can remember) was a 36 sq. ft. pad. I felt like an idiot for trying to attempt this alone. If nothing else - it was certainly not the "professional" way of doing it.
$1,200 for pump truck (boom truck) is reasonable (areas of the country aside). You would need a dozen guys just for labor ... so you'd end up paying this anyways.
If you can't get a skid steer in (due to trees, fence, etc) - use one of those walk behind loaders (landscapers use them) - or a concrete buggy ... or a boom truck.
if 8x8 pads are the most you've done by yourself - with the mix/bag way - you're in for one hell of a surprise
Second - I think you're going to need 226 bags ... but that's neither here nor there ....
Third ... doesn't make sense financially to do it this way. I'm not wasting time breaking this down for you (i will later if you ask). But it'll cost more doing it by the bag
Most I've ever done by myself (at least within past 5 years that I can remember) was a 36 sq. ft. pad. I felt like an idiot for trying to attempt this alone. If nothing else - it was certainly not the "professional" way of doing it.
$1,200 for pump truck (boom truck) is reasonable (areas of the country aside). You would need a dozen guys just for labor ... so you'd end up paying this anyways.
If you can't get a skid steer in (due to trees, fence, etc) - use one of those walk behind loaders (landscapers use them) - or a concrete buggy ... or a boom truck.
if 8x8 pads are the most you've done by yourself - with the mix/bag way - you're in for one hell of a surprise
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I gotta call shenanigans here.
First ... 60-66 bags for 144 sq feet??? I might give you that only if it sub base was exactly on-grade and without any low spots
In the real world ... haven't seen too many concrete preps that didn't have some low spots.
Second - again, financially does not make sense to do that way. You would pay more in labor than you would for the minimum delivery charge in concrete from the plant.
Third - can't see why anyone who would've attempted this would want to do it AGAIN
Also - i certainly hope these aren't footers or anything structural. Just throw in the factor of human error and it's near impossible to be have a consistent mix
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While I wouldn't want to be involved in this thing personally, I don't see the big deal if you're willing to either be involved in the nightmare yourself or better yet get yourself some cheap and dumb labor to do it as you direct the action. 95% of this scenario is dumb labor with 5% concrete knowledge and finishing skill.
Anything is doable, they built the pyramids without power tools you know, the difference between speed/efficiency and just getting the job done is adding more man power.
Teetor in a past life was a pyramid builder ya know! While his ways might not involve turning the key on a Cat to get something done, he knows that shovels will still move the same dirt. :thumbsup:
As I see it what you want to do is just doing your 8x8s four times. There is no way in hell you can do a competent job trying to do this entire slab as a single 200 bag pour, but you could very competently do it as (4) 10'x8'-6" slabs done one right after the other.
Anything is doable, they built the pyramids without power tools you know, the difference between speed/efficiency and just getting the job done is adding more man power.
Teetor in a past life was a pyramid builder ya know! While his ways might not involve turning the key on a Cat to get something done, he knows that shovels will still move the same dirt. :thumbsup:
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I have job mixed over 200 bags in 8 hours, but it was to grout a 12" CMU wall, so time was not a factor. I would still never do it again, no matter what the cost.
I completely understand the difficulty in doing a 200 bag pour and it was not something I wanted to do. I also understand the additional cost in labor and concrete but I was not going to pay $1000 just for the pump truck to come out. The total bid for the 17' x 20' pad was $3200 and I wasnt willing to pay that. I'm getting some more quotes on pump trucks this week.
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dude, im tellin ya at $3200 - if you go with the bags - you're going to break even - if not lose money on this job. And for the amount of work involved - it is NOT WORTH IT.
You're going to need AT LEAST a dozen guys to make this work in a reasonable amount of time .... and they would need to be hustling the entire time.
evidently - you didn't think of all of this when you bid the job out. Judging by the price - you just figured up 340 sq. ft. and spat out the sq. foot price
have you even thought about how many wheelbarrows you're going to need???? At $75 a pop - you're going to exceed the cost in renting a skid steer for the day. See how ridiculous that sounds??
concrete work sucks enough - let alone sucks even more when you don't make money on it. My advice would be to either cancel the job - or tell them the situation (be upfront) and get some more money for the pump truck.
You SHOULD have in your contract that "Client provides access to site" ... having trees, sewer lines, fences, etc in the way is included in such clauses.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULD NOT USE ONLY SQUARE FOOT PRICING FOR PRICING THE JOBS OUT
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It can be done. Listen to teetor. Get 2 mixers going and get them as close to the pour as possible. How big are the mixers. 2 bag each? The main thing is though you will need a good crew and a good guy to start trowling off the first part of the pour while still pouring the later half.
But then again how would the cost of a larger crew and extra mixer etc compare to the cost of a pumpp truck?
But then again how would the cost of a larger crew and extra mixer etc compare to the cost of a pumpp truck?
What happens if one of those mixers breaks?
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What is the actual situation? You've had lots of advice but there doesn't seem to be much info, unless I missed it. How close can you get a concrete truck? A couple hundred yards, or a couple miles? If you can get delivery on site then just rent barrows and people and wheel the stuff in. I recently did 3-7yd pours several hundred yards from the truck with three barrows. They kept me hopping on the vibe and finishing on footers, walls and slabs. If it's further than that you'll need more barrows for the turn-around time.
If it's across a lake and up a mountain trail, I grant you this method might not be practical.
If it's across a lake and up a mountain trail, I grant you this method might not be practical.
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Let me get this straight. You bid a patio at $9.42/sq.ft. , and you want to spend $1000 on bags vs. $360 for ready mix, but don't want to spend 400 for a pump? Sounds like you should sub this one out. If you were in my area, I'd do it and stamp it for $10.25/ sq.ft. For the record, my largest pour (not bags) was 2,640 yrds in 10 hrs.
Actually the guy with the pump truck quoted me at $3200 to pour and finish the pad. I have gotten several quotes from others If I were able to get a concrete truck in there at $1100-$1600.
This pad is for a pergola on the opposite side of a pond behind someones home. It can be reached with a pump truck and will be a very easy job.
The pergola will be built over the slab and then the slab will get tiled.
I have now gotten quotes from other pump truck companies and they are in line with what I had budgeted. After I got the initial quote for the pump truck it threw me way off and I resourced here for other options. I had never done a 200 bag pour so I asked if it was possible and if so did anyone have any advise. I am no concrete guy and you couldn't pay enough to mess with the stuff for a living other than setting posts and such. If it were possible to do a decent pour with bags I would have no problem paying $1000 for bags and $1000 for labor rather than the previous $3200 for the pump truck.
BTW I had never thought of having the concrete delivered and wheelbarrowing it to the slab, I will keep that in mind.
Thanks for the help,
Curt
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Go with the ready-mix, get your self 2 wheelbarrels and 2 guys that will carry the concrete to the frame, put another guy in the mud to screed. As long as its not uphill for the wheelbarrels you should be fine. Figiure about 13-17 trips at half-full wheelbarrel per yard...you need about 5 yards...do not fill them up all the way...close to 400 lbs if there full.
Yes, in fact, I poured 5 pallets of 80# and 1 pallet of mortar. I cheated though and used a gas mixer. But I can now mix on average 80-100# in a wheelbarrow in 3 minutes or less. With out even breaking a sweat!! AND (Without slump). I have that down to a science. Have at it:thumbsup:
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You are a genius!:clap:
I paid about 800.00 5 years ago, 1000.00 don't sound bad. I called a local concrete company in North Jersey. They said to call this female. I don't think I should use her real name, lets say Sandy. I called and she was out the next day by her self with her truck and trailer. She was not bad looking and had a decent body. Well, she put on her work gloves and started tossing those hoses around like nothing. Cement truck got there and we busted out several sono tubes and about 80' of footings in less than 2 hours. Set up and cleanup took her longer than the pour. The advantage she had is being the sap that most of us are when it comes to woman we wind up offering to help her along. But in the end it was a pleasant experience. We would have had to kill ourselves with wheelbarrows. The trick is figuring the cost in your price before hand.
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