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Been rehabbing an old pole barn to make a garage.  I'm now working on leveling the floor for concrete. Almost everything used  to repair this building is salvage material, some well over 100 years old.. you can see some new tin in there.  With me working solo, took 6 months to get it back to this stage. Roughly 20x25x10.20160813_134752.jpg

The extra 4x4s will come out now that the roof is up.

Made a custom hanging with a Buick horn button for the front.20160813_143910.jpg1471115347091-1081976501.jpg

Got tired and built a bench to rest on...

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Sorry no Buick tailgate?

Edited by wndsofchng06 (see edit history)
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So by my calculations, over the past 12 days (working mostly after my day job) I've moved about 125 cubic feet of soil and gravel by hand. Considering the heat, not sure it was worth the money saved, but I sure got a good workout!

I'll post more photos once the concrete is in.

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 I feel for you son! Over the last three 95° high humidity days I have spread 32 tons ( two tandem dump truck loads)  of river rock with a wheelbarrow,  shovel, garden rake and landscape rake. Freaking deadly.   By the third day I was peeing straight orange Gatorade. You're probably like me and can't hire anybody to do it like you want it done. Good thing we're young men, eh? 

Keep up the good work, look forward to the concrete pictures. 

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5 hours ago, MrEarl said:

 I feel for you son! Over the last three 95° high humidity days I have spread 32 tons ( two tandem dump truck loads)  of river rock with a wheelbarrow,  shovel, garden rake and landscape rake. Freaking deadly.   By the third day I was peeing straight orange Gatorade. You're probably like me and can't hire anybody to do it like you want it done. Good thing we're young men, eh? 

Keep up the good work, look forward to the concrete pictures. 

That's right! No matter how much I've paid, every time I've hired a contractor I'm dissatisfied.

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On 8/19/2016 at 10:29 AM, smithbrother said:

Well, Mr. FITTY FO, let's see pictures of what you did with the river rock, in Indiana river rock can't be picked up/spread with a shovel/rake, TO DANG BIG, so YOUR river rock is smaller?????

 

You are a  work horse, GOOD FOR YOU,

 

Dale in Indy

 

too busy working to take pictures. but since you asked, I'll try and take and post up some. Maybe I'll even start my own garage build thread. and re being a work horse ( which is one of the nicer names of the equine family I have been called) I feel lucky and blessed to still be able to do the laborious work I do, and pray that I can keep it up. I love it. 

 

On 8/22/2016 at 10:36 AM, Larry Schramm said:

I bought a small tractor with a front end loader to spread the rock/ crushed concrete.  Did about 60 tons a couple of weeks ago and going to get another 50+- this week.  Still a lot of work.

 

and maybe Larry will take and post some pictures of his rock install. ;-)

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2 hours ago, wndsofchng06 said:

Scheduled for the second week in September.  5" slab, fiber mix, 4000psi.  Still wavering on finish. Broom finish is less slippery, smooth finish is more forgiving on casters...

 

 

I think I'd stay away from the fiber concrete in a garage floor you will be crawling and rolling around on, the fibers WILL stick up. (think fiberglass insulation). If your base is solid and compacted well, 5 inches of 4000 psi will handle anything you will ever pull in there. Also, although you didn't mention it,  don't waste your money on reinforcing wire, it typically ends up in the bottom 1/2" of concrete and even if done right it will still crack, all the wire does is hold the cracks together. Your best bet for preventing random cracking is well placed contraction joints sawed 1.5 inches deep after 12 hours but before 36 hours. Go with 10' no more than 14 ft squares.  Since it is under cover you should be good as far as curing, just keep it hosed down daily for a couple weeks. If sun does hit portions of it and not others you will likely have hairline shrinkage cracking but the sawed contractions joints will stop them as they meet the joint. Nothing structurally to worry about. And don't let the finishers add too much water that will seriously compromise the strength of the 4000 # mix you are paying extra for, concrete should be placed, not "poured". If you have the bucks have the slab troweled to a smooth finish, for sake of your knees and elbows as well as ease of clean up. 

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1 minute ago, MrEarl said:

 

I think I'd stay away from the fiber concrete in a garage floor you will be crawling and rolling around on, the fibers WILL stick up. (think fiberglass insulation). If your base is solid and compacted well, 5 inches of 4000 psi will handle anything you will ever pull in there. Also, although you didn't mention it,  don't waste your money on reinforcing wire, it typically ends up in the bottom 1/2" of concrete and even if done right it will still crack, all the wire does is hold the cracks together. Your best bet for preventing random cracking is well placed contraction joints sawed 1.5 inches deep after 12 hours but before 36 hours. Go with 10' no more than 14 ft squares.  Since it is under cover you should be good as far as curing, just keep it hosed down daily for a couple weeks. If sun does hit portions of it and not others you will likely have hairline shrinkage cracking but the sawed contractions joints will stop them as they meet the joint. Nothing structurally to worry about. And don't let the finishers add too much water that will seriously compromise the strength of the 4000 # mix you are paying extra for, concrete should be placed, not "poured". If you have the bucks have the slab troweled to a smooth finish, for sake of your knees and elbows as well as ease of clean up. 

no fiber AND no wire???  really?   But it goes against everything I've ever been told!!!  HA HA HA  I knew it was too thin for rebar..

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1 minute ago, wndsofchng06 said:

  I knew it was too thin for rebar..

 

Not really, but again, 5 inches of 4000 # mix will handle any Buicks you will ever pull in there. BUT let me qualify that... your BASE has got to be GOOD. Is it fill or did you cut into the original ground. If fill, what with.  If in serious doubt about your base and you can't handle seeing cracks in the future,  then yea go with #4 rebar 12 OC. (maybe even 18 if using 4000 psi).  You can buy the chairs to sit the bar on or I have used old 2 inch brick. Rebar ain't cheap and is a PIA to set up and for the finishers to pour over. Personally I'd put my effort into ensuring the base is good.

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3 minutes ago, MrEarl said:

 

Not really, but again, 5 inches of 4000 # mix will handle any Buicks you will ever pull in there. BUT let me qualify that... your BASE has got to be GOOD. Is it fill or did you cut into the original ground. If fill, what with.  If in serious doubt about your base and you can't handle seeing cracks in the future,  then yea go with #4 rebar 12 OC. (maybe even 18 if using 4000 psi).  You can buy the chairs to sit the bar on or I have used old 2 inch brick. Rebar ain't cheap and is a PIA to set up and for the finishers to pour over. Personally I'd put my effort into ensuring the base is good.

I dug into existing ground....  I am getting the company to requote minus the fiber.  Originally i was ordering a 4" slab, but found out that they use 1x4 framing, so that means I'm only getting 3.5" ....  5" forces them to use taller framing.  (stupid lumber dimensions)  The "2x4" studs in the wall of my house and barn are like 2.25x4.5  many with bark still on... HA HA HA

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Nice project and best wishes for the pour.  When we did our big garage, we did an addition to the house at the same time.  For some reason we thought cracks might be a big problem in the addition with a stained concrete floor so we asked about options and fiber was offered.  The fiber ended up in little clumps in a lot of places including the surface and didn't seem to do anything.  A bit ended up in the big garage where we didn't order fiber.  What I think made the difference was what we had under the concrete.  I added 2 inches of insulating foam under the addition for the radiant heat.  That caused cracking i believe although it was highlighted by the staining.  I'm not worried about it now.  No cracks appeared in the big garage where only compacted dirt existed under the slab.  I would be cautious of the fiber assuming a decent mix of concrete with proper compaction and forms from the start.  Both have a smooth finish except some outside portals or porches.  The slope is important at the big doors to keep water flowing out.  I would have done a steeper one at the entrance looking back now.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Apparently contractors don't like to work for less than 10k anymore.  My first concrete contractor canceled to go on a big job out of town.  The 2nd one, who was supposed to do the job tomorrow, text me last night to tell me he's going to need to up the price by $500 and push me out two more weeks (i assume he got bigger jobs). Now I've got a third one, supposed to come next Tuesday...  I swear I should do it myself.   Anyhow, rant over, in the meantime I threw a little trim on the building...  The interior door handle is Buick....:-)

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On ‎9‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 0:09 PM, wndsofchng06 said:

Apparently contractors don't like to work for less than 10k anymore.  My first concrete contractor canceled to go on a big job out of town.  The 2nd one, who was supposed to do the job tomorrow, text me last night to tell me he's going to need to up the price by $500 and push me out two more weeks (i assume he got bigger jobs). Now I've got a third one, supposed to come next Tuesday...  I swear I should do it myself. 

 

That is why I bought a tractor to do the repair to the parking lot and move all of the crushed concrete.

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On ‎9‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 0:09 PM, wndsofchng06 said:

Apparently contractors don't like to work for less than 10k anymore.  My first concrete contractor canceled to go on a big job out of town.  The 2nd one, who was supposed to do the job tomorrow, text me last night to tell me he's going to need to up the price by $500 and push me out two more weeks (i assume he got bigger jobs). Now I've got a third one, supposed to come next Tuesday...  I swear I should do it myself.   Anyhow, rant over, in the meantime I threw a little trim on the building...  The interior door handle is Buick....:-)

 

Now I haven't done this myself but have heard of others so......you find a concrete hauler with another project in your area - I understand they sometimes have left over product in trucks that has to me emptied out anyway - so you can hire/arrange with them to bring it to your location. Now you have to coordinate times and spread it out how you want it etc, but for smaller jobs, shed pads, sidewalks, patios. I've heard it works. You might have to separate to into a couple sections, in the event of different deliveries. Ask around the worst anyone will say is NO.

:)

 

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I had fiber added to one of my shop floors years ago. A few weeks after the pour I took my torch and burned all the little hairs sticking up through the slab. Only took a few minutes and had peace of mind that the slab was a bit stronger.

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And i learn my lesson about paying people yet again.  I got them started, then had to leave for work.  When i got home last night it was dark... this AM i can see the trowel finish looks like my 8 year old nephew icing his own birthday cake.... and I can clearly see high and low spots!!!!   Good thing its just an old pole barn.  Guess i won't be doing any body alignment in here. ????  when they come back to cut control joints we will be having a chat....

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Be sure an chat after they cut the control joints. They should be there today cutting joints, since it is in the shade another day won't hurt, just keep it sprinkled down til then . and check the depth, at minimum 25% the depth of the concrete and in no more than 12'- 14' squares

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they didn't even let the bleed water get off it before they did what troweling they did to it. That makes me sick that they took advantage of the fact you couldn't be there to over see it. I doubt you had anything in writing related to specs for smoothness etc but that is simply not acceptable for any finish of concrete. Did they even put a power trowel on it, that looks like a wood float finish, not even broomed.  I hate to ask but have you paid them. If not and there was no contract, first ensure they paid for the concrete (you don't want the concrete company coming after you) then hold payment until they remedy it. There is a possibility it can be ground smooth but that is difficult to do right, Have you laid a 10 ft straight edge over it to see if there are high and low spots. 1/8 " is good but should be absolutely no more than 1/4" in a 10 ft run.

You can rent a small concrete saw with blade and I suggest you go ahead and do that as the weather is turning cold and that concrete is going to start contracting.

Again man, so sorry to see what they left you with. But hey it's got to be better than dirt and gravel.

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So I paid for the concrete separately. But yes, I paid these guys just before I went back to the office. I've found other buyers, on craigslist who have used this contractor and had similar experiences.  We have all filed BBB complaints.  One guy has a 5 day old driveway that he paid 10k for and it's already cracked.  He has contacted the local news consumer watch segment.     To have been in business for 35 years, I guess he must be getting bad in his later career....

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You can lay a 1 X 4 on the floor, pile weights on each end, that will help with cutting straight line, I wouldn't TRUST a ground fault, PERSONALLY,  water and electric current don't respect each other.  The blade is going to pick up the water, and throw it where is isn't 'GOOD', IMO

 

The 1 X 4 will also give you control of depth.

 

Coming along,

 

Dale in Indy

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1 hour ago, smithbrother said:

You can lay a 1 X 4 on the floor, pile weights on each end, that will help with cutting straight line, I wouldn't TRUST a ground fault, PERSONALLY,  water and electric current don't respect each other.  The blade is going to pick up the water, and throw it where is isn't 'GOOD', IMO

 

The 1 X 4 will also give you control of depth.

 

Coming along,

 

Dale in Indy

The 1x4 is a great idea I just set the depth of my saw but the 1x4 would still help me keep a straighter line

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Finished my control joints... next weekend makes one month curing, so I'm going to use sealer/densifier on it... then the first project rolls in..... unfortunately not a Buick yet, gotta replace the engine in my truck (480k miles) so I can haul more Buick stuff!

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