concrete question

Yeah, once the concrete is poured and screeded and done a once over with whatever finishing style you like, but while it is still not set, then take leaves, vines, whatever is growing around you and place them where you want and then gently but firmly press with your fingers all aover the greens so that it makes a depression in the concrete about as thick as the leaves are themselves. Make sure to put the more textured side of the leaf down to get the vein patterns to show. Do NOT pull the leaves out. that will kill the pattern and leave a messed up area. Simply let nature do its work. Allow everything to set and the leaves will dry up and blow away over a few days to weeks. The last one I made a border of honeysuckle, and a variety of scattered leaves to represent the predominant green stuff of the time of year. It's the archeologist in me that likes to think 500 years from now a group of acedemicians will be sitting around the table discussing the "primitive culture". Also just for a lark, where you tend to put rocks or bricks at the bottom to hold up the rebars, I also toss in a few pig and sheep skulls.

Another question is temperature. At night we are approaching freezing with daytime highs in the 60's - 70's. This area tends to get full sun exposure. I know there is some exothermic reaction in cement, but should this be ok? Also it will be a bit thicker than originally planned. It's taken me over a month to dig the site and as pain sets in, you tend to scale back and mismeasure. Instead of 8x8 it is 5'6" x 7' with a 9" deep trench around the edges (the width of the shovel, maybe 9-10 inches?) and the center is higher, ranging from 4-5"

So then it won't be overworking anyone to pour about 1 and a quarter yards in this way?

Well if moving about two tons twice isn't alot of work....... Well no.

your temps should be fine. if it is not getting much colder than 25 F and warming to at least 45 F, you should be fine.

oh...call the truck. forget about the mixing and call the truck.

__________________
this message has probably been edited to correct typos, spelling errors and to improve grammar...

"All that is gold does not glitter..."

A yard and a quarter of concrete weighs 2 tons?

I'm still having problems calculating how many pounds of portland cement (or how many 94 pound bags) I'll need

Also if I end up calling the cememt truck, do I tell them some sort of mix, like "driveway mix" or something? Of course around here they'll 50% of the time just do whatever regardless of what you say

Well, Concrete on average weighs about 150 Per cubic ft. Now a yard is 27 cu.ft or 4050LBS. Now that quarter is anouther 1000.

You want a 5-6 bag per yard mix. That will give you around 3000 psi @ 28 days.

I'd tell the ready mix co. that you want the standard 3500 mix for exposure. It doesn't say where you are located? If you did I could tell you a little better.

Edited to add. If you mix yourself. You move it twice.

and if they ask me what that is, what do I tell them? (like if they are trying to figure out how little I know about it)
It sounds like by the time I add up the materials, it is making more sense to call the truck




I'm in southern Kentucky, not too far from Knoxville

Well I gotta say ReadyMix suppliers are evil........
They come late. Have extra charges for everything. Make you sign the paper that says if the get stuck after leaving the curb it's your problem. As if all concrete is delivered to the street.

But most do send good concrete.

I'd just call up and tell them what you want to pour. The dispatcher will give you what he thinks is best. They generally have alot of experiance. Just don't ask him to figure how much you need.....they will figure your an idiot. "This guy can't do simple math"

Also offer to take a partial load if they have a truck going your way. That could save you some cash. Also if you tip the driver at delivery instead of at the end....He can make it easier.

double post

I will count my blessings, twice and thrice. We've dealt with readymix plants (ST Griswold and Carroll Concrete here in Vermont) three times and they've been great every time. On time, professional, no extra charges. For up to a couple of cubic yards we hand mix it ourselves but once we get to five cubic yards it is worth having the local readymix plant delivery.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

__________________
SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

My pricing is as follows:

1 yard sand stone mix $ 7.15 ($5.50 / metric ton or $5.50 / 2200 lbs)

5 bags normal Portland cement $ 45.00

Electricity and water $5.00

+ Time.

What is your time worth... That's what it comes down to. I mix myself when timing is difficult, (for example I need small amounts of concrete all day long) or when I need a small amount as the minimum charge for a truck runs about $300.00.

Pete

Thanks everyone. My wife reminded me that there was a rival concrete company whom we ended up working with when we built the house and they were much better to work with even though they get their supplies from the same place as Ready-Mix and have Ready-Mix in their name after their own last name. I called him and he's able to cut the cost down further. As someone suggested, he's got a load to deliver tomorrow evening apparently "in the neighborhood" (which here could be 10 miles away) so it looks like it'll be 175$ and at a time that my kids will be home to help. I've also got a gulley where he can offload if he's got too much

Just be sure the ground is compacted and well sloped away from the house.

Our house was built in 1974, I bought it in 1996. Last year noticed some wetness in basement. Finally figured out the concrete patio had settled and started sloping toward the house. Can channel alot of water the wrong way. First issue was putting in gutters, but I'm thinking of tearing the patio out. I like the concrete paver idea by Charles.

I assume our patio was made when the house was built, and the dirt backfilled around the foundation wasn't compacted completely. Maybe your dirt is more solid.

It's compacted. Also it will be level with the existing sidewalk which was set an inch below the concrete under the threshold for the door

sometimes it is a hassle though. i was very specific that i needed a front loader. the company i called had at least two of these. i needed the extra height and length of the 6 wheeled truck to allow the chute to dump into my footers. so the guys are all ready to go...and here comes the standard rear loader. well, what are you gonna do? one of the guys had to work second shift that day, so i had to wheel 7-0 yards of concrete with my wheel barrow from the driveway to the site while my helpers smoothed it in. well, of course i tried to get that truck to the site through my front yard. i now have ruts (planned on having ruts) but for nothing, lol.

__________________
this message has probably been edited to correct typos, spelling errors and to improve grammar...

"All that is gold does not glitter..."

Well Id looked him in the eye and said" You aint my truck please get out of the way so the right one can get in here" then Ida called em up and asked them when my FRONT LOADER would be showing up?

well maybe I woulda called them before I asked him to move.

and by the time they got another truck, my help would be gone for the day.

__________________
this message has probably been edited to correct typos, spelling errors and to improve grammar...

"All that is gold does not glitter..."

good point

The last few sidewalk and driveways that I helped pour are in bad shape. The quality of the concrete is just awful. I was working with a good crew but the crap they sent from the ready mix plant was just terrible. It didn't matter what mix you asked for you got crap. Oh and believe me they charged pretty penny for it the privilege of using their substandard garbage.

__________________
Respect The Cactus!

I'm having a lot of bone pain today, but at least it is done. I guess it'll take a few years to tell how it stands up. My boys bailed as soon as my back was turned, but my daughter was a big help. We (mostly she) collected a variety of leaves with a nice bold vein pattern and we pressed them into the levelled off wet cement. It was mostly sycamore, with some mullein, hickory, locust and a little goldenrod and bamboo. Then she used a goose feather to do a broom finish (as she put it, in her zen).