What's With Concrete Contractors??

[A-37]

Is it throughout the contractors' brotherhood or is it primarily concrete guys who are not dependable when it comes to keeping the schedule promised. I understand the weather problems but a phone call would be a lot more courteous than a no-show.

This isn't the first concrete contractor I've had problems with. A few years ago, I was getting a new driveway (long at 140') put in. The guy takes a week off right in the middle of the job to show his turkeys at the county fair.

A stronger, more detailed performance contract with penalties might be the way to go.

 

[LMWIS]

Across the board around here.

Work stops during deer and moose season, and most guys get more jobs going than they can finish. Then they spend the summer shuffling around between the sites, while you wait with your project in various stages of completion.

Good luck getting anyone to agree to sanctions. They simply don't need the work.

 

[Salty RI]

Around here if you hire someone to do some work for you and they show up with surf rod's on their truck, you know your in trouble.

 

[Fishslayer]

Not universal but close. I'm 3 for 3 with shady dirtbags.

 

[chaparrito]

I just signed with a local guy for a new roof. We'll see. I have exactly ZERO positive experience with contractors or tradesmen who arrive and finish when and what they say they will.
Correction. I did just have a guy come out and remove 27 trees and prune and wire the trunks on 3 dozen more. He showed up early and finished fast and neat. Wasn't particularly inexpensive but worth it. An immigrant. Not that it matters I reckon.

 

[loutent]

We had our driveway replaced a couple years ago - got 3 estimates and picked the middle one with a contractor who has a great reputation and has been in business 20+ years. In discussing the project I asked how long the job would take - 2 days he says - one day to take out the old and one to put in the new - sounds good. All was fine and they showed up at the appointed day and time and took out the old driveway. So I ask about what time you will be showing up tomorrow. Oh it won't be tomorrow - we have to keep our guys on a schedule that will keep all the crews busy - we'll probably get to yours in about 2 weeks! But you said it was a two day job - oh it is, just not consecutive days!

Something about concrete guys - too much dust maybe?

Actually they did a great job so can't complain too much I guess

 

[dougb1946]

My roofing contractor showed up when promised, did an excellent tear off and replacement, excellent clean up, and showed up 30 days later, after the hail storm, to check the damage. Showed up to help the insurance adjuster write off the new roof, then did an excellent job on the new new roof. My kitchen contractor took a week longer than promised, but did an excellent job (happy wife). So far, any contractor doing work for me has done what they promised when they promised, so I paid them, as promised.

 

[Jim R]

Next time use one of these contracts, they are free and you will be covered.

http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab093934.pdf

 

[e3mrk]

I had My Driveway replaced and not only did they show up as promised but they did a great job and cleanup.
This is why I only deal by word of mouth instead of ad's and commercials when it comes to things like this.

 

[gdnagle]

We had our driveway replaced a couple years ago - got 3 estimates and picked the middle one with a contractor who has a great reputation and has been in business 20+ years. In discussing the project I asked how long the job would take - 2 days he says - one day to take out the old and one to put in the new - sounds good. All was fine and they showed up at the appointed day and time and took out the old driveway. So I ask about what time you will be showing up tomorrow. Oh it won't be tomorrow - we have to keep our guys on a schedule that will keep all the crews busy - we'll probably get to yours in about 2 weeks! But you said it was a two day job - oh it is, just not consecutive days!

Something about concrete guys - too much dust maybe?

Actually they did a great job so can't complain too much I guess

Back in the day when I worked with a aluminum siding contractor, now you can tell how old I am, we would go do a little work on several houses at one time. I asked why we didn't finish one. He told me that you start a job to keep people from backing out then you finish when you could. Now not all contractors are like this and I'm sure things have changes in the past 45 or so years in the way of laws but this is what it was like in the 70's when I worked with a contractor. OBTW we would drive down the road with materials in the back of the truck and one day some materials blew off. I asked why we didn't stop. His reply was if he stopped and got caught he would get a ticket, so keep going and let them catch him.

 

[A-37]

Stumps

In September '14, I had five trees cut down by a company I had done business with before with no problem. The ground was too wet to move in the stump grinding equipment so he said he'll be back when the ground freezes. Like a fool, I wrote him a check for the whole job, including stump grinding.

We were into April '15 and he still didn't show nor return my calls. I left a message for him. I said, "Look, I already paid you to grind those five stumps. If you don't have time to finish the job, I'll just hire someone else and send you the bill!"

The stumps were ground the next day; and not the best job, I might add.

 

[litenlarry]

I was a general contractor, our crew's placed thousands of cu yds of concrete..You name it we had done it..We also did the general construction from a bare site to total completion of the project...
As far as concrete..There a few ways to weed the inexperienced from the pro's..
Substrate...Very important that the material be compacted, in hot weather the substrate should be watered down..
Reinforcing...Re Steel/ wire mat's should be supported so as to place the reinforcing in the middle of the slab..
Slump test...A slump test ( the lower the better) will show how much water has been added to the concrete..A lot of contractors will add water to make the placement easier..Anything above a 4" slump is not desirable..A short video shows a slump test..
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwZf217v5XA[/ame]
Batch time... Look to see when the concrete was batched ( mixed) concrete revolutions while in the drum of the truck will generate heat and the mixture will require water to off load..Not a good thing as you are diluting the mixture..
Expansion and control joints...These are critical..The old adage is " Concrete will crack, you just don't know where"..Control joints will allow the slab to crack where you want it to, a controlled crack, if you will..!/2" saw cuts within 12 hours are also OK..
After the concrete is placed and finished, some method of keeping the moisture content of the concrete while it cures is paramount..Wither it be spraying a curing compound, covering with poly or using wet burlap...

This just a overview, placing concrete is a "Art' in and of its self..

A friend of mine that was a guy working off his pick-up truck ( someone you might come across for a small job), when asked about his guarantee would reply ( we guarantee against Fire and theft ) lol

 

[Rustyt1953]

I am uber blessed. My nephew is a contractor. I just had him replace my porch, windows, siding, doors, gutters and down spouts. He saved me thousands. I wish I could store him on a flash drive and download him to you folks.

PS, since I've got you an the line Mr.37, here's a nice pic from DaNang. I was thinkin' of ya.

 

[rwsmith]

My experiences vary....

Lately, the concrete contractor on a road job seems to be the only one able to complete their work in a timely fashion.

Years ago when we were building a lab we complained about the concrete work. We were told we were looking for a level of craftsmanship that didn't exist any more.

A highway job in the 80s had several contractors working on one stretch. A lot of it was good work. One contractor was terrible. They said, "All concrete contractors are not created equal." The humps in the road broke several tractor trailers until everybody learned to take the road MUCH slower than the speed limit. They had to get somebody to shave off the concrete at every expansion joint and it's still very uncomfortable to drive. KAWUMP KAWUMP KAWUMP KAWUMP!!!

PS I think that was the same outfit that built a ramp off the highway and when it met the road that it crossed it was a foot too high. They had to tear it back and increase the grade because somebody lost a foot in their calculations.

PPS If you want to read something hilarious along these lines read the short story, "Swimming in Red Ink" that was printed in Playboy many years ago. It's about a guy trying to have a pool built and notices some inefficiencies among the contractors.

 

[gregintenn]

I was a general contractor, our crew's placed thousands of cu yds of concrete..You name it we had done it..We also did the general construction from a bare site to total completion of the project...
As far as concrete..There a few ways to weed the inexperienced from the pro's..
Substrate...Very important that the material be compacted, in hot weather the substrate should be watered down..
Reinforcing...Re Steel/ wire mat's should be supported so as to place the reinforcing in the middle of the slab..
Slump test...A slump test ( the lower the better) will show how much water has been added to the concrete..A lot of contractors will add water to make the placement easier..Anything above a 4" slump is not desirable..A short video shows a slump test..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwZf217v5XA
Batch time... Look to see when the concrete was batched ( mixed) concrete revolutions while in the drum of the truck will generate heat and the mixture will require water to off load..Not a good thing as you are diluting the mixture..
Expansion and control joints...These are critical..The old adage is " Concrete will crack, you just don't know where"..Control joints will allow the slab to crack where you want it to, a controlled crack, if you will..!/2" saw cuts within 12 hours are also OK..
After the concrete is placed and finished, some method of keeping the moisture content of the concrete while it cures is paramount..Wither it be spraying a curing compound, covering with poly or using wet burlap...

This just a overview, placing concrete is a "Art' in and of its self..

A friend of mine that was a guy working off his pick-up truck ( someone you might come across for a small job), when asked about his guarantee would reply ( we guarantee against Fire and theft ) lol

Man, if I had a nickel for every slump, air, yield, and test cylinder I've made, I'd certainly never need to work again.

I'm not sure it's even legal in Tennessee for a contractor to show up when they promise.

 

[Muddyboot]

Is it throughout the contractors' brotherhood or is it primarily concrete guys who are not dependable when it comes to keeping the schedule promised. I understand the weather problems but a phone call would be a lot more courteous than a no-show.

This isn't the first concrete contractor I've had problems with. A few years ago, I was getting a new driveway (long at 140') put in. The guy takes a week off right in the middle of the job to show his turkeys at the county fair.

A stronger, more detailed performance contract with penalties might be the way to go.

Hope you didn't choose low bid guy...........

 

[Muddyboot]

I was a general contractor, our crew's placed thousands of cu yds of concrete..You name it we had done it..We also did the general construction from a bare site to total completion of the project...
As far as concrete..There a few ways to weed the inexperienced from the pro's..
Substrate...Very important that the material be compacted, in hot weather the substrate should be watered down..
Reinforcing...Re Steel/ wire mat's should be supported so as to place the reinforcing in the middle of the slab..
Slump test...A slump test ( the lower the better) will show how much water has been added to the concrete..A lot of contractors will add water to make the placement easier..Anything above a 4" slump is not desirable..A short video shows a slump test..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwZf217v5XA
Batch time... Look to see when the concrete was batched ( mixed) concrete revolutions while in the drum of the truck will generate heat and the mixture will require water to off load..Not a good thing as you are diluting the mixture..
Expansion and control joints...These are critical..The old adage is " Concrete will crack, you just don't know where"..Control joints will allow the slab to crack where you want it to, a controlled crack, if you will..!/2" saw cuts within 12 hours are also OK..
After the concrete is placed and finished, some method of keeping the moisture content of the concrete while it cures is paramount..Wither it be spraying a curing compound, covering with poly or using wet burlap...

This just a overview, placing concrete is a "Art' in and of its self..

A friend of mine that was a guy working off his pick-up truck ( someone you might come across for a small job), when asked about his guarantee would reply ( we guarantee against Fire and theft ) lol

Don't forget the air test for air entrained exterior concrete....

 

[vytoland]

if the service isn't done on time and in the prescribed manner....the payment should be delivered the same way....

 

[Frank46]

Little OT here. What with all the new construction going on down here, don't hold your breath while waiting for an electrician. Why waste time doing a small residential job when you go big time and get the whole project. Frank

 

[litenlarry]

I was involved with a KDOT job on Interstate 35 and I 435 overpass..Building curbs and gutters as well as runoff collection boxes..One of the spec's for the concrete was a 2" slump + or - 1/4"..Try placing that in 95 degree weather..The use of a concrete vibrator was not allowed to get the concrete down the chute, so a shovel was the only way..Lot's of sore backs on those days..
Of course we had to take test cylinders, do a slump test and use a "pressure cooker" for AE concrete..All of that was done by a Independent testing Lab..All of which slowed down the concrete placement..