Pouring concrete....

[NOTV8]

can one guy (me) pour, screed and finish a 37'x20' patio? is there something I can put on the concrete mix to delay the time before it get hard? Last time I did my front, by the time I get to the other end of my sidewalk the concrete was already hard... and the truck driver even told me that he had added a little more water as I had hard time screeding it :shocked: but I still save me a bunch of $$$ by doing it my self :laughing::laughing:... I want it in one pour but proly going to do 2x if not 3x :thumbsup:

 

[BeezFun]

can one guy (me) pour, screed and finish a 37'x20' patio?

No, but in this economy it's pretty easy to hire a finisher to come and do it for you. You can be his laborer, he'll tell you what to do and what concrete to order. Can't tell from the picture, but if you can't get a truck in there you'll need a couple laborers too.

 

[Rustyiron]

Short answer, NO.
Form it up so you can do it in sections. As you (me too) have found out what it's like to have concrete "get away" form you. No fun & poor results.

 

[dave1949]

No. It should have expansion breaks in it anyways, so as RustyIron says, make it easy on yourself and do it in sections.

Are you planning on putting something on top of the concrete, like tile? If not, I would consider dressing it up a bit with stamping.

Or, something you can do entirely yourself at your own pace is pavers. Probably a little more expensive overall than concrete, but looks 5 times better IMHO You already have some good looking, easy to match hard-scape in your retaining walls and steps, why not just continue?

 

[CurlyDave]

That is a huge area for one inexperienced man to pour and finish. Hire a finisher, he may have a helper who comes with him and let him be the lead on the project.

There are a few things you need to do before you pour & finish that area:

1. I would put down real rebar on either dobes or rebar chairs instead of the rusty 6-6-10 wire I see. That wire is going to be on the bottom of the concrete as soon as the finishing crew walks on it. If a finisher says he will hook it and pull it up as he goes, he is stretching the truth to the breaking point. I won't hire a finisher who makes that claim. If your finisher claims he will pull up the reinforcement, just smile and do it so he doesn't have to.

Do not ever underestimate the force that wet concrete will place on whatever you have under the rebar. I have seen it push dobes out from under bar, even when they were tie wired down. It happens in the blink of an eye, so fast that you might not even see it. But once it happens, the rebar, or the mesh, sinks to the bottom when it is walked on during finishing and is next to useless. Real rebar chairs are what the pros all use. It is worth looking around until you can find them.

2. Give a lot of thought to where the finished level of the concrete is going to be at those stairs, and also at the sliding glass door. Ask a building inspector what the rules are for the rise of that first step. A step has both a minimum and a maximum rise. If you add 4" of concrete to the step I see, you are going to have about 4" of rise, which may not be acceptable in your jurisdiction. A lot of places consider anything less than 6" to be a tripping hazard. If you are bootlegging this without a permit no one will check, but when it comes time to sell the house, a sharp-eyed home inspector may call this out as a problem. You do not want to have to re-work the patio at that time.

Same thing with the glass door. If it can possibly be used as a fire exit, there are rules on how big the elevation change can be from the inside floor to the patio. Also on how small the change can be. Find out what they are and be sure to comply. What is the requirement to prevent water from coming into the house?

3. What is the intended slope of the concrete patio? I should be ~ 1/4" per foot away from the house. If the retaining wall is level, I don't think there is enough slope away from the house. You may have to re-work that gravel bed.

4. The finisher may want you to have the concrete pumped in. Don't look on this as extra cost, look on it as insurance that the pour will go smoothly. A finisher and a pumper who have worked together in the past can place a lot of concrete in just the right amount in a very short time.

I don't mean to be critical, but the time to do something about potential problems is before you pour concrete, not after.

 

[Egon]

One man; the better half will not appreciate the results.

Two men; one who knows what to do with the chute and both in excellent shape it should pass the Wife's inspection.

Three men; two of whom know what to do and in excellent shape and it will get your wife's blessing. She may even rent you out for similar jobs in the neighbourhood!

You could try a higher strength concrete with low slump to defer setting times. Lower outside temperature will also hep. Not freezing mind you.

Forty five year old knowledge with no updates!

 

[SPIKER]

I agree with most all responses, NO not doable as a one man operation. I would call friends and ask co-workers for suggestions names of guys in your area. Stamping would make it look nice but takes some really experienced crews to do as well as the stamps. Rebar is good but not 100% required after all it is a patio have them add the FIBER reinforcement. a good sealer after pour (during cure) is needed outdoors and make sure to cover it if it is getting too cold or rain expected...

M

 

[boggen]

lots and lots of concrete, concrete truck will be need, and most likely quickly pay for itself, vs trying to even think about trying to manually mix concrete.

concrete finisher is going to be your life saver in getting a nice finished result. double check to make sure they have the tools needed.

having some extra laborers will pay off. they need to be in shape. concrete is not light by no means.

concrete only has so long before the initial cure time. having the extra workers, and a good finisher, will get things going and keep everything in X amount of time you have before concrete initially cures / sets up.

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water run off is a big deal, not enough slope, and water will pool up on the concrete, and in winter can turn to ice and cause problems with the surface of concrete.

expansion joints and rebar help control cracks.

having a good solid base below concrete is critical, as well.

dealing with run off water from the one hill in picture, get a french drain or pipe/s in to help deal with gutters and run off water from the hill. so water does not end up below the concrete. more so in winter.

consider possibly some sort of 1.5" to 3" drain/s in the patio. vs having to sweep / clean / spray / mop all the crud from edge of house clear across patio.

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get a pro in there, pay now, or pay more when things start going ugly in a year or 2 due to cracks.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Hire it done. Right now in my area I can get a finisher for $.65 per sq ft. $500 would get that job done. My finishers do everything. The set up the delivery, do the pour, then stick around and do the finish. I am responsible for prepping, removing the forms a day later, and doing the clean up and back fill.

Chris

 

[MarkV]

Hire it done. Right now in my area I can get a finisher for $.65 per sq ft. $500 would get that job done. My finishers do everything. The set up the delivery, do the pour, then stick around and do the finish. I am responsible for prepping, removing the forms a day later, and doing the clean up and back fill.

Chris

In my area it might be closer to $1.00 per foot, it is still worth the money. I spent a summer on a concrete crew when I was in college, I'm 60, this is not a one man job for an experienced concrete finisher.

MarkV