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Finishing 1,100 sq ft in one day vs spreading it over three, which one actually saves you money
Had a week back in March that I keep thinking about. We poured a 1,100 square foot warehouse slab in Council Bluffs on a Tuesday, and thanks to perfect weather and my best guy running the power trowel, we had it cut and walked off by 4pm the same day. Two days later we did a similar 900 foot job in three separate pours, and it went to hell. Rain rolled in on the second day, we had a cold joint that looked terrible, and the GC made us grind it down and patch it. Boss ran the numbers and the second job cost us almost $1,800 more in labor and rental time, plus we lost a full Saturday fixing it. My take is one big pour beats three small ones every single time if you have the crew and the mud trucks lined up. But my old foreman swears the slow way gives you a better finish because you can work each section calm and not rush your edges. What do you all do when the schedule gives you a choice? I want to hear from guys who have run it both ways.
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jasonp7127d ago
Does your old foreman ever have to eat the cost when the weather flips on him? I ran a 1,400 footer in one day last fall with two crews on the screed and three trucks staggered 20 minutes apart, and the finish came out just as clean as any slow job I've done. The trick is having one guy whose only job is edges while the main crew handles the field, so nobody is racing the clock on the tricky parts. When you split it up you're paying setup and teardown three times, plus you're rolling the dice on weather three times instead of once. That $1,800 your boss ate is the whole argument right there, and I bet the lost Saturday stung worse than the money.
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