Step Two: Concrete

The Inspector came to our house on Friday and approved the preliminary work that had been completed to pour our patio slab.  The bug spray was in place, the rebar was positioned, supported, and wired correctly; and the footing was of the desired depth.  All was good.

We had a weekend that promised rain, but none materialized, so we did not have to worry about wash-out conditions.  We knew that the contractor would be here either on Monday or Tuesday. He originally had said "Tuesday," so I was not surprised when they did not come to pour on Monday.

Buds are ready to open on my little tree.

As we were in the back yard yesterday, I decided to give the vegetation back there a good watering. Much to my surprise, when I watered the corner garden, I discovered that the white gardenia tree is full of buds ready to bloom.  If the tree really blossoms, it should be beautiful.  I'll post pictures if it decides to bloom this year.  We have owned this house five years in June, and I have yet to see more than one or two blossoms per year.  Perhaps the weather conditions are just right this year for a spectacular display of flowers.

The concrete truck mixed the concrete on site and
then transferred it to the pumper.

This morning we planned at getting up at 7:00 so that we would be showered and dressed before the contractor arrived by 7:30 - 8:00.  Then we heard a truck pull up in front of our house-- at 6:54 AM!  Rick yelled, "Get up, Sher, and take a shower and get dressed.  They are here!"  OK, so much for a peaceful start to the day.

The workman directs the concrete into the corner
to the correct level to pitch the slab away from the house.

I have to say that the contractor did an excellent job.  The concrete truck mixed the concrete on site so it was fresh, dumped the mud into the pumper truck, and out it came onto our prepared site.  The slurry they used was very wet which made sense since it had to be pumped from the truck in the street through a four or five inch tube.

The rough, wet finish of the patio waits to dry before Kory and
Jeff came back to add the finishing touches.

They were done with the pumping by 8:30 this morning, and then two men, Kory and Jeff, stayed to work with the patio until about 1:00 this afternoon.  Of course, while they are trying to do their work, the wind picked up and the trees in the back yard decided to add leaves and small seeds into the mix. Kory and Jeff were perfectionists in what they did.  The edges are cut in, the patio was scored in the correct places, and the end result is a smooth slab with proper footings and a brushed finish.

We were glad that the experts were the ones working in the
sun to smooth the finish on the patio.

Of course, we have to wait a few days for it to cure, but the weather promises to be sunny but cool (high 70's to low 80's), so this should be perfect weather to watch concrete dry.

The finished patio will be a wonderful place to relax in the
morning or late afternoon shade.

Naturally, Rick and I are on to our next adventure which is digging out the area for the shed slab.  We were not going to pour the slab this year, but Home Depot put their SacKrete on sale for $1.88 a bag. Since it usually is over $3.00 a bag, we could not pass up such a sale.  Long story short, after a bit of hassle and negotiation, we are now having two pallets of concrete delivered sometime on Wednesday.

I have to say that we learned a great deal about putting in a concrete slab from watching the contractor the last couple of days.  We now know the proper way to dig the footings and to add the re-rod, and we have figured out a way to complete the shed slab in six pours.  Will we ever actually build a shed?  Who knows.  If not, we will have a nice little slab in the yard that we can relax on under the live oak tree in our back yard.