Questions sometimes arise regarding scheduling and why a contractor is not currently at one job site or another. While both the homeowner and the contractor want the project done as soon as possible, expectations of how that happens do not always align.
At Rockford Stamped Concrete, we typically work on three or four projects within a given week. While brushed concrete projects usually take two or three days, stamped concrete projects usually take a minimum of three partial working days to complete. The first day will be spent doing excavation, forming and grading. The second day is often spent pouring and stamping that project. The third day requires stripping forms, washing, sealing and doing final clean up. The release used for stamping needs to be washed from the surface of the concrete, and I have never found it possible to wash the release off without damaging the concrete underneath without allowing a day between the two phases.
Most of the year, we like to pour concrete when the temperature is cooler. The time of day makes a big difference in that temperature, which means we pour in morning whenever possible. These cooler temperatures allow for longer setting and working time. If we’re not at one project in the morning, it’s almost always because we’re busy pouring at a different one. We will return to a different jobsite later that day.
Things like weather, availability of redi-mix, availability of pump trucks, and other factors also affect scheduling.
Weather is the single most important factor that influences our schedule. We usually don’t pour if there is a good chance of rain. It’s not that we hate getting wet, it’s the fact that rain can damage freshly placed concrete and necessitate an immediate replacement. We can cover it with plastic for a bit but eventually it needs to be uncovered to be finished properly. If the concrete needs to be covered again after it is finished, plastic marks on the finish may be visually undesirable.
If it rains for a few days in a row, other problems may arise from a wet subgrade. Rain can also lead to a backlog for the redi-mix company. If it rains, contactors who cancelled due to rain will all be trying to fit in concrete the following day, creating a supply bottleneck as two days' worth of pours are sent out the same day. Those days, we can’t always get redi-mix trucks or a concrete pump when we want. Sometimes we have wait until they become available.
It is a bad idea to pour in extreme heat, as the concrete can cure faster than we can finish it. And winds over 20 mph can dry out the surface of the concrete, making it very hard to finish.
We get paid when the job is done, so we want to complete the project. But we don't make a profit and we lose even more time if we have to it tear it out and do it twice. The important thing is a quality product. We will complete the project when conditions are right.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Phone: (616) 254-7197
Address: Rockford, MI 49341
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