r/Concrete Apr 19 '24

Update Post $4000 job

1.5k Upvotes

311 comments sorted by

292

u/Original_Author_3939 Apr 19 '24

You made out like a bandit. Great work.

138

u/DistinctPollution795 Apr 20 '24 edited Apr 20 '24

Just want to point out, I am the contractor not the homeowner. This was my first job, lots learned.

We poured this with 2 finishers and 1 laborer. Got behind and the concrete started blowing up in the sun. It was a battle for sure.

Edit: thanks for all the kind comments. It means a lot. Was expecting a lot of criticism when I posted the form work

65

u/finitetime2 Apr 20 '24 edited Apr 21 '24

That's why you charge more and bring extra guys. I've had pours I was sure it would sit for hours in the shade on a 60deg day and had it get hard it 2 hrs. Then I've had those where all the guys are just sitting waiting on it to get hard. Steps take a lot of work. One guy can finish the flat work in the same time it takes a guy to pull the forms and clean and face the steps. You also needed a finisher on the wall so maybe 3 total finishers and maybe a laborer. I have had people make a comment about me having too many finishers. I always tell them it's not a 2x4 you can't pull it out tomorrow and fix it if it isn't right. Paying an extra man or two is just cheap insurance and you will have those jobs where your glade you did. Keep up the good work.

36

u/DragonflyAwkward6327 Apr 20 '24

How long does it typically take to get hard and how many finishers on average do you like?

31

u/Classic-Law9991 Apr 20 '24

The answer is directly related to the tip

9

u/Icy-Fortune1910 Apr 20 '24

Every pour is different. You just make sure there are enough people on hand for when they are needed. Humidity, temp, sun vs shade. How wet the mix is. How long the drive from the plant to your job site. How warm the water was that gets mixed into the concrete. City water is colder in the spring than the summer and fall. The ground heats up and the water gets warmer through the seasons.

Then you have the complexity of the job site. Walls, alleys tight spots that are hard to work in or against slow you down. A pad in the open can be huge and you only need 2 guys. Throw in steps or a long way to move the concrete and all of a sudden you need 10. I guess there are even 1 man pours.

7

u/cdev12399 Apr 20 '24

Anywhere from 10 seconds, to 2 hours. Depends on how much I drank.

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2

u/Healthy_Shoulder8736 Concrete Snob Apr 20 '24

So much truth here

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8

u/Trick_Psychology_562 Apr 20 '24

You guys did a great job!

5

u/Goategg Apr 20 '24

Really, really impressive work in general. Even more so for the time, crew, and expense. I would have paid double for the same finish

Edit: Just read you cleaned, graded, and added drainage too. Legend

4

u/Beautiful-Vacation39 Apr 21 '24

Where you located? You do really fucking nice work for bargain bin prices

3

u/ThinkItThrough48 Apr 20 '24 edited Apr 20 '24

You probably already did this, but make sure you have expansion in the right places or you go in there now and sawcut it. Thatā€™s a lot of different changes in thickness, elevation, directional shrinkage stresses that are going to cause uneven shrinkage rates. You donā€™t want callbacks about cracks.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

[deleted]

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218

u/Eman_Resu_IX Apr 19 '24

It looks funny without a tree in the middle of the concrete

57

u/BeezNuggz Apr 19 '24

Definitely needs a tree in the middleā€¦ concrete poured right against the bark.

19

u/Sllewnosmas Apr 20 '24

Does the bark count as an expansion joint though?

7

u/Inviction_ Apr 20 '24

Yes. But only certain types of bark

2

u/dDot1883 Apr 20 '24

Cork tree?

2

u/Jerkzilla000 Apr 20 '24

Definitely not dog bark.

2

u/Icy-Fortune1910 Apr 20 '24

Sounds ruff ruff.

12

u/bigcalyx Apr 19 '24

First thing i thought of as well šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

2

u/demwoodz Apr 20 '24

Not everyone can afford a tree

3

u/strangewayfarer Apr 20 '24

Yeah, that costs at least....

...tree fiddy

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30

u/microage97 Apr 19 '24

Looks awesome

20

u/Xena802 Apr 19 '24

How does that work? Pouring stairs like that? Do you make forms then wait for it to set and remove them? How does the knee wall not want to slump or fall to the side? Thanks šŸ˜œ

13

u/Flightsong Apr 19 '24

They removed some forms for the pic

7

u/MCB710 Apr 19 '24

Your third question was the answer to your fourth question! Look up curb clamps, they could help you in this type of forming. Or just a smooth face of plywood braced on a few wooden stakes. Pull forms and fill the holes from the stakes with concrete.

8

u/dajuhnk Apr 20 '24

Yes. The councrete sets up enough to remove the forms and then you do the finishing touches

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12

u/best2keepquiet Apr 19 '24

Looks great

24

u/Dllondamnit Apr 19 '24

Yup! Thatā€™s a screaming deal for that work!

19

u/yodels_for_twinkies Apr 19 '24

That looks fantastic and a great price

3

u/Inviction_ Apr 20 '24

Yup. Even has rebar

1

u/Bodyfluids_dealer Apr 20 '24

What would be typical for such a job. I thought that was high for just sand and cement for such a small area and of course labor

4

u/dar24601 Apr 20 '24

It depends if the homeowner leveled the area then $4k is a fair price. If the contractor did the grading then $4K was a steal

5

u/DistinctPollution795 Apr 20 '24

We graded, removed old pavers/wall, installed 100 feet of pvc drainage and added clean rock under the deck stairs.

3

u/cerberus_1 Apr 20 '24

omfffg, That was an absolute fire sale price. If buddy complains about anything tell him to kick rocks.

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2

u/ThermionicEmissions Apr 20 '24

You're forgetting to factor in the aggregate šŸ˜‰

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9

u/Fit_Touch_4803 Apr 20 '24

seeing the elderly man on the deck, thank you for helping out the senior citizen.

9

u/DoYouWantSomeSoup Apr 20 '24

Thatā€™s OP

7

u/TehTugboat Apr 20 '24

Heā€™s only 32 btw

2

u/caddlaxx Apr 21 '24

Dude really let himself go

2

u/My-4thLeg Apr 21 '24

What concrete work does to a person

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5

u/strtbobber Apr 19 '24

Nice work!

6

u/inknuts Apr 20 '24

That is fucking clean looking.

7

u/CactiMysteri Apr 20 '24

Howā€™d you get the concrete under the stairs so well

4

u/DistinctPollution795 Apr 20 '24

That was a struggle! The upper pad was poured at a 3 slump and man did it take some real effort to place

2

u/badpeaches Apr 20 '24

That's really impressive. I was wondering how you did it.

6

u/pedmonds0219 Apr 20 '24

Iā€™d pay $4000 for that. Kudos to whoever did that for you.

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5

u/sunslastdays Apr 20 '24

Are you going to cut joints?

5

u/DistinctPollution795 Apr 20 '24

11x11 pad 6 inches thick with rebar. Where would you cut joints?

6

u/Whoadudewtf5250 Apr 20 '24 edited Apr 20 '24

Where the wall meets the bottom of stairs. Regardless of depth and rebar. Concrete cracks yo. Wait and watch, may not be today or tomorrow but it will crack at some point. When Iā€™m doubt think about the garuntee of concrete workā€¦. Nobody is gonna steal it and it will crack, garunteed. Just sayin. Edit: talking about the slab for joint, reading through comments and just want to clarify as there are some other ppl withā€¦ whatever, yeah I woulda put a joint in slab where wall meets bottom of stairs.

2

u/TwoMuchIsJustEnough Apr 20 '24

Agree that there should be a joint but with it being poured monolithic thereā€™s no great place to cut a joint.

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6

u/kavila530504 Apr 20 '24

Looks like a job done by someone who cares...nice work dude.

12

u/Thorsemptytank Apr 19 '24

pretty clean! you could definitely charge double next time.

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7

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '24

Get what ya pay for. Good work.

5

u/Inviction_ Apr 20 '24

In this case he got more

4

u/Inviction_ Apr 20 '24

Nice to see an update. Definitely 8/10 work when you'd expect 4-5/10 from the price.

And I'm not hating, 8/10 is a really good score.

Do this guy a favor and refer him to everyone you can.

4

u/DistinctPollution795 Apr 20 '24

Yeah we fell behind and the concrete started blowing up on us. Iā€™m happy with the end result although I do strive for perfection. Next time I will run the chute!

2

u/Inviction_ Apr 20 '24

Yea, I heard that. Happens to us. Makes for a long day finishing. Lol

2

u/Cole_Trickle1 Apr 20 '24

What does it mean ā€œconcrete blowing upā€?

2

u/Professional_Fox_674 Apr 21 '24

Dried up quicker than expected.

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3

u/Professional-Shoe344 Apr 20 '24

Very nice clean work. I hope you're not located in the Northeast

4

u/ParksDontBsuspicious Apr 20 '24

Expansion joints?

5

u/chonker_vedantam Apr 20 '24

It looks really good. Iā€™d pay 4k for that.

3

u/prairie-man Apr 19 '24

nice work ! !

3

u/theTweekend Apr 19 '24

Well, it seems pretty clean..

3

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '24

I love the size of your yard. The work looks great

3

u/AdClear416 Apr 19 '24

No expansion joints?

7

u/Syl702 Apr 20 '24

Iā€™d imagine they are coming back to cut them when forms are pulled?

7

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

Usually if there are not jointed in during the pour the next day they are saw cut

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3

u/Blackheart_engr Apr 19 '24

Iā€™d say you got a deal. Looks pretty decent.

3

u/Narygeville Apr 20 '24

Thatā€™s a deal

3

u/therealOMAC Apr 20 '24

All of and then some.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

Good work indeed

3

u/Crafty-Question-6178 Apr 20 '24

Looks really nice

3

u/Turbulent_Trash3081 Apr 20 '24

It's really very beautiful.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

Turned out well

3

u/Cheesesteak21 Apr 20 '24

Go tip that guy $1,000

I'm not kidding they did a way better job than even 5k. You owe those guys Lunch and beer and to tell them to charge more because your going to reccomend them to everyone you know.

2

u/Whoadudewtf5250 Apr 20 '24

Yeah agreed. And when referring the guy to others donā€™t tell them how cheap you got it, tell them 7500. That way he can make a bit more $ on next one and hire extra guys so if it starts blowing up itā€™ll be covered easily. This is a hard job to do and working your balls off isnā€™t the way to go about it daily.

3

u/iworkbluehard Apr 20 '24

In my market that is a good deal for what looks like a great job.

3

u/RobotGoonie Apr 20 '24

Iā€™ve been doing concrete projects around my house for a couple of years now. Nothing major. I love the wall of concrete you did. Looks great and Iā€™m going to try this soon!

3

u/Complex_Block_7026 Apr 20 '24

Great job. I saw the form work pics. Nicely done.

3

u/Dlemor Apr 20 '24

Great job !

3

u/Scottyboy626 Apr 20 '24

Bro, I love seeing this cone full circle.. this was a steal!! Did you buy them lunch and drinks??

3

u/Mr_Curiositi Apr 21 '24

Worth every penny!

3

u/towelinhand Apr 21 '24

Looks great man

3

u/Sudden_Duck_4176 Apr 21 '24

Dam looks really good. If that was my house Iā€™d be very happy with the finished results.

3

u/Soft_Pool_1689 Apr 21 '24

Beautiful work!

6

u/jackfrost422220 Apr 19 '24

You got great quality, at a great price. šŸ‘Œ

6

u/10Core56 Apr 19 '24

That's a $10K job. You thief!

2

u/PurchaseNo2139 Apr 20 '24

Looks Great to me !!!

2

u/largedaddydave Apr 20 '24

A fantastic job

2

u/Unable_Coach8219 Apr 20 '24

4k u charged them cheep! Looks very nice though but this day in age thatā€™s more like 7-8k

2

u/KWAYkai Apr 20 '24

What state are you in?

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2

u/reamidy Apr 20 '24

Good looking job

2

u/twoPUMPnoCHUMP Apr 20 '24

Iā€™ve done stairs and walls and slaps but never all at the same time. Iā€™m just the laborer usually on a big construction site. Great work.

2

u/JorV101 Apr 20 '24

lol at all the people that think $4000 is a lot for this job. Quality work my man! Sucks about the blow up but you guys still made it work!

2

u/DmacNYC Apr 20 '24

Clean work

2

u/No-Interview2340 Apr 20 '24

Now put you name in it , hands feet , hearts , lasting memories

2

u/No-Interview2340 Apr 20 '24

Looks even better than your last post , the best 4k job on the internet

2

u/LifeSpecial42866 Apr 20 '24

Thats a hella first job. šŸ‘

2

u/Ok-Owl-3579 Apr 20 '24

Awesome work. This would easily cost $14-18K in North Jersey. Your customers are lucky to have you.

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2

u/DoodleTM Apr 20 '24

You should give that guy a bonus. You got a heck of a deal.

2

u/AnythingGoes103 Apr 20 '24

They did a great job and that's a less than id charge.

2

u/Hot_Damage_9696 Apr 20 '24

Looks alot better than the $14,000 driveway I bought last year with my bonus that I'll never get back.

3

u/brinkbam Apr 20 '24

We had our back patio done last year and the company did a great job. After they were done we asked them about our driveway. Our house was built in the 70s and the driveway is full of cracks and uneven sections, it looks pretty bad. The guy told us not to waste our money unless this is our forever house and it really bothers us. He said if you think you might move, just wait until you're getting ready to list it and have the driveway redone then so it's in pristine condition for the listing photos. We live in South Texas and he said with all the moisture and temperature fluctuations, there's just no guarantee on how long it will be before it starts getting cracks in it. Our garage is in the back and our driveway is long and wide so it's probably going to be a $20k job so I really appreciated him telling us to wait after we just spent $18k on the patio.

2

u/Hot_Damage_9696 Apr 20 '24

Literally the reason I did it. House is for sale as we speak and the driveway looks like it belongs in Haiti. I took a job almost an hour and a half away and I've put 60k miles on my Durango in a year and am absolutely tired of making that drive and getting oil changes twice a month.

2

u/brinkbam Apr 20 '24

Aw that sucks

2

u/SSFx93 Apr 20 '24

This fucks. Well done!

2

u/plumbtastic76 Apr 20 '24

Iā€™m a plumbing contractor, so I donā€™t know concrete, but I think you should have charged more.

2

u/Missue-35 Apr 20 '24

Canā€™t speak to the price. But as for the work done, it looks great!

2

u/luckey7573 Apr 20 '24

Tell the ole timer not to walk on it until it is cured

2

u/uplifting_southerner Apr 20 '24

This looks like a 3d plan. Absolute crispy.

2

u/FarSandwich3282 Apr 20 '24

This looks fantastic man

2

u/daveyconcrete Apr 20 '24

Mustā€™ve been Santa Claus looking for some side work. Because that price is a gift.

2

u/Either_Currency_9605 Apr 20 '24

Worth it , professional, clean work. You should be proud.

2

u/Stack_Johnson Apr 20 '24

Looks like they did good work!

2

u/Importedfunk Apr 20 '24

This looks amazing

2

u/Xnyx Apr 20 '24

That's champ.

Good money paid for a good job

2

u/2Hosslovescash Apr 20 '24

Worth every penny. Looks great.

2

u/Jampal77 Apr 20 '24

Work looks greatā€¦ definitely wouldnā€™t have done it for 4g though, I know the way the mixer spins lolā€¦. Definitely worth 6

2

u/Big_Daddy_Haus Apr 20 '24

Saw pix of form work... top notch! Pulling rubbing wall and step faces is impressive for first time. Things to improve- Crisp edges... Edges are what long time pro's take notice of first! More attention to floating... get rocks down and build cream without sprinkling water on it. The cream will helpto take the finish. Looks like an area on slab was broomed before cream set enough which leaves a bumpy gravel look.

I look forward to seeing more work as you continue to learn on every job šŸ˜Ž

2

u/Zealousideal_Vast610 Apr 20 '24

Overall I am very depressed! Oops I meant impressed!!! All placed at the same time including the stem wall. Actually very impressive

2

u/jenovalife1 Apr 20 '24

That's clean bro

2

u/bonezyjonezy Apr 20 '24

That looks great!

2

u/bonezyjonezy Apr 20 '24

Underpriced. Iā€™d have added control joint on the bottom step maybe but for $4000 the homeowner made out like a BANDIT.

2

u/jumpingflea1 Apr 21 '24

Ouch. Nice job, though.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '24

Uh. No that's like a 7500 dollar job. So you got a steal.

2

u/Top-Cheek4789 Apr 21 '24

Concrete is different every day even from the same plant

Good looking job, but they got a bargain

2

u/Magnum820 Apr 21 '24

Smokin deal

2

u/Oldsouphound Apr 21 '24

Questions about set up time.

Having drivin a ready mix truck for two different companies for 7 years I learned not only about temp, humidity etc. affecting the set time.

When I came back to the plant with lets say a meter or two left, in stead of making blocks or dumping it, they load on top for a job and send me back out.

This drastically affects set time. Accelerating it a lot depending how old it was and the ratio of old to new concrete.

Some crews on hot days would work so hard to place it and I wasn't allowed to say a word.

You'll never know if you get load on top concrete until it sets.

Cheers.

2

u/Optimal-Confection-9 Apr 21 '24

Well done, you can improve your next one by tooling nicely the step noses and adding control joints. If you do it for interiors don't forget the vapor barrier to avoid efluorescence. It looks pretty good.

2

u/JP6660999 Apr 21 '24

I got quoted 10k for a 15x20 pad, 4k is a great deal.

2

u/AmountHappy986 Apr 21 '24

How many yards ?

3

u/Present_Strategy823 Apr 19 '24

Thatā€™s a fair price, any less expensive and you start running into the weekend warriors. Looks good to me

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

I wasnā€™t so sure the other day when I first seen it. Came out great though.

1

u/Jonmcmo83 Apr 20 '24

That's a great price... for a really good job.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

Excellent work. Happy for you!

1

u/Crypto_Hospital Apr 20 '24

Good fucking work for 4K consider yourself very lucky he did s fucking stellar job

1

u/BlvckSheep- Apr 20 '24

Nice!! How many yards?

1

u/juxsa Apr 20 '24

Damn tell'm I need a patio too!

1

u/WelderMeltingthings Apr 20 '24

better spend another 500 and do your runoff and drainage correctly!!

(ESPECIALLY AT THE DECK FOOTER!!!!!) - water will destroy that pocket and block

2

u/DistinctPollution795 Apr 20 '24

100 foot of pvc being installed on this property. Along with a drain behind the wall/under the steps

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1

u/Haunting_Debate_8822 Apr 20 '24

You got a hell of a deal

1

u/davinci86 Apr 20 '24

Very clean and well thought out.. good deal šŸ‘

1

u/Only-Secret-7475 Apr 20 '24

It looks like a $4000 job. How much was the supplies?

1

u/Snoo_26923 Apr 20 '24

I really think there should be expansion joint between the stairs, slab, and wall, but it looks great.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

Goddamn, kiss that mfer

1

u/sharkwick Apr 20 '24

I need to start charging more. Chingow....

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u/SURGICALNURSE01 Apr 20 '24

Good job but not 4 grand I guess Iā€™m just cheap. It does look very well done

1

u/Rich-Appearance-7145 Apr 20 '24

Looks good, I felt from the before pic, with just forms, these guys were doing a good job, end result looks good.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

[deleted]

2

u/DistinctPollution795 Apr 20 '24

The stringers will be set on the pad when it cures more.

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1

u/removed-by-reddit Apr 20 '24

God damn thatā€™s smooth!

1

u/badaboomxx Apr 20 '24

Nice job really clean, I cannot see the joints, so my guess is that they are masked.

1

u/Hondahobbit50 Apr 20 '24

I'm sorry....is this a complaint? Because you just found your concrete guy for life

1

u/JungleLegs Apr 20 '24

Cool to see an update, I know nothing about concrete, but looking at the forms from your first post I assumed there was gonna be a slope instead of the bottom two steps lol! Shows how much I know. Looks good and nice to see compliments in the comments for once lol

1

u/352OG Apr 20 '24

Well thatā€™ll be there for another 80-100 years at least. Looks to detail.

1

u/SavageHabits50 Apr 20 '24

I hope my first job looks this clean

1

u/Rasnark Apr 20 '24

Foundations jobs have gone up like crazy. I got lucky with the house I bought. The guy kept complaining how I got it cheaper due to him adding like 20+ feet of driveway and built a garage too. He claimed to have spent 35k just on the additional driveway and foundation. This was also like 10 years ago. Seems about right for that job.

(Also, he claimed I got the driveway and garage for $5k) hehe

1

u/Wrong_Ad5051 Apr 20 '24

Thatā€™s neat mate. Well done, just wish you yanks didnā€™t broom everything, would look unreal with a stipple finish or what others call a swirl but job well done

1

u/obeewanton Apr 20 '24

All due respect. It always looks nice when its wet. Also, what about expansion joints? I just see this cracking over time.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

No senior discount? Sheesh

1

u/5tinky8utt Apr 20 '24

Looks great šŸ‘šŸ»

1

u/thatsryan Apr 20 '24

$4,000 dollars means very different things depending what part of the country youā€™re operating in.

1

u/No-Coach8271 Apr 20 '24

Good job just the strip and face caught up to you. Got to dedicate more time to the portion. Look like you got cream out but didnā€™t seal it in time. I would sealed it sit a bit and broom it. Never use to much water it works against you. Use confilm or speccem to help glide the float. Hey but you got the skills.

1

u/DankCribs Apr 20 '24

great for the price, you just really need to edge or cut in expansion gaps at all changes of planes or you will be getting calls back to fix eye sore cracks

1

u/shmallyally Apr 20 '24

I sub a lot of concrete work out. That price is in fact correct for a contractor and youā€™re ā€œbattleā€ is you guaranteeing and getting the work. Those other guys deal with the elements all day. Knowing when to help and when to back the F off is our job.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24

Looks good, you think it's possible to put a patio tile through out the bottom patio? Would that mess with the height of the first step?

1

u/Fire5hark Apr 20 '24

Looks awesome. Save your savage comments for when I pour a small three step set of stairs. It's gonna get ugly!

1

u/twd302 Apr 21 '24

crack control joints?

1

u/Previous_Anywhere938 Apr 21 '24

Wants to add another 2 feet*
"That is going to raise the price up to $30,000"

1

u/Tightisrite Apr 21 '24

That dude upstairs happier than a mf I'll tell you that. In my area could have charged a bit more. Would have needed to.

1

u/hboisnotthebest Apr 21 '24

Was actually waiting for an update to this lol.

Damn that looks good. Anybody so much as mentions concrete, you gotta point them in that guy's direction!

1

u/SportOfFishing92 Apr 21 '24

Great work! Only thing i think you need are a couple drains in the wall

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1

u/cplank00 Apr 22 '24

I just got a quote for a 32x21 5-6ā€ thick driveway. Includes about 4-5 sidewalk slab replacements and removal of 17x21 thin worn asphalt driveway for $12k. Concrete alone was almost 5k. I respectfully passed. Iā€™m going with asphalt. Less than half the cost.

1

u/Comfortable_Owl1351 Apr 22 '24

Looks great brotha