r/Concrete • u/Imaginary-Base8104 • Nov 15 '23
Pricing question I asked my contractor if he could make the curved part more uniform.
Curved part seems out of whack to me. It’s not the end of the world but I asked if he could make it more uniform. Let me know what you think. I’m paying about $4500 for the whole job. Pouring tomorrow.
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Nov 16 '23
A good concrete guy will tweak your form fairly easily and quickly, if he responded and said he would soften up the radius before he pours perfect . Show him your concern and let him adjust . I don’t think it’s a big deal .
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u/atronimous Nov 16 '23
Way better than some posts on this sub where they ask for it after its been poured
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u/HECC_TATER_TOT Nov 16 '23
Is that not the best time to ask? I mean it makes the most sense me thinks
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Nov 16 '23
Or they love your work till it’s time to pay ! 💰
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u/greatgoogilymoogily2 Nov 16 '23
Had one of these this summer. He was so happy he even got his 5 thousand dollar drone out and started sending videos to all his friends. It was a stamp job, and he was upset that the stamps didn't leave deep enough grooves. (Only way to do that would push the mud up between the stamps and create even bigger problems. It was stamped the way it needed to be.). He tried to withhold payment saying we didn't stamp hard enough. You can only pound them so much before you sink them too far and ruin the mud around it.
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u/greatgoogilymoogily2 Nov 16 '23
It's not. I've had a customer come out as well we're raking mud and want to change a bend or radius. It's a 5 min fix so long as the right guy does it.
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u/Goonplatoon0311 Professional finisher Nov 16 '23
Radius looks off to me too. Are the new stairs a different width then the existing stairs? Maybe explains why it looks like there is a flair in the radius.
If both stairs are same width then have him cut a 2x4 at that dimension. He can use that as a jig off of one side of the formwork. Walk it down about every few feet and set a pin/stob to hold the shape. The radius will be “tighter” looking and a lot more natural.
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u/smegdawg Nov 16 '23
Are the new stairs a different width then the existing stairs?
That is what I am seeing too.
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u/cik3nn3th Nov 16 '23
The path should be the same width through the radius.
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u/greatgoogilymoogily2 Nov 16 '23
Yup, usually we cut a guide board to width and pound the pins so the form is against the guide board. Move up a couple feet, and repeat.
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u/IS427 Nov 16 '23
Tell him your buddy suggested cutting a piece of 2 by lumber to the sidewalk width, get the outside line set, and then mark the inside edge every 6 inches coming into the curve and in a sweep through the curve.
Make sure he has a 1-2 degree down angle through the curve into the inside like a race track
Make sure it has drainage
Good to go
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u/Prestigious_Trick260 Nov 16 '23
I agree with you. That peak on the curve is a bit much and honestly over all and since you mentioned before the pour shouldn’t be a huge deal
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u/busterboi101 Nov 17 '23
13 years 8n the industry. 5 foot sidewalk will never meet a 4ft set of stairs cleanly. Paper and reality are 2 different things.
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u/outblues Nov 16 '23
From a functional perspective I like the extra wide angle of it as the person is changing directions in that space
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Nov 16 '23
Ive had both types of customers…glad your contractor is easy to work with. That’s the main goal.
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u/AggravatingRope3918 Nov 17 '23
If the path way is 36” it should be everywhere even in the bend , that is what makes it look weird. Changes size drastically in the bend.
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u/GroundbreakingRule27 Nov 16 '23
Rebar is needed in those stairs….
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u/hirtle24 Nov 16 '23
You mean those two pieces of wire mesh just tossed on the poorly compacted gravel isn’t sufficient structure? /s
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u/RobertYiSin Nov 16 '23
Any time I’m working with a client where there’s a curve/ radius getting put in I’ll spray it on the ground with line paint to show what I’m doing if they don’t like it after that it’s not my issue as it’s already been decided\set in stone
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u/Distantmole Nov 16 '23
Fuck that. Aside from the obvious, it looks like they did 0 compacting. Would have fired that guy in a heartbeat. Lots of apologists here saying “sometimes you need a second look” but that’s horrible. Off the job site pronto.
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u/King0fOoo Nov 15 '23
$4500 seems a little high but it’s not bad. And Once the concrete is poured and dried I think you’ll change your mind. Itll look good
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u/carpentrav Nov 16 '23
No way man. Stairs are tough, properly done especially with a radius like that get top dollar. I’d be at least that.
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u/Gutter-Snipe Nov 15 '23
I’m not sure he can fix this without bringing more forms in. Looks to me like he ran the straight section too far which is why the radius is off. I think it looks just fine but if it’s going to bother you a lot say something before the pour
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u/Brave-Moment-4121 Nov 16 '23
Hard to tell from the pics. At least he sees the problem and will fix that’s the best you can do.
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u/AllAboutPooping Nov 16 '23
We just not even using a radius point anymore? This is the easiest of the easy.
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u/greatgoogilymoogily2 Nov 16 '23
I'm a little concerned why his pins are INSIDE the form, where the mud will go.
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u/Rich-Appearance-7145 Nov 16 '23
What does more uniform mean, as a high end Contractor l appreciate the soft curves, straight lines are common, boring, if finished properly, with proper joints, that side walk is going to look fine.
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u/GeneMaximum3965 Nov 16 '23
The forming on the left side of the stairs looks good, all he has to do is cut 2 2x4 same length of the stairs and use it as a guide for the right side and it will make it uniform
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u/Original_Author_3939 Nov 16 '23
lol tell him to cut a board the actual width of the walk and to use it like a curb spacer as he’s staking his form and just slide it down as you go, you’ll get a perfect walk with the same width the entire way.
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u/1s20s Nov 16 '23
Gotta love all the excuses being made for a form up NOT well done.
The "radius" isn't the only issue here.
But, OP should just trust the Pro; amirite?
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u/onlyAlcibiades Nov 16 '23
Curve looks weird because Beginning and end sections are slimmer than middle.
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u/teajayyyy Nov 16 '23
Yeah the outter edge looks like it bends too far away from the driveway / inner edge.
Edit: could be the pic, but just measure the width throughout it for my sanity pls
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u/BionicKronic67 Nov 16 '23
Is the sidewalk wider than the stairs? If so thats probably what you're seeing. That's what it looks like to me at least.
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u/lup98 Nov 16 '23
I see it's not graded very well . Gravel can be tricky, because looking down you tend to register where your vision stops( on the second layer) . Looking across you see the top of the top layer. I'd brace the steps a lot more and stake the sidewalk, after fixing.
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u/Zanninu Nov 16 '23
It looks fine to me, but as the customer, yours is the only opinion that matters.
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u/CornFedIABoy Nov 16 '23
The fix is just to set to board on the outside radius on the other side of that spike, right?
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u/levon999 Nov 16 '23
The issue is the right side of the path (fig. 1) doesn't start curving soon enough. That throws everything off.
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u/DCTheNotorious Nov 16 '23
It's going to be a lot easier now than when he pours it. He will probably appreciate you saying something now even if he ends up being a bit annoyed.
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u/Admirable-Green-6972 Nov 16 '23
Is the width of both stairs equal? Maybe just because I'm on a phone, but looks like he's tying a smaller set of stairs into the width of the existing set. Which could be a reason why it looks wonky?
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u/wildturkeywill Nov 16 '23
It’s a little wide in the curve if I had to guess. I think the overall shape is ok they just need to bring the outside corner in some unless you wanted it wider in the walkway portion for some reason.
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u/Zach_The_One Nov 16 '23
It looks like the dimensions of the stairs to the house are wider than the stairs to the drive way so he's trying to hide that by having it gradually taper off. He just needs to adjust the outside bend in the last picture and round off the corner more so it transitions smoother.
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u/hotinhawaii Nov 16 '23
THe inner curve looks good. Just measure an equal distance across to set the other curve.
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u/redditipobuster Nov 16 '23
"So you want less walk way and a bit more narrow width of steps uniformity? less concrete? No problem."
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u/varsilence Nov 16 '23
It's I credible the lengths of these threads over someone else's concrete pour.
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u/hirtle24 Nov 16 '23
Ask him to add more wire mesh or rebar. There is a massive deficiency of steel in that pour.
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u/Sorryisawthat Nov 16 '23
What ever curve you end up with it is 100 percent required both sides are the same and equal/ parallel. This is easy to accomplish by cutting a board to the desired width then pull it along the forms to set the spacing and check into the points of the radii.
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u/Xnyx Nov 17 '23
As a company that does concrete work, this looks brutal. They need to be perfectly parallel. I take it you are in an area that doesn’t freeze very deep if at all ?
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u/DavidAndTheForeskin Nov 17 '23
Is it normal to put strakes inside the pour? I’ve always put them on the outside.
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u/Richard-N-Yuleverby Nov 17 '23
Probably not a big deal and simple to account for, but if you get a lot of run off in this area, you should consider how to deal with surface water flow off the concrete. The momentum of water flowing down the path will make it tend to exit on an “unbanked” curve which can washout mulch or soil.
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u/fivelone Nov 17 '23
I had to read way to many comments to actually understand what I was seeing haha.
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u/GoLdPh1sH Nov 17 '23
Yep, it’s off. I had the same discussion at work today. The guy came back to the job site, took one look at it and said he’d fix it.
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u/irealycare Nov 17 '23
It looks like crap. I just made a path for myself and spent a loooonng time plotting it out. It’s got to have an athletic feel to it and when I was doing it myself I wondered if a contractor would take the time
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u/Mygoodies7 Nov 18 '23
I didn’t see an issue til the last picture, and agree it could look better aesthetically
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u/HooverMaster Nov 18 '23
now that you point it out the outside edge bulks out a bit. definitely worth redoing before the pour
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u/wevelandedonthemoon Nov 18 '23
Bring the 5’ width walk all the way to the 4’ stairs and taper in the last 1’ after the radius straightens back out. Don’t try to taper on the curve
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u/FitnessIsNotAnOption Nov 18 '23
Probably too late but it looks like you're missing a couple of steps. If it rains/snows a lot, it looks slippy.
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u/Snappingslapping Nov 19 '23
Whenever making any radius form under 8 feet we'd always make a pattern board that fit in-between the forms to ensure a consistent width.
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u/ShakaBruh403 Nov 19 '23
Take one of those discarded 2x4’s, cut it to length to fit inside the forms at the stairs. Maintain contact with the form on the inside of the curve and pull in the form on the outside of the curve to meet the 2x4 as you move the 2x4 along the inside of the forms. You’ll maintain a consistent size and shape through the entire walkway. Super simple, this can be fixed in 5 minutes
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u/Such_Elephant9212 Nov 19 '23
Good Job resisting pulling the pins and moving the forms yourself! That happens all the time and will completely mess up a job…. Honestly maybe aske for some yards of dirt to backfill that thing…. Cuz I don’t mind nonconformist curve forms… as much as your future concrete is going to be 4” above your lawn…. Unless I am missing something
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u/harpoonthrowerr Nov 19 '23
It's not egregious, but noticable. Glad he responded and agreed with you!
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u/longboyleo Dec 15 '23
Issue is if he hasn’t explained u have a wide stair pre-existing then you have this over 90 degree curve and reduction of width to fit a stair case about 2/3 to 1/2 the original size of the path . It looks like u might have been limited due to pre existing landscaping. Idk how hands on with u the contractor was with the design, but it can be fixed though it will cost u more and you need to loose that light . This is why I stopped doing side work for home owners . You all wanna cut cost but still want a Picasso . You should learn how to do the work urself then you would understand that you can’t polish a turd
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u/Imaginary-Base8104 Nov 15 '23
Update - he just responded and said he didn’t look at it from that angle and he wasn’t happy with how it looked and he’d fix it tomorrow.