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My foreman said my concrete pour plan for the Johnson job was 'a good way to get sued'
We were doing a patio extension in Boulder last month, and I had the whole mix schedule and pour sequence mapped out. He pointed at my plan and said, 'You're setting up for a cold joint right where the foot traffic will be, guaranteed to crack in a year.' I completely reworked the pour to do it all in one shot, even though it meant bringing in two extra guys for the day. Has anyone else had a piece of worksite criticism that totally flipped your approach on a job?
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andrewreed7mo ago
Cold joints are a real problem, but sometimes the fear gets overblown. I've seen plenty of slabs with planned cold joints that held up fine for a decade with no cracks. It depends on the mix, the base, and the finish. Your foreman might be right, but he also might just be playing it extra safe to avoid any risk.
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lee8477mo ago
Tell me about it. My driveway's got one from the previous owner and it's held up for years.
5
stellaperry7mo ago
That foreman sounds like he's never had to work a real budget. Last summer we did a 40-foot retaining wall pour in three sections with cold joints... saved the client nearly two grand on labor. Two years later and they sent me a picture, not a single crack. Sometimes the textbook way is just the expensive way.
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