Slab saga

[JJ]

After selecting a site, and choosing a contractor, my spa installation hit a snag yesterday.  Last week the contractor told me he might get to my slab by the end of this week if the weather holds up.  I needed to make a trip out of town, so I planned it for Monday.  Guess who shows up at my house with a crew  at 9:00 yesterday after I am on an airplane?  My wife didn't know what to do, sent them away.  Contractor is P.O'ed.  Told my wife to find someone else.  I finally got him calmed down and he agreed to put me back on the schedule, but didn't know when he would get to me.  I didn't want to go through the quoting process again with someone else, and I have used this guy before and trust his work.

Sigh...

Is it unreasonable to assume that the guy should call me the day before he shows up?

Just ranting, sorry.

[Chris_H]

No offense, but why didn’t your wife allow him to do the work?  Was it a surprise or something?  Also, why in the world does anyone need to be home when the slab is done?

[shabba34]

No offense, but why didn�t your wife allow him to do the work?  Was it a surprise or something?  Also, why in the world does anyone need to be home when the slab is done?

To provide the workers with cold drinking water, duh

[Spatech_tuo]

Is it unreasonable to assume that the guy should call me the day before he shows up?

It is not only reasonable but it is a good business practice. I would not have been apologetic toward him as he's the one with the explaining to do if he led you to believe it would be later in the week and then he shows up unannounced and unhappy that everything doesn't work on his terms.

[Brewman]

I'd be home anytime anyone was on my property to do contract or service work.  
The one time I wasn't, a fireplace installer put a 10" hole in the side of my house, when I'd specifically instructed the hole to go in an adjacent side.  
Brewman

[Vinny]

I agree with being home!

Whenever I have work done to my home, I do try to be home. I don't need any problems with mistakes and if need be I can be a grunt to make sure the work get's done.

And as pkud said, I do provide the workers with water or whatever they need - I know it was said as a joke but you'll be surprised how much nicer people are to work with when YOU extend a hand.

I had my house sided a few years ago and every morning I made sure the guys had cold water and Gatoraide in a cooler. I also offerered that if they got too hot they can jump into the pool - the result was a great job and their foreman complained to me that they didn't want to leave my house and go to different jobs. A little kindness on my part resulted in them possibly treating my "job " a little different - I wasn't charged for anything extra they did and I am EXTREMELY happy with the end result!

[wmccall]

I'd be home anytime anyone was on my property to do contract or service work.  
 The one time I wasn't, a fireplace installer put a 10" hole in the side of my house, when I'd specifically instructed the hole to go in an adjacent side.  
Brewman

Same here, in the case of our slab it was my wife who was home. To save on cost, we dug out the 10'x10'x4" hole for him to put the forms in so there was no question where it went, but I don't want a contractor to fall off a barstool later that day and try to say it happened in my yard.

I did have one remodling contractor show up under the influence, I made him leave and found someone else.

[Spatech_tuo]

Most of us would plan to be home for the start of the job but its up to the contractor to give some estimate of when he plans to be there. When he knows more precisely what the start date is he definitely should call to let that be known, especially if he originally says the end of the week and then pulls it forward 3 or 4 days.

[JJ]

I have in the past given my wife a list of things to check on as work is being done so that I didn't have to be there.  I did not do that this time because I didn't think they would show up until later in the week.

If I hadn't been on an airplane, I probably would have told her to let them go ahead until I could get back home, but in this case she couldn't reach me.

I needed that hot tub after I got home last night!!

[Brewman]

I would expect work to be performed on the start day, and a courtesy call if there was to be any change to that day, either earlier or later.  Just good old courtesy, at the very least.  

A couple of months ago we were expecting a funiture delivery at home, between 2:00 and 5:00, or some such time.  They called because they were ahead of schedule and wanted to know if they could get their earlier, which in this case was fine, since we were home anyway.  But I did greatly appreciate the call, and told them so in person.

Tonite the cable installer is due at my house between 5:00 and 7:00.  Hopefully I get a call if that time changes, since I'll be just getting home at 5:00.


Brewman

[JJ]

@#$$%& contractor still won't give me a day!  I got another to give me a phone quote that was in the ballpark.  I explained the situation to him and he was very understanding.  Said he would put me on his schedule (2.5 to 3 weeks) and if the other guy showed in the meantime, I could just cancel - no problem.

Still just venting.

[coopie]

Hello. I am still in the process of deciding which tub to get and have really been helped by the forum discussions on tubs,electrical hookups,etc.

The one issue I haven't really been concerned about...until now...is the slab. I have heard that iit should be 4 inches thick (?), but how much should it extend beyond the sides of the tub?

Also, is there a "typical" cost to have this put in? Is it by the sq. ft or something?

Thanks!

[johnvb]

We are putting our spa inside, on a concrete floor that is part of an existing new addition.(which was sub-ed out)

But, if it were going outside, I would DIY the slab myself. A square level concrete pad, with just a plain level surface, no tooling, expansion joints, fancy finish, etc. has to be one of the easiest concrete projects out there.

Even something as big as a 12' x12' slab could be leveled with a batter board, without having to step into the concrete.  

The hardest part would be how close one could get the ready mix delivery truck to the form, and a couple of buddies with extra wheelbarrows to help.

But as the homeowner/ self proclaimed general contractor of my addition that I am building, I can certainly feel your pain when it comes to dealing with outside contractors.

[ebirrane]

Let me jump in as a concrete slab DIY-er.  The job is conceptually quite easy.  You dig a hole in your yard. You drop in rocks. You pour concrete. You are done.  Depending on the contractor, you will save between 50% and 150% of the cost of the slab by doing it yourself.

I did a 9'x8' slab for about $300-$400 bucks, and had I known then where to buy drainage rock for less (I used bags) it would have been cheaper still.  My highest estimate for the slab? $1500.

There is alot of manual labor. Digging, especially in clay and rocky areas is tough.  You need to look up codes to see if you need a permit, to see if you should use footers, what kind of concrete and rebar to use, cutting rebar, etc....

You need to be passingly familiar with carpentry tools to make truly square frames with the appropriate slope, etc... but it isn't anything people on here or on the internet couldn't teach you in a day.

If your contractor doesn't work out, or is being pushy (they really are in the busy season) and you've got a couple of guys with strong backs, and a weekend or two, you may want to give it a go yourself. Then again, you may not!

-Ed

[JJ]

When I made the decision to have the contractor do it, it was a time/money thing.  I have a sort of unusual salary + overtime job, so I can put more hours in and make more money.  It would take much less of my free time to work more at my regular job and pay a contractor to put in the slab, than it would to excavate and pour a 10.5 x 15 slab under the deck of my house.  There is a good bit of dirt to move, and I could see it taking all my free time for several weeks to accomplish.

Of course, if the contractor never shows up, it will take less time to do it myself.