Concrete pad..how difficult can it be???

[sunnydee]

OK, I must have called as many as 12 masons in our area(north-east Pa). Maybe 3 have called me back and they are so backed up they can't get to it until November. I don't want to wait that long, my spa should be ready for delivery in 3 weeks, plus I've heard the concrete needs a week to "cure". Help! My husband(by the way, not Mr. Handy) said he and a friend will do it. Any tip, pointers, suggestions...?!  ?

[Brewman]

You have a few options.  One would be to prep your ground, lay your forms, and order in some pre mix.  Depending on the arrangement, you'd have to have people there to schlep it into place, screed it, etc...
Plus you'd have to know how much to order.  Pre mix is usually sold by the cubic yard.
Or you can buy a bunch of bags of concrete mix, and spend an afternoon mixing and pouring on site, then screeding.  The people at your local home improvement barn should be able to tell you how many bags to get.
You'll probably save hundreds doing this yourself vs hiring it out.  
There are a lot of books, videos, and even web sites that you could search to get a handle on the difficulty involved.  
Do you have any neighbors who may have done something like this?  They'd be a great resource.

[sunnydee]

Thanks Brewman. I'll get busy researching do-it- yourself. Maybe Home Depot has a class???  Wish me luck...lol

[wmccall]

Stupid question, your in NorthEastern PA, not the town of North East, PA, which is in North Western, PA, cause I could know someone there.

[sunnydee]

Somehow that question confused me...and I'm not even a natural blonde! Anyway, I'm in the Pocono's.

[wmccall]

Somehow that question confused me...and I'm not even a natural blonde! Anyway, I'm in the Pocono's.

I honeymooned there, can't think of the name of the place, I'll ask my memory (my wife) It was near East Stroudsburg I think.  The Summit was the name she said   North East, PA is a town 20 minutes east of Erie, PA, where I grew up.

[NE-Phil]

I honeymooned there, can't think of the name of the place, I'll ask my memory (my wife) It was near East Stroudsburg I think.  The Summit was the name she said   North East, PA is a town 20 minutes east of Erie, PA, where I grew up.

Hey wmccall,
You grew up in Erie? Do you know any Roots there? Last month, we were down in Wattsburg, PA (about 10 miles west of North East, PA) for the 103rd consecutive annual Root family reunion. Part of my wife's family.
Yes, I know. There are a lot of people there. Just curious.

Phil

[sunnydee]

Wow, small world. My husband and I honeymooned at The Summit too! That was all the way back in 1983. Anyway, its since closed. I think the land was bought to put up more outlets and shopping.

[stl-rex]

I ran into the same issue, which has delayed my purchase.  I won't purchase until I know I'll have a place to put it.  Concrete guys don't like small jobs because the money isn't there and they turn away a lot of work.  Many here had $1500 or more minimums.  I even had one guy bid more than $2500 for 136sq ft of pad - ridiculous.  The problem with doing it yourself in my mind is you need to have it level and properly reinforced.  I'd rather have someone who does it all the time do it.
 
We finally found someone to do it.  He put up a deck for us and and had to pour a pad on which to bring the steps.  We're getting a 12 x 12 pad for a most likely a 8 x 8 tub, plus an extra smaller pad to help flow into what we currently have for a very reasonable price.

Good luck in getting your pad poured - you will eventually find someone to do it for a reasonable price.

[BobRex]

Just out of curiosity.. where in the Poconos?  I'm in Schnecksville (outside of Allentown).  

As far as pouring your own pad, it's not difficult, but it can be tricky finishing it.  Be prepared to buy (or rent) a bull float, an edge float, and a smaller finishing float.  A 12ft. x 12ft. x 4in. pad will take 1.75 yards of concrete (47.5 cu. ft / 27=1.75).  You will probably pay over$100 per yard for the premix in that small volume, plus the stone, plust the wood for forms you'll be looking at a minimum of $300 in materials.

Take your time, lay a good bed of stone (2A modified works best in this area, make it about 4 inches thick).  Consider laying reinforcing mesh.  Hope for a cloudy day - it will extend the curing time and make the finishing work easier.   If the truck can't get into your yard, make sure you have a strong wheel barrow - those Home Despot POS are fine for mulch, but are a PITA to move concrete.

Good Luck, have fun... :-/

[sunnydee]

Hi Bob. You sound like you know alot about concrete. You want the job?...lol. I live up in Kresgeville near Beltzville Lake. I'm saving these posts for my husband to read for the good advice. Thanks for all your responses.

[BobRex]

Well, if I had such a thing as free time I'd gladly come up and help you.  But I moved into a new house this summer, so free time is an oxymoron.

Try this - take a look in the phone book or the local paper ( Times News? Morning Call?) and look for ads for home handymen.  The Allentown phone book has a couple of listings - Hire a Husband Inc (www.hireahusband.org) sounds interesting  .  There's probably someone in Lehighton or Jim Thorpe or even Palmerton that does the same type of work.  I've got a friend in Kresgeville who might know of someone, I'll check with him - give me a day or three.

[sunnydee]

Thanks Bob.

[Brookenstein]

Do you guys have a craigslist for your area? In my area people are always posting looking to hire for odd jobs and people are always posting looking for work.  It might be worth a shot and its free.

[sunnydee]

I'm not sure what a craigs list is (?) Would I access it on the web or is that a publication?