That one Tuesday where we poured 30 yards in 95 degree heat and the sun set perfectly so we didn't get a single cold joint

I swear the stars aligned or something because the truck showed up early, the crew actually listened for once, and we finished the 4-inch slab at a warehouse in Phoenix with zero cracks by 6pm, but has anyone else ever had a day so smooth it made you paranoid the next job would be a nightmare?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagejackson7d ago

A buddy of mine out in Tucson had a day just like that last spring. His crew poured a foundation for a new auto shop and the mix came in perfect, the rebar didn't fight them, and they had just enough time before the monsoon clouds rolled in. Said he was grinning ear to ear until about three days later when they had to cut out a whole section of sidewalk that went bad overnight. He still gets twitchy whenever a job goes too smooth, like the concrete gods are just waiting to balance the books.

dylan_ward7d ago

Lol yeah man that paranoia hits different now.

davidshah7d ago

Three years back I had a 12-yard pour for a patio in Portland go so perfect I almost started whistling on site. The slump was dead on, the finishers were working like a well oiled machine, and we beat the rain by a solid two hours. I should have known better because the next morning I got a call from the homeowner saying there were giant cracks radiating from the control joints like a spiderweb. Now I always schedule a small panic break the day after a pour that feels too easy. That way when nothing goes wrong I'm just pleasantly surprised instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop.