You have a GC running the show!?
I’d be having some not so nice words with him.
I would be having the WTF meeting with your General. 6 weeks passed and you had to bring this to their attention. Your GC should have been on this like stink on a turd within DAYS – not prompted by you. He is suppose to be your representative for the process.
If they over looked this, I can only imagine what they won’t do in the future. Good luck on your finish
Something still seems weird. They cut the expansion joints in and didn’t say anything about the waves until you brought it up?
If they over looked this, I can only imagine what they won’t do in the future.
Randy typed faster than me. But 100% agree.
I’d be leaning towards it all coming out and redoing it. That said they will be redoing the in floor heat also. This is why these guys are required to carry insurance.
I just met with the GC and the concrete guy. Both were very sorry it happened and accepted blame for causing it, or missing it. The Concrete guy finds it hard to believe his guys wouldn’t have known about it. He believes they saw it and didn’t say anything. The GC has many many referrals from people I know and I haven’t had any issues with him up to this point. I would say before this, he’s made guys fix stuff I wouldn’t have. However, I’m certainly not about to make any excuses for either of them. Both said if it was their house, they would fix with a grind and move on, but of course there is no way to know if that is true, and they both have a lot on the line if I demand a re-do. I know they have insurance, but highly doubt they would want to make a claim.
I am not at all afraid of making them tear it out and re-do, but have some concerns about the timing, process, etc. There is a whole house built on this now and I can’t imagine how they tear out all concrete and pex tubing from under walls, etc….. There are also pex running from under this slab and into the garage which was a separate pour and seems fine. If I demand they tear out and re-pour, how in the world do they get all the concrete and pex from under existing walls and still have them supported (some are load bearing)?
Will this introduce any new potential issues? Are the “re-do, not grind” comments based on spite of just getting a good job from the start, or are there any issues I could have down the road from them grinding flat?
On thing I can say. This site is full of knowledgeable people willing to share their thoughts and experiences and when considering the group of replies I’m certain I will have solid resolution so thanks for all comments.
Forgot to mention…….their proposal is to meet at the site on Friday with Concrete contractor, GC, flooring contractor, and myself. They would like to review first, then fix with grind to everyone’s satisfaction. I told them I need more time to do more research and make a decision.
We are only seeing pictures. You have seen the job. If you are convinced they can make things right then so be it, let them do it. I would make it perfectly clear however if it’s not up to YOUR expectations ( not theirs) it will be coming out.
Maybe get a outside opinion from another concrete guy & GC if you can.
When I built my house 25+ years ago the block walls in a 3′ area bowed in when they backfilled. I was concerned but was convinced it was salvageable. They stuck re-rod in the block and core filled them. The builder was pissed because they needed to be creative building that wall but in the end everything turned out OK.
6 weeks and nobody said anything to you? WOW.
Looks to me that the cap(cream on the surface) is delaminating. Take a hammer and tap the high spots, if it sounds hollow, that’s probably it.
No expert here but my first thought was they poured it super wet and didn’t let the water evaporate through the surface before they troweled. When you pour on styrofoam the only place for the water to go is through the surface and if you don’t let the bleed water evaporate than you trap it in by sealing it tight with a steel trowel. Im actually impressed that they could trowel a floor like that. I would do what Peter said and check for hollow spots. Also if this is a house I would get my money back and make them grind it down on their dime until you are satisfied but if it is a garage I would tear it.
I’m with EPG and Randy,
Your GC is worthless to you if he hasn’t been at your site to do a visual of work performed. As a GC myself, if I hired a portion of work to be let out I’d have daily inspections.
As a commercial site superintendent the concrete would have been torn out the next day before anything would have been built on top of it. Why in the he– DIDN’T YOUR GC SEE THIS???!
HE JUST MIGHT BE THE NEXT GUY I’D FIRE!
Grinding and filling BS! He– No!
They would be replacing it all if I were you. I’m not kidding.
I sent a link to my buddy that knows concrete. His response:
Was never screeded properly or bull floated. They just hand troweled it to late.
I agree, it has been some time since I did concrete work, but that looks like it just sat and then they tried to hand float it at the end and it was too late. ( screed first, then bull float, then hand finish is how our crew used to do it. )
Good luck
Paulski
Full tare out means all the tubing will need to be redone, the Plummer will be real happy to get paid twice for a job. LOL
I just met with the GC and the concrete guy. Both were very sorry it happened and accepted blame for causing it, or missing it. The Concrete guy finds it hard to believe his guys wouldn’t have known about it. He believes they saw it and didn’t say anything. The GC has many many referrals from people I know and I haven’t had any issues with him up to this point. I would say before this, he’s made guys fix stuff I wouldn’t have. However, I’m certainly not about to make any excuses for either of them. Both said if it was their house, they would fix with a grind and move on, but of course there is no way to know if that is true, and they both have a lot on the line if I demand a re-do. I know they have insurance, but highly doubt they would want to make a claim.
I am not at all afraid of making them tear it out and re-do, but have some concerns about the timing, process, etc. There is a whole house built on this now and I can’t imagine how they tear out all concrete and pex tubing from under walls, etc….. There are also pex running from under this slab and into the garage which was a separate pour and seems fine. If I demand they tear out and re-pour, how in the world do they get all the concrete and pex from under existing walls and still have them supported (some are load bearing)?
Will this introduce any new potential issues? Are the “re-do, not grind” comments based on spite of just getting a good job from the start, or are there any issues I could have down the road from them grinding flat?On thing I can say. This site is full of knowledgeable people willing to share their thoughts and experiences and when considering the group of replies I’m certain I will have solid resolution so thanks for all comments.
All very good questions. I am no expert, so I am not sure what other solutions are available, but if both guys didn’t notice for some time and now both want to grind it and move on I would be skeptical of that opinion. Hopefully the peeps on here can answer your questions specifically that you are asking above.
Of course the GC and concrete guy want to grind it and move on. The right way to fix it is tear out and re-pour and that is obviously more expensive for everyone involved. Although with the house already starting to be built on top of the slab, I’m not sure how you can tear out and repour. As others stated, the GC should have caught this within a couple days. I’d get an answer to him as to why he didnt and then ask him what other stuff he may have just as easily overlooked. I’d also get another independent concrete guy there to get his opinion – someone who doesn’t have a dog in the fight. Definitely be worth paying a 3rd party concrete guy to be there and offer his opinion.
Before you decide on anything you need to find out how this happened. That can easily change your mind on what should be done. If it is from the finisher, I would want more details on who and why it was left like that. A 3rd party concrete guy would be useful.
Full tear out isn’t that big of a deal. I mean it is but it isn’t. House’s are simple to hold in place while taking out support.
It is not your fault they did half assed work. Do not accept cut corners. Especially cut that far. That is very bad work. Shore the support walls and tear out the concrete.
Just a little levity here. 
Concrete-Chicken.jpg
As a guy that pours this type of concrete every day I have never seen a finish that bad. Few things that could be done off top of my head. Could saw cut whole perimeter and hammer out leaving the thincked edge that is supporting the walls and re pour while tying back in by drilling in rebar every few feet. All pex and foam would need to be replaced.
#2 could conduct a core sample of the concrete and see if mix design or something was wrong with mud and would show integrity default. If integrity is good grind flat and be on with it. If not then whole floor should come out.
Just a little levity here.
EXCELLENT!!!!
Wonderful solution to the problem Denny! 
Looks like a couple building inspectors I know
Denny’s chicken pic reminded me of this duck pic. The guy screeding must have had some corn in his pocket. 
73iw7ucugi951.jpg
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
