He already has his shirt off

Today our slab was poured!!! As we predicted, we couldn't get it done as soon as we had hoped, but we were able to schedule for today and luckily the weather cooperated (for the most part - it is really super hot...). Meanwhile, it was okay to have a few days to wait, because that allowed us to implement some extra precautions the mason suggested, such as adding even more bracing to the forms. We also cut up an old hose into small pieces, put duct tape over one end, and put them on the j bolts as little caps so that the threads don't get damaged or dirty. (This was part of our original plan, but at least some of the pressure was off to get it done quickly.)

One of the concerns we were told, however, with scheduling for a Monday was, "I'm not really sure how many guys I can get." We weren't sure what that meant, so we rounded up as many troops for today as we could - myself, Matt, his sister Brigitte, their dad Bob, and my dad Al. We were a little nervous, especially because making a nice smooth slab seemed like it would be pretty different from pouring the footers, and by 7:05 AM there was only one man on site. But within minutes, a parade of pickup trucks arrived, followed closely behind by the first concrete truck, and then things were on their way:

Enough crew showed up that our participation was actually completely unnecessary (which was a bit of a bummer for us), but we stuck around to witness the process and take pictures. See them after the break...

The first of four truckloads. It only took about 10 minutes before clothing started coming off. Luckily the morning started out overcast - and it was my job to keep it that way.

Matt's dad joked that, "some men with horrible physiques were taking their shirts off." ;-)

Truck 2. This one came up from the other side. You can see the first pour is already level and screeded.

Matt just couldn't resist when truck 3 arrived and the crew was still busy with the 2nd load.

Three trucks almost got us there. We ordered four, though, and we did end up needing all of them.

Using a bull float to smooth out the surface.

Time for a break!

But there is still work to be done, including using power trowels to make the surface extra smooth.

And then I found a snake.

Comment if you know the species!

Finishing work. They paid very close attention to detail.

ALL DONE!

Everything was completed by around noon - it went fast!

Now that's smooth.

Instead of saw control joints, we had t-joints inserted underneath the surface. This was less laborious, less expensive, and actually better for the overall look we want once it's all cured. All we'll have are three tiny surface cracks.

Now all we have to do is spray some water on it every so often because of the heat. Not only is it super hot out, but concrete curing is an exothermic process, and we don't want the water in the concrete to dry up so quickly that it cannot continue curing to full strength. Right at completion time we were fine because it wasn't sunny, and the mason said we don't have to worry about it unless it is over 95º; but tonight we'll probably have to water it, as well as tomorrow (hot and sunny forecast). We have to be conservative, though, since we don't have water yet on-site. We used a bunch of trash cans, barrels, and buckets to store the leftover water on the concrete trucks, but even that will only get us so far.

All in all, this was a very exciting day, even though we hardly got to do any of it. It felt pretty strange to sit around and let other people do all the work, actually. At least we were able to occupy ourselves with spreading the leftover concrete from the 4th truck, which we asked to have dumped in low spots in the driveway. 

We were really impressed with the crew that came out today. They were friendly, courteous, and incredibly clean - there was not a single piece of trash or equipment left behind. They worked hard and fast, and never complained. And we are incredibly pleased with the results. I am also very appreciate of the lead mason - he was actually the one who ordered the trucks this time and handled pretty much everything with them (except for paying, of course). I hope all jobs where we have to hire someone can go as smoothly as this! If anyone is looking for a mason, I would be very happy to give a reference. 

Updated budget:
+ $5.097.60 - 4 trucks 10 yds each 4000 outdoor #1
+ $1,800.00 - labor (it was actually less than this but I rounded up because they did such a great job - and doesn't this seem so cheap, especially for 6 guys?)
TOTAL SPENT SO FAR: $65,945.05