Today we're going to drop in on a job site that we dropped in on previously and witnessed some of the problems Gold's Concrete was experiencing on the job! We're going to look at the nature of those problems, how those problems were resolved, and at the final outcome of the project. This is a basement foundation that is being installed against the foundation of an older house, as an addition. Gold's Concrete sub contracted the project and after the area was excavated, the footers were poured at the wrong height. It was mid April and overcast when all the project managers gathered to look at the progress on the job. All of the managers, that is, except for Jaime, the sub contractor. No one seemed really happy that day.
Gold's Concrete ate the cost and forgave the mistake of the sub contractor pouring the footers at the wrong height, and put them back on the job. Understand a concrete pour that is done incorrectly typically cannot be corrected, but can only be replaced. That's a several thousand dollar mistake, depending on the size of the project. Then their equipment started to malfunction, and Gold's Concrete loaned them heavy equipment to finish the job. But then they were showing up late, or not showing up at all when other managers were showing up and wondering why no one was on the job. Gold was also baffled as to why no one was on the job, and had to pull Jaime, the sub contractor, from that project to bring in a new sub contractor that would be more present and wrap things up quickly.
Alejandro, the new sub contractor on the job, brought in his crew and erected the steel formwork in a couple of days. I filmed as they pumped the walls with concrete, and the very next day the steel formwork came down, and there stood our new basement foundation. Alejandro's crew moved out and a few of our guys moved in to place window wells, backfill, and do all the prep work for the new floor. They laid vapor barrier and rebar according the structural design plans, and then came in with the line pump and a dedicated crew of finishers to install the floor. I film as JC pulls in with one final trailer load of dirt for the backfill. Tim operates the mini-excavator and extends buckets of dirt to pass to Abraham on the other side of the foundation. Abraham shovels the dirt down in and around the window wells on that far side.
Let's take a look at the wheel barrels we have out on the job. These are Jackson Professional Tools Wheel Barrels, and we're going to look at both of the two different kinds we have:
The wood framed Jackson wheel barrel. These are more accessible than the steel framed wheel barrels. You can probably find one of these at any Home Depot, but the one in this link comes with a flat-free tire. That'll save you some hassle in the future. They're pretty tough, they last for a long time BUT if you're a heavy lifter or especially rough on your tools, the wood frame will eventually break.
The steel framed Jackson wheel barrel. You can't find one of these on Amazon. It's heavy duty and it lasts forever. If I had to choose between the two, I would go with this one since the steel frame is not going to bust apart over time.
Meanwhile Gold is out in the parking lot with our operations manager, Tom, on a rampage about the cheap tailgates on all of the supposedly heavy duty trucks we own.
"You see this tailgate?" He yells before banging on the metal. "Cheap f***ing tin can! You see this handle on the tailgate? PLASTIC! Cheap f***ing China made s***! Why don't they make it in Mexico?? I'll give someone a million dollar idea: Make a good, solid tailgate!"
On the jobsite we stand back and take a look at the finished product. It's very clean and has a smooth finish right up to the dirt, which has also been graded out with a smooth finish. The new addition now sets as one uniform piece of concrete down in the ground, serving as a strong basement foundation to support the weight of the construction that will follow. It is a job well done, and I am proud to be documenting it.
So what happened with Jaime, and where did he go? Will he be back to work on other projects for Gold's Concrete? Turns out Jaime is working happily on a job up in the mountains, pouring a new building foundation for Gold's Concrete. He seems to be doing well and the job is looking good! We bring out the camera and talk to Jaime about the different stages of this new job. The visual presentation in the mountains is especially aesthetic, and I take some pride in the task as I set up the camera to conduct a sort of informal interview with Jaime. But to hear more about this particularly interesting job in the mountains, you'll have to join us again next time!
See the full corresponding video to this blog below.
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