This morning I dragged a garden hose downstairs, hooked it up to the main water supply, and prepared to pour some concrete. My good friend Larry Stock, who owns and operates A Guy With Tools, a local handyman and contracting company, loaned me a concrete trowel and a plastic mixing bin. I had purchased 4 bags of Quikcrete (using their handy estimator tool on the company website). I also had a bag and a half of Quikcrete that I had scored from a Craigslist ad. My four year old son, Easton, was more than excited to help pour some concrete, so he used a small garden spade to help mix the water.
I quickly realized that I would need more concrete, finished as much as possible with the bags I already purchased. The two older bags had a few hardened chunks in them, but I broke up the chunks with a handheld sledge and mixed them up and added them to the mix.
As Easton poured water, stirred cement and helped to trowel the finished
portion, he only stepped into the mix once. I hosed off his shoe and
when he discovered that his shoe, socks and pants were wet, he was done
for the morning and found a video game while I finished the job.
In the end, I had to purchase three additional bags, but I was done by noon. I left the part surrounding the shower drain open so that I would have room to adjust the drain to match the opening in the shower pan. I am pretty inexperienced with concrete, so I mixed it too wet. Several hours later, it was set up and beginning to cure.
Total cost for the concrete: $28.61
Total cost for the project so far: $304
In the end, I had to purchase three additional bags, but I was done by noon. I left the part surrounding the shower drain open so that I would have room to adjust the drain to match the opening in the shower pan. I am pretty inexperienced with concrete, so I mixed it too wet. Several hours later, it was set up and beginning to cure.
