Concrete construction, by its very nature, involves a certain level of stress management. Concrete does not wait for you. It does not care if your formwork needs to be modified at the last minute. It is not concerned with whether or not you want to take a break. Concrete will cure and, once it does, modifications are labor intensive and costly. In wood frame construction, with the right amount of pressure applied, in many cases, minor adjustments can be made. Concrete is a bit more stubborn.
All this being said, when a concrete pour goes well, it’s quite enjoyable to watch. The crew works together like a finely tuned machine, not rushed, although not necessarily relaxed. The trucks arrive at regular intervals, the pump rig directs the unruly slurry to its forms where gravity and a bit of trowel work dictate the final results.
Concrete fever is defined by the reputable Urban Dictionary as:
a term used to describe an overzealous construction worker’s state of mind when pouring concrete. Usually characterized by irritability, yelling, and generally unpleasant behavior.
This sort of volatility is something I’ve seen on a few job sites in the past, but thankfully not on ours. The crew set about their business in a professional manner and everything went smooth. Smooth as, well, freshly troweled concrete.
On to the photos.
With concrete in place the framing efforts will begin. The first lumber drop is already on site. Framing is always an exciting time in a project. The structure goes up relatively fast, progress is easy to grasp and you finally get to experience the reality of standing in the spaces that have only existed as plans and renderings. Stay tuned.