Slab foundation building in Junction City KS - a base built and checked before the pour

Most people who call about a slab have a lot, a set of plans and a builder or a move-in date waiting on them. The price mostly turns on the slab's size and thickness, how deep the footings go, how much digging and fill the site needs and how many pipe and conduit runs go into it. The schedule turns on the permit, the inspections the pour has to wait for and the weather. I check with the city or county office about permits on every job, so that's settled before we book a pour date, and your written estimate gives you the figure for your own lot.

I start by walking the lot with you and checking where the water runs, because a slab that sits in a low spot or sheds water toward the house causes trouble for years. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, instead of just raking it level, so it doesn't settle later. Then we dig the footings, set the forms and tie the rebar, the steel that holds the concrete together and helps it carry the load. Pipes, conduit, steel and the vapor barrier all go in before any concrete, and on pour day we check the barrier for holes and patch them before the truck backs in. We pour early in the day when we can, since midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top, and then we finish the surface and cut control joints, shallow cuts that give cracks a straight place to go. After that the slab cures, a slow hardening that needs time and moisture before it can carry much weight. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you cut back somewhere other than the base, because nobody sees it once it's poured and it decides how the slab holds up.

Some builds need more than a slab on grade. When the plans call for full foundation walls or a crawlspace, that's our foundation installation work. Property owners putting up a shop or office often need room to park as well, and we do concrete parking lot building with the same attention to the base.

In Junction City, the city requires a permit to build a new house, or a garage or shed over 200 square feet. Its list names those buildings, not the slab itself, so I check with the city on each job. When a permit's needed, we pull it before work starts and call in the inspections as we reach them. The city inspects the footings once they're dug and any required steel is in. It inspects the slab after the steel, piping and conduit are set and before any concrete goes in, so your pour date waits on that visit. If you live in the house and want to do some of the work yourself, the city still requires the permit and the inspections, and its building permits page is where to start.

The city can also stop work on a site until a check shows proper erosion and sediment control. Inspections wait until that's in place and the street is clear of mud and debris, so we set up erosion control early and keep the road clean. We're based in Junction City and do the same slab work in the cities around it, including Manhattan and Abilene, where we see the same mix of new houses, garages and shop buildings.