Concrete is unforgiving of poor preparation — once it is flowing, you are committed. The good news: an hour of prep the day before makes pour day almost relaxing. This is the checklist our drivers wish every site had done.
1. Access — the thing people forget
- 3m width and 4m height clearance for the truck, and firm ground (a loaded truck is ~26 tonnes)
- Move cars off the street outside your house before the slot opens
- Measure the barrow run — over 20m or up steps? Consider a pump
- Warn neighbours if we will block a shared drive for an hour
2. The ground and formwork
- Sub-base compacted, level and slightly damp (not puddled)
- Formwork pegged solid — fresh concrete pushes hard; a blown-out form is a disaster
- Membrane/mesh in place with spacers before the truck arrives, not during
- Check depths at several points — the calculator only matches reality if your dig does
3. Tools and people
- Barrows (with pumped-up tyres), shovels, rakes, tamping board, float, gloves and wellies — cement burns skin, so no bare hands or trainers
- Two people minimum; more if barrowing any distance
- Polythene or hessian ready to cover the slab — see the curing guide
4. On the day
- Be on site for the whole delivery window — we text and call when the truck is en route, with live tracking
- Tell the driver the plan before mixing starts: where first, where last, any level changes
- One advantage of volumetric: if you are short, we mix more on the spot; if you are over, you simply do not pay for it
Book with a plan, not a guess
Order online in two minutes on the booking page, pay a 10% deposit, and the balance only after the pour. Questions the checklist has not answered? Call 01924 910 129 — we would always rather talk a job through than see a bad pour.
FAQs
How much space does a concrete truck need?+
Our volumetric trucks need about 3m of width, 4m of height clearance and firm ground to park on. The discharge chute reaches roughly 3–4m from the rear of the truck; beyond that you will need barrows or a pump.
What tools do I need for a concrete pour?+
As a minimum: wheelbarrows (one per helper), shovels and rakes to spread, a straight tamping board longer than your formwork is wide, a float or trowel for finishing, and polythene sheet to cover the fresh slab.
How many people do I need on pour day?+
For a direct discharge into formwork, two people can manage up to about 3m³. If you are barrowing, add one person per 10 metres of barrow run — concrete waits for no one.
Can concrete be poured in the rain?+
Light drizzle is fine once the concrete is placed and covered. Heavy rain during the pour washes cement out of the surface — if the forecast is bad, call us and we will move your slot free of charge.