That guy who tried to finish his driveway with a garden trowel

I showed up to a job in Tulsa last summer and there's this homeowner already out there with a little red garden trowel trying to smooth out a 10x20 slab he'd poured himself. He looked at my crew and said 'I almost had it, you guys can just touch up the edges.' The concrete was already crusting over and he'd left trowel marks every 6 inches like a plowed field. I had to tell him we'd need to tear it out and start fresh, which cost him $800 more than if he'd just called us first. Has anyone else had to break bad news to a DIYer who was way in over their head?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.diana8d ago

Oh man, that's rough. My heart goes out to the guy but also to you for having to be the one to break that news. It's never fun telling someone their hard work has to come out.

webb.val8d ago

Wait, didn't they say the concrete was actually okay though? I thought the issue was more about the timing and the client just changing their mind on the layout.