We have a problem with rats here on Magnolia. The critters burrow under our foundation wall and up into our crawl space. I have a 2/3rds basement and 1/3 crawl space. I've had several pest companies out to do rat exclusion and finally one company from Angies List told me that the only way to keep them from getting into the house is to pour a concrete slab in my crawl space so when they burrow they have nowhere to go.
I got several bids (6) for doing a rat slab as it's called. I was favorably impressed with almost every company I had out, but one stood out above the rest and that was Shoreline Concrete.
They had to dig out the crawl so that when the concrete was poured there would be a minimum of 18"" of clearance from the top of the slab to the floor joists. The only access to the crawl space was through a small opening in the basement.
Here was the job,
Dig a big hole to be able to cut the concrete, and create the opening.
Cut an access hatch to the crawl space on the outside of my house. 30"" x 30""
Make a window well for the opening, similar to the wells around my house. Frame it and pour it.
Make a door for the opening with a vent in it.
Dig out the crawl space so the 3"" of concrete would provide 18"" of clearance minimum for the 600 sq ft of space. Level the space for the pour.
Replace the posts under the house so there would be no post to dirt contact, 3 or 4 blocks needed to be brought in and the posts cut to accommodate.
Did I tell you this job started, then we got the storm of the season, so these guys were digging and moving dirt in the snow and freezing cold weather. They didn't miss a day, don't know how they managed to get up the steep hills to get to my house, but they did.
They had Tydi Concrete cutters out to cut the hatch opening, he did an unbelievably good job.
Framed for the well, got a pumper truck out and the concrete truck. Poured the slab and the well in a little over an hour. I mentioned I live on a hill right? Two flights of stairs to get to my front door. So the concrete had to be pumped up from the street level to the crawl space.
Removed the framing, all of the dirt, all of the concrete that was cut and put rock in the bottom of the well for drainage.
Totally avoid disturbing my neighbor's property who is not even ten feet from my house. And work around my landscaping, which they did, not an easy thing to do. I thought I would have sacrifice some plants for this job but I didn't.
Provided me with a detailed bid, proof of insurance and when I paid them in full a lien release.
Very professional, easy to work with and I'm patting myself on the back that I had the good sense to hire this company. They didn't have the lowest bid, but they gave me a fair bid. After 6 different bids, I knew what it should cost, what would be fair. It was an ugly kind of job to have to take on, and the crew they had out were upbeat and worked really, really hard all day long. You go Shoreline Concrete!
I would hire them again, and I highly recommend them for any concrete work.
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