ForConstructionPros.com

When Hausz Concrete Inc. started work in July 2006 on a Buddhist temple in Oregon, Wis., Paul Hausz, president, expected it to be a normal flatwork and decorative concrete job his company could complete in about three months. Instead, nature and subcontractor delays required Hausz to use a creative approach to recover from the unexpected problems.

The three-story, 27,000-sq.-ft. temple is made of concrete and steel. It has tilt-up concrete walls with Spancrete and poured toppings on top of that and some natural limestone on the outside. The owners wanted a building with a natural look to fit into the hilly, wooded site. Hausz Concrete was hired to install all the concrete flatwork and stamped concrete and to acid stain all the flatwork.

A known challenge from the beginning of the job was the restricted access to the site. Because of the sloping terrain and the trees, construction vehicles could not drive in. As a result, all the concrete had to be pumped and the concrete for the decorative steps had to be hauled by hand in 5-gal. pails.

Nature's interference

Hausz Concrete began its work by pouring the floors for the third floor mezzanines. Even though the forecast was checked and no rain had been predicted for the day, water came down from the sky after 95 percent of the floor had been placed. "It was dripping through the ceiling and we had to put plastic down to keep the drips from penetrating the surface of the finished slab," Hausz says.

On the day selected for the second pour, Hausz carefully checked the weather forecast again and the skies were supposed to be clear and rain-free. This work involved placing 11,000 sq. ft. of concrete to create the second-floor slab. This time, Hausz took the extra precaution of having a large tent built over the structure to protect it from any possible adverse weather conditions.