PSA: Check your anchor bolt placement before the pour, not after

Last week on a retail box job in Springfield, we had a concrete crew pour a 40 foot foundation wall. The foreman said the anchor bolts were set, so we signed off. Two days later when the steel guys showed up, half the base plates didn't line up. Turns out a new guy on the vibrator must have knocked a whole line of them about an inch and a half out of place. Now we're looking at drilling and epoxy on 30 bolts, which the GC says is coming out of our pocket. The lesson is simple: someone from your crew needs to be right there, checking every bolt as the concrete goes in, not just before. It's a five minute walk that saves a five thousand dollar fix. Has anyone else had to eat a cost like this from a simple field check getting skipped?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_thomas2mo ago

Man, that's a tough one lol. My crew once had to fix a whole row because someone used the bolt layout as a coffee cup holder.

margaretj402mo ago

Wait, was it the bolt layout itself or the actual holes in the steel? @the_thomas, that story sounds familiar... I've seen guys set their cups on the template paper and then a breeze sends it all flying. Makes a bigger mess than a spilled coffee, honestly. Using the real holes is a whole other level of not thinking it through.

lucasking1mo ago

My old boss in Phoenix called that a thousand dollar lesson. You learn to check the bolts during the pour, not just before. It's cheaper than epoxy and a headache.