Small Concrete Jobs in Gilbert And Chandler AZ

We have been experimenting and having fun taking on smaller concrete projects, all thanks to a little tool we have been using.

A lot of concrete crews here in the valley can't touch these smaller jobs because often times financially it doesn't make sense for them or for the customer. So we have been figuring out a solution using a Mud Mixer for quick turnarounds on smaller jobs — where we can show up, bust out the job, and be out of there in a few hours tops.

Small Concrete Jobs

A lot of these jobs are very small additions or repairs — widening driveways, repairing sections of sidewalks, pads for AC units or dog sheds, etc.

For example, we did this simple and small extension on a patio in Chandler, AZ, plus an extra pad to keep the hose on it and avoid any puddling or mud when watering.

Wooden forms setup to pour concrete to widen a backyard patio.

Setting up.

Freshly poured concrete, backyard patio.

Freshly poured.

A completed concrete job extending a backyard patio for a residential home in Chandler, Arizona.

End result! A simple addition, but it makes life a little nicer for the homeowner.

Using the mud mixer for this was nice so we didn't have to order a Ready-Mix truck for such a small amount and have to pay the short-load fees.
If you’re curious what a short load is or how much they are, check out how much concrete costs in the Phoenix, Arizona valley area.

This is the mud mixer we used:

Two men pouring concrete with a small mud mixer while straddling over an irrigation canal.

Using the machine on a job in Gilbert, AZ.

As you can see, it’s also a pretty handy machine for getting into hard-to-reach areas. We’ve even used it for indoor jobs.

But the main thing it does is keep the cost down on some of the smaller jobs.

So we can do this extension on a driveway:

A newly poured concrete section on a driveway, still formed up and drying.

Or install this small section of sidewalk that had popped up and needed to be replaced:

Corner piece of sidewalk with a salt finish, with a few hand tools laying around, the scene covered with the shadow of a tree.

Set up and poured this small section within a few hours. It has a salt finish to match the existing sidewalk. This pic was taken once we stripped it a couple hours after we poured it.

We’ve been using Quikrete’s High Strength Concrete Mix from local Lowe’s or Home Depots.

A few stacked bags of Quikrete High Strength Concrete Mix.

These bags are premixed with cement and aggregate — all you have to do is add water. With the mud mixer, you simply attach a hose to it so it has a water supply, then break the cement bags into the hopper up top, and it mixes it all together, creating concrete as you pour it.

There are also many tools and small mixer systems you can rent for the day if you need to do a small project like this. And if it’s really small, you could always mix it by hand in a wheelbarrow — but that’s tough work.

We’ve been liking this machine though, as it’s given us more access to these little but important projects.

Small to Medium Jobs

If the job is slightly bigger with more yardage, then we fall back on having the cement brought out in a truck. When it’s enough yardage, the math starts to work out financially that it’s better to have it delivered.

This is also quicker than having to do your own mixing process while laying it down.

Depending on the project though, we typically still have to wheelbarrow in the mud for harder-to-reach areas.

We recently completed this job in Gilbert, AZ, putting in a sidewalk in the backyard for a homeowner:

Backyard of a house, grass pathway leading to gate.

Backyard of a house with wooden concrete forms and excavated dirt ready for a sidewalk pour.

A newly poured concrete sidewalk still inside its forms in the backyard of a residential home in Gilbert, Arizona.

This was roughly 5 yards, and we installed it using wheelbarrows. Still, using wheelbarrows to lay it down is time-consuming — and a good workout on your back and shoulders, to put it mildly — but it’s often the only or best option to get the concrete to where it needs to be.

To Wrap Up

I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about some of our latest experiments and projects.

If you’re looking to get a crew to do a small concrete project or want to do it yourself, there are certainly many ways to get it done.
You can check out our Ultimate Guide on Finding the Best Concrete Company here in the Arizona Valley. You should be able to find someone or a method that works for you.

And hopefully, with some creativity and research, you’ll be able to keep the cost down to something more manageable.