General guidance only — all construction work must be overseen by a supervising engineer This handbook is compiled from standards and laws with every source cited, andis being reviewed for certification by engineers Use it to know what to look at, what to ask and what evidence to request on site It is not an engineering determination and can't replace an engineer · Terms of use · Limitations of the handbook

Piles and foundations

Pouring day for footings, stub columns and ground beams

Page code P06 · 91 inspection criteria · 10 illustrations

Pouring day is the one day when everything inspected over the previous three stages is sealed in for good. The bars you counted, the cover you measured, the formwork you checked — all of it disappears from view within a few hours. This page follows the actual timeline of that day — before the mixer truck arrives · during…

This page contains
Before the first mixer truck arrives — walk round and count everything
The right to stop the pour — the one point that gives all the inspection its meaning
Two things to do before pouring that take less than ten minutes
Conveying and placing — concrete can segregate
Pour in layers, and vibrate down into the layer below
Slump, vibration and taking sample cubes
Time and weather
Construction joints — if the pour can't be finished in one go
After the pour — a timeline to follow
Curing — 7 days is not a figure you can cut
Honeycombing on the concrete surface — don't let it be plastered over yet
Photos and documents for pouring day
Sample cubes and acceptance criteria — the only evidence that proves it
If the test results fail

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