Wet concrete on skin can cause everything from mild redness to third-degree, permanently disfiguring chemical burns. You and your helpers should take these steps:
- Wear eye protection. Sandy concrete splashes can wreak havoc with your eyes.
- Wear long pants and long sleeves to protect your skin.
- Wear tall rubber boots if you have to wade in wet concrete.
- Wear gloves (rubber gloves are the safest bet).
- If your clothes get saturated with wet cement, remove them, thoroughly rinse your skin and change into clean clothes before going back to work.
Contact your local building department to see whether a building permit is required and how close to the lot lines you can build. In most cases, you’ll measure from the lot line to position the slab parallel to it.
Start to prepare the site for concrete by driving four stakes to roughly indicate the corners of the new slab and use a line level and string or builder’s level to see how much the ground slopes. Flattening a sloped site means moving tons of soil. You can build up the low side or dig the high side into the slope and add a low retaining wall to hold back the soil.
If you have to remove more than a few inches of dirt, consider renting a skid steer or hiring an excavator. An excavator can also help you get rid of excess soil.
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