Start on any job step below. Each step points to the part of the guide, the calculators, the 3D build and the tools that belong to it.
80.0 cu ft at 27 cu ft per yard. A flat slab only. The full Math set handles footings, stairs, piers and uneven ground.
From safety to the business of the job.
Each with its formula and a worked check.
Bare lawn to a framed, roofed wall set.
How each one works, and what to avoid.
Each opens in its own tab. Use them in any order. The job path further down shows which piece to open at each step.
Materials, mix, forms, steel, placing, finishing, curing, repair and the local code. Written for a finish carpenter learning concrete.
17 sectionsOpen the guideMove the sliders and watch the slab, footing, stair or wall change. Yards, bags, rebar, joints, slump, strength and cost.
28 calculatorsOpen the mathScrub through the job from marking the lot to the roof trusses, with the tools, checks and mistakes at each stage.
18 stagesOpen the buildEvery tool in use and close up, with steps, secrets, safety, the Milwaukee version where one exists and local rules.
122 toolsOpen the toolsSeven steps in the order the work happens. Open the links, answer the check question, then tick the step. Your ticks stay in this browser only.
You can size a slab, price it and say what could go wrong before anyone digs.
12 x 20 x (4/12) = 80 cu ft. 80 / 27 = 2.96 cu yd. Add 10 percent: about 3.26, so order 3.25 to 3.5 yd depending on the supplier's increments.
You can set grade and slope, and you know why compaction comes before everything else.
About 1/4 in per foot (roughly 2 percent). The model code asks for 2 percent on impervious surfaces within 10 ft of the foundation. Check the code edition your city has adopted.
You can build forms that hold, place steel at the right height and cover, and pass inspection.
About 40 bar diameters. A #4 bar is 4/8 = 0.5 in across, so about 20 in. Cover against earth is 3 in (ACI 318). The engineer's drawings govern.
You can pick bags or a truck, read a mix ticket and protect strength when the crew wants to add water.
About 1 in of slump. It also raises the water-cement ratio, which lowers strength and durability. Ask for a plasticizer instead.
You can place, screed, float, edge and trowel in the right order and at the right time.
Spaced 2 to 3 times the slab thickness in inches, read as feet: 8 to 12 ft for 4 in. Cut them a quarter of the slab depth, usually 4 to 12 hours after finishing with a conventional saw.
You can keep the slab wet and warm enough to reach strength, and you know when you can load it.
About 65 percent. Treat this as a planning number. Cylinder breaks or a maturity meter decide when you load it.
You can check anchors, seal the sill, raise and brace walls, and tie them to the slab.
A sill sealer (foam gasket). Wood touching concrete must be pressure-treated or a naturally durable species (model code R317.1). Anchors and spacing come from your adopted code and the plans.
Cutting, grinding and mixing make silica dust. Cut wet or with a shroud and vacuum, wear a respirator, and keep eyewash close. Guide section 2 and the PPE group in Tools cover it. Cal/OSHA rules apply on the job.
Salt air, shaking ground and expansive clay change cover, steel and footings. Guide section 15 covers the local code. Ask your building department and engineer before you rely on any number here.
Send what you saw on site. Nic reads every one.
The 3D models are drawn from research, not photographs. Milwaukee matches in Tools come from retailer and press pages and some are marked unverified. Local rules cover Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and county practice and several items are marked unverified. Figures are for learning. The plans, the engineer and your building department govern. As of October 2026.
Sources are listed in each part: PCA, ACI, ASTM, OSHA and Cal/OSHA, manufacturer manuals and the city and county codes. Step ticks and quiz answers are saved only in your browser.