Wish I'd known more about soil prep before diving into my build. We went with foam insulation under the slab because it was recommended as a solid choice, and to be fair, it's been decent in terms of insulation. But within two years, we've already noticed some minor settling and uneven spots. Turns out our contractor rushed the soil compaction step—something we didn't even know to look out for at the time.
Honestly, if I could hit rewind and start fresh, I'd spend way more attention (and money) on getting that base rock-solid. Foam or no foam, it seems like the real key is what's underneath. Hard lesson learned, but hopefully someone else avoids the same mistake...
You're right that soil prep is critical, but honestly, foam insulation isn't always the culprit when things settle. I've seen plenty of builds with foam underneath that hold up perfectly fine because they nailed the compaction step. Sometimes it's less about the materials and more about the execution. Still sucks you had to learn it the hard way though...been there myself on a couple early projects.
"Sometimes it's less about the materials and more about the execution."
Couldn't agree more with this point. Over the years, I've noticed that even the best materials won't save a build if the groundwork isn't solid. I remember a project where we used premium-grade foam insulation, but rushed through compaction due to deadlines... ended up costing us dearly when things started shifting. Now, whenever I'm planning a new development, I emphasize thorough site prep and quality control checks—it's amazing how much trouble that saves down the road.
That's a really good point about rushing through compaction. I'm actually in the early stages of planning my first custom home build, and I've been reading up on site prep quite a bit. It's funny because initially I was so focused on choosing the right materials—like insulation types, foundation concrete mixes, and framing lumber—that I didn't even think much about the execution side of things.
But after talking to a few builders and reading experiences like yours, I'm realizing how critical those early steps are. One builder told me that even something as simple as properly grading the land can make or break your home's long-term stability. He said he's seen beautiful homes built with top-notch materials end up with water pooling around foundations just because someone skipped or rushed through grading.
Right now, I'm trying to put together a checklist for site prep before we even break ground. So far I've got soil testing, proper grading for drainage, thorough compaction (thanks for reinforcing that one!), and making sure utilities are clearly mapped out beforehand. But since this is my first time doing this, I'm sure there are things I'm overlooking...
Have any of you who've done multiple builds noticed other common pitfalls or overlooked steps during initial groundwork? I'd love to hear more real-world examples—especially if they're things that aren't obvious until you've already made the mistake once or twice.
One thing I'd add is double-checking your site's drainage after heavy rain. Our builder thought grading was fine, but after one storm we realized runoff patterns were totally different than expected... better to catch it early than deal with flooded basements later.
