sometimes folks go wild with drains and membranes when just sloping the grade away does most of the heavy lifting
That’s spot on—grade is king. I’ve had projects where we spent ages fussing over French drains, only to realize a simple adjustment to the slope would’ve solved 90% of our issues. Did you run into any surprises with soil compaction? That’s tripped me up before—looked good on paper, but then settled weird after a few rains.
Yeah, I hear you on the soil compaction—sometimes it’s just a roll of the dice, even when you think you’ve done everything by the book. I’ve had fill that seemed solid as a rock, then after a couple storms, it turned into a rollercoaster ride. Honestly, there’s only so much you can plan for on paper. Grade fixes a ton, but mother nature always has her own ideas... Keeps things interesting, right?
My Adventure With DIY Concrete Foundations
Totally get where you're coming from. You can run every compaction test and still get surprised when the first heavy rain hits. I’ve seen pro crews have to redo sections because of hidden soft spots, so you’re not alone. Sometimes you just have to roll with it and adapt—keeps you on your toes.
It’s wild how even after all the prep, a stretch of rain can undo hours of work. I’ve found it helps to go step-by-step: after compaction, I walk the area with a steel rod to probe for soft spots—sometimes the tests miss those. If I find one, I dig it out and backfill with crushed stone, tamping as I go. Not perfect, but it’s saved me from re-pouring sections. Ever tried using geotextile fabric under your base? It’s not foolproof but adds a bit of insurance, especially if you’re dealing with unpredictable soil.
Geotextile’s a solid call, especially on questionable ground. I’ve used it on a few projects—helps keep the base from migrating into the subsoil after heavy rain. That said, it can get pricey for larger areas, and sometimes it feels like overkill if you’ve got decent drainage. Still, I’d rather spend a bit more up front than deal with slab cracks down the line. Your steel rod method’s smart—lab tests don’t always catch those weird pockets.
