My Adventure With DIY Concrete Foundations

sometimes I wonder if there’s such a thing as over-prepping the base? Like, how much compaction is too much before you’re just spinning your wheels?

I’ve definitely had that same debate with myself. Last summer, I spent hours running the plate compactor—felt like I was just making noise after a while. What worked for me was checking with a simple “heel test”—if my boot didn’t leave much of a mark, I called it good. Overdoing it can actually make drainage worse, in my experience. Water’s sneaky, but sometimes less is more if you want it to move away from the slab.