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Can we talk about how builders ignore the dirt grade around the foundation?
Last spring in Boise, I paid a crew to pour a patio and they didn't slope the soil away from the house. Come November, water pooled right against the slab and seeped into my crawlspace. My neighbor had the same issue with his custom build, and his contractor said it wasn't their job to fix grading after the footer was set. I now walk every lot before backfill happens, and I've caught two other sites where the dirt sat level or worse, tilted inward. Why do so many builders treat drainage like an afterthought, and who actually holds them accountable for it?
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blake30225d ago
Grading is one of those things that gets treated like somebody else's problem until the water shows up. What worked for me was getting it in writing before I signed anything, not a handshake promise but actual language in the contract saying the lot had to drain away from the house and who was on the hook if it didn't. Then I took dated photos at every stage, footer, backfill, final grade, because once the sod goes down nobody can tell which way the dirt was moving. In my case the builder tried to say it was the landscaper's fault, but the paper trail shut that down fast and they regraded it on their dime. It took me three houses to learn that lesson, so you're already ahead of most people just by walking those lots. The sad truth is nobody holds them accountable unless you do it yourself, because the inspector checks the house and not the puddle next to it.
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