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Spent 4 hours yesterday fighting a single post that hit solid rock 18 inches down. Thought it was just a big stone, turned out to be a buried slab from an old patio.
Client's yard in the old part of town. My auger bit just stopped dead. Dug around it by hand, thinking I'd find a boulder to move. Nope. It was a 3-foot square of 6-inch thick concrete, completely hidden. Had to get a demo hammer from the truck to break it up. Quote was for a half-day job, turned into a full day plus. Anyone dealt with surprise foundations before? How do you adjust the price when you find something like that?
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leo_carr136mo ago
Man, that's the worst. I always add a line in my contracts now for "unknown obstructions" at an hourly rate plus equipment. Like @victorb51 said, old lots are full of junk. For a slab that size, I'd charge for the extra half day and the demo hammer.
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blake3024mo ago
Yep, been there with a buried sidewalk from the 50s. @victorb51 is right about old neighborhoods having random concrete everywhere. Always worth adding a "surprise fee" clause to cover extra labor and tool rental.
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