two_bit_score
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Yeah, that is so wrong! Makes one wonder what all else that guy would cover up.
RDrancher's Photo Thread
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Yeah, that is so wrong! Makes one wonder what all else that guy would cover up.
two_bit_score
Super Star Member
- Joined
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- 10,983
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- John Deere 110 TLB, Diamond C 19LPX GN trailer
Yeah, that is so wrong! Makes one wonder what all else that guy would cover up.
Washout makes a good drive way.
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
The other contractor also told them that he would just bring in dirt from a pool dig. I informed them that this kind of thinking is the major reason that the foundation repair companies are doing so well. Luckily, these folks looked for a second opinion and found a guy (me) that actually cares about the final outcome of the project. It seems that most guys around here are just after the quick buck.
I looked at a final grading/drainage job at another location for an owner-builder the other day. A beautiful 6,000 sq ft home built in a hole, twelve feet below the roadway. The grading contractor brought in 300 yards of select fill to build up the pad, but the fill wasn't "select" at all. It didn't pass the soil test. So the contractor removed and stockpiled it in the front yard and talked the poor folks into building it on the native ground that DID pass the test. Now they're in a hole, with a huge pile of junk fill AND a couple of hundred yards of excavated dirt onsite. The contractor took the money and he's long gone. Now that the home is in a hole that backs up to a pretty steep down-slope, the septic tanks and system will have to be place next to the walkway to their front door. Their drainage and concrete grading isn't going to be inexpensive, that's for sure. I see this kind of stuff going on all of the time around here.
I looked at a final grading/drainage job at another location for an owner-builder the other day. A beautiful 6,000 sq ft home built in a hole, twelve feet below the roadway. The grading contractor brought in 300 yards of select fill to build up the pad, but the fill wasn't "select" at all. It didn't pass the soil test. So the contractor removed and stockpiled it in the front yard and talked the poor folks into building it on the native ground that DID pass the test. Now they're in a hole, with a huge pile of junk fill AND a couple of hundred yards of excavated dirt onsite. The contractor took the money and he's long gone. Now that the home is in a hole that backs up to a pretty steep down-slope, the septic tanks and system will have to be place next to the walkway to their front door. Their drainage and concrete grading isn't going to be inexpensive, that's for sure. I see this kind of stuff going on all of the time around here.
oosik
Epic Contributor
View attachment 379988View attachment 379986 Pics of my little lake in the winter & summer.
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EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Around here, foundation problems get blamed for everything that's wrong with a house. Most of the time it's actually framing problems in the attic from modifications or a poor design over a great room. Those times where there is foundation issues, it's either from not compacting the soil and it's settled over time to the point there is a gap of an inch to several inches under the slab, or when it rains, they have standing water around the house, and sometimes it even floods the floors. By the time I get a call, they have already spent money on a French drain that didn't last, or never worked like promised. In my opinion, they are worthless. The only thing that works is removing soil to give the water a place to go.
What people don't seem to understand is that when the ground is saturated and we have a hard freeze, the soil expands and pushes the house up. Then after it thaws and warms up months later, they notice what happened and blame the foundation or the ground drying out. Foundations never crack from dry ground, it's always because of water. Either freezing or eroding the soil.
Eddie
What people don't seem to understand is that when the ground is saturated and we have a hard freeze, the soil expands and pushes the house up. Then after it thaws and warms up months later, they notice what happened and blame the foundation or the ground drying out. Foundations never crack from dry ground, it's always because of water. Either freezing or eroding the soil.
Eddie
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
I'd be willing to bet that almost all of the actual foundation problems around here come from building on crappy expansive soil that won't drain, or from poorly thought out drainage around the structure, or both. Unfortunately, the majority of the soil here in North Texas is expansive (clay.) It is possible to compact expansive soil and get 90% rates under the right conditions, but there are 365 days in a year, and during most of them the soil will either be too dry (cracking) or too wet (saturated.) That pad that tested good once is destined to fail and then a portion of the foundation fails too. If the soil pumps under any condition, it'll never be a stable pad for a structure. Most of the clay around here will pump in "pockets" randomly with repeated traffic over a given area. I've even seen it happen with completely dry ground under drought conditions.
There's a reason that commercial pads are lime stabilized or replaced in areas of expansive soil...the native soil is junk and the engineers that will be held responsible for structural failure know it. Most cities up here are finally getting semi-smart by requiring soil testing prior to building of residential homes. But even if they do, compaction testing on a pad after the grading is completed and any thought process regarding lot drainage is a rarity. Proof-rolling is still an accepted method of checking compaction which is simply put...ridiculous.
In the county, the poor customer is at the mercy of the builder. A typical pad in the county is built by pushing the onsite soil up from the area surrounding the homesite, or with just a few loads of imported select fill spread on the surface. Either way...compacting in "lifts" seems to be unheard of. The bottom of the foundation is still sitting in expansive soil, so it's designed to fail anyway.
If I'm called in to do final and drainage grading after the home is completed, I can guarantee that unless select fill that passed the test was imported during the pad building process, any fill I use to accomplish the task will be better than the soil the home was built on. That's pretty sad.
I could go on with all of the homes I see built at the lowest elevation of the property, or below the bar ditch invert elevation...but that's a whole 'nother thing,
There's a reason that commercial pads are lime stabilized or replaced in areas of expansive soil...the native soil is junk and the engineers that will be held responsible for structural failure know it. Most cities up here are finally getting semi-smart by requiring soil testing prior to building of residential homes. But even if they do, compaction testing on a pad after the grading is completed and any thought process regarding lot drainage is a rarity. Proof-rolling is still an accepted method of checking compaction which is simply put...ridiculous.
In the county, the poor customer is at the mercy of the builder. A typical pad in the county is built by pushing the onsite soil up from the area surrounding the homesite, or with just a few loads of imported select fill spread on the surface. Either way...compacting in "lifts" seems to be unheard of. The bottom of the foundation is still sitting in expansive soil, so it's designed to fail anyway.
If I'm called in to do final and drainage grading after the home is completed, I can guarantee that unless select fill that passed the test was imported during the pad building process, any fill I use to accomplish the task will be better than the soil the home was built on. That's pretty sad.
I could go on with all of the homes I see built at the lowest elevation of the property, or below the bar ditch invert elevation...but that's a whole 'nother thing,
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
I picked up my CASE TR320 today from the dealership. No charge for the repair from the fire. But......When I went to unload it I noticed a large puddle of hydraulic fluid on the deck coming from the NEW FINAL DRIVE! Zero income from this machine for the entire month of June and most of May. Do you think I'm just a little peaved right now?
japody
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Really sorry to hear of all the issues you are having with your Case. I sure do wish I could find someone with your talents around my part of the country. The builder did a sorry job of grading around the house and I can't find anyone who knows what they're talking about to fix it. Let me know if you want to move to Virginia!
dave1949
Super Star Member
I bet you are. I hope it is something minor like a loose fitting.
OP
RDrancher
Veteran Member
At this point I'm in a quandary as how to move forward. As much as I love the performance and comfort of this machine...I can't trust it. The CASE dealer that repaired the fire damage bent over backwards to get it done as quickly as possible and was the main force behind CASE taking care of the bill. The service manager is a stand-up guy. Then there's the Kubota guys. They've always taken care of me like family and they're itching to make me a deal. Besides that, the salesman at the new CAT dealer in our area found me off of my website and has been blowing up my phone. Kubota has been ruling the roost here locally with their CTL's and I'm sure CAT wants to make a dent in their success. I'm going to have to make some big decisions soon...I have a bunch of work on the books and I need a reliable machine to do them with.
