bugstruck
Platinum Member
Salesman sold you gravel in an area they don't recommend it? Brilliant. Then no deduct to eliminate additional work and materials? Nuts! Finally, they were going on top of grass? What reasoning could they attribute to that? None.
Let's face it. We're all either looking for or trying to be good help. Most companies today have some marginal employees on the roster. You need to talk to the Owner if you haven't already and explain the process thus far from your perspective. They may be a good company, but I'd have real concerns over your experience as you describe it. Didn't read every post. Do you have a signed contract? If so, don't just cut and run. Work out of the contract with a release or work it out with them. Your not the emotional type, so it should be pretty simple.
Also, the part about subgrade gravel trapping water in clay based soil is real unless you elevate the gravel and the slab and let it leech to adjacent lower ground. The topsoil is less concern to me than some of the others given your description. It's a patio with little to no decayable or extraneous material.... once the grass/roots are gone. Won't compress that much more than structural fill if it's already compacted tight now. I poured my sidewalk 4 years ago on well compacted topsoil, few score lines, wire only, no rebar. It won't be cracked 5 years from now either. But it's not an engineered mix either. 4,000 PSI straight, no air. And NO spalling either. Figure that?
HTH
Let's face it. We're all either looking for or trying to be good help. Most companies today have some marginal employees on the roster. You need to talk to the Owner if you haven't already and explain the process thus far from your perspective. They may be a good company, but I'd have real concerns over your experience as you describe it. Didn't read every post. Do you have a signed contract? If so, don't just cut and run. Work out of the contract with a release or work it out with them. Your not the emotional type, so it should be pretty simple.
Also, the part about subgrade gravel trapping water in clay based soil is real unless you elevate the gravel and the slab and let it leech to adjacent lower ground. The topsoil is less concern to me than some of the others given your description. It's a patio with little to no decayable or extraneous material.... once the grass/roots are gone. Won't compress that much more than structural fill if it's already compacted tight now. I poured my sidewalk 4 years ago on well compacted topsoil, few score lines, wire only, no rebar. It won't be cracked 5 years from now either. But it's not an engineered mix either. 4,000 PSI straight, no air. And NO spalling either. Figure that?
HTH
