[Stonehenge]

I was meeting with a potential client tonight, and during our meeting he wanted to look across the street at a neighbor's house we had done some work at about 4 years ago. At that house we had done some patio and retaining wall work.

There were new homeowners in the house, and have lived there for 2 years.

Anyway, we got to the patio in back, and to my disappointment there had been some settling near the house, where the steps we constructed led to the patio doors. They new homeowners said the settling started the year they moved in (two years after we completed our work).

The thing I'm wondering is, with the compaction capabilities of the equipment we can use, and the stresses that a foundation wall can handle, what can be done to eliminate this settling near the house?

Even if we dig down 3', and install layers of fabric between lifts of 3/4-, compacting the hell out of it, there are still 5' below it, made of 100% garbage clay (and sometimes actual garbage), that can still have voids and settle in time.

The best compaction equipment in the world can't compact 5' of clay (it can't even compact 2' very well).

So what's a hardscaper to do to eliminate the chance of this happening?

As a side note, they said the retaining wall/sitting wall also started settling near the house, though upon inspection the full 15' length of it (extending outward from the house) was perfect, so either the whole thing settled perfectly in unison, or something else (like the house rising) was going on. I don't put much stock in the house rising, but explanation fails me for that part of the work.

[diginahole]

I don't believe that there is a reasonable prevention for this problem. Well at least not one that would prevent this from occurring in all circumstances. The solution is to fix it after the settlement has occurred naturally. Fix it under warranty, i.e. no charge. Even 4 years later.... six years if they ask then. The PR is priceless, you get valuable face time with a happy customer. He will two friends who will tell two friends who will.......... you get the idea. I love to do warranty work. It never takes as long as you think it will either.

[Rex Mann]

I've heard of paver guys not giving a warranty on anything within three-feet of the foundation. Personally, I would not do brand new construction homes untill they had been there at least a year. I say that because in Ohio everyone has a basement. Here in Phoenix, no basements just stemwalls. A different animal altogether.

I am also with diginahole, repair work goes a long way on free advertising.

Peace,

Rex

[dan deutekom]

I am with diggin on this one. The PR is priceless. I have seen houses in our area that have settling near the foundation 20 years after they have been built. It has a lot to do with the type of soil and how the water moves through it. Somethings we just do not have any control of. If I am forced to do newer homes (less then a 2 winters old) I warn the client that there might be some minor settling that we will come back and repair it.

[Bexter]

I believe this is something that every Landscaper comes across. Short of digging down to the footings there isn't much you can do.
And we are not going to do that.
We had one last year that had been built for about a year but we had not had much moisture the winter before and a very dry spring ...once the landscape was complete and irrigation was running it sunk big time around the foundation.
I've also heard of some companies not guaranteeing around the foundation but I think that would be very bad PR.
Would be nice if the builders did a proper job of back filling.

[Stonehenge]

Thanks guys...I felt like such a shmuck looking at that settling, and at the same time being so frustrated that it happened...

Dan, I like the idea of telling them about it up front - 'it's a new house, 8'+ of fresh, uncompacted clay fill, etc', telling them we'll come back and fix it.

Now I'll just have to start baking a repair cost into projects involving new homes...

[diginahole]

This is also a huge selling point for interlocking pavements. The repair will be simple and invisable. If settlement is unavoidable, what other treatment offers that?

[dan deutekom]

You got it. Tell them up front and build it into your cost.

[neversatisfiedj]

Fixing the pavement isn't that bad but if you have build steps or a wall near the house that settles , that could set you back a couple days.

[Stonehenge]

Holy thread revival nj, this thread is 4 years old.

[neversatisfiedj]

I'm a grounds X freak .......

[mrusk]

I think one of the keys to advoid settlement is to be as far off the house as possible. I always try to swing walkways 7-10 feet off the house. Then on patios, i try to never have the pavers go to the house. Put a big planter along the house.

[Lanelle]

I have no idea how to build steps out of a house without being next to the house......
Unless, you build a deck landing and stairs, you have to get out of the house and on to the patio somehow.

[mrusk]

Originally posted by Lanelle
I have no idea how to build steps out of a house without being next to the house......
Unless, you build a deck landing and stairs, you have to get out of the house and on to the patio somehow.

I said i try to limit the amount of pavers against the house, not eliminate.

A nice set of wood steps coming off a house on to a patio looks good.

[Stonehenge]

I have to kind of chuckle, because at around the time this thread was started, I was having to seed conversations left and right just to get activity going on the site. I believe that's what was going on here, too.

My preferred method for new construction is to pour a small reinforced slab tied to the home's foundation, and build the steps on that.

Wood steps down to a paver patio? How many of those have you done in the year or so you've been hardscaping? I think I've done three in 20 years.