Walked a new development site in Phoenix and had a total lightbulb moment about grading

I was checking out a 12 lot subdivision last Tuesday out near Surprise, Arizona. The site plans looked fine on paper, but once I got out there in the 110 degree heat I realized the drainage arrows were all pointing toward a single low spot in the middle of the street. Called the civil engineer right there and he admitted they copied the plan from another job. Has anyone else caught a huge mistake just by walking the dirt before concrete goes in?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_bailey1810d ago

And the thing is, once the dirt's moved and concrete's poured, fixing that grade mistake is stupid expensive. Catching it in the walking phase saves everyone's bacon and keeps the HOA from flooding later.

pat_moore9d ago

fixing that grade mistake is stupid expensive" - yep but here's the angle nobody talks about. The measurement errors often start weeks before concrete, when survey stakes get knocked over or moved without telling anyone. @xena_bailey18 has the right idea, gotta double check those stakes before anything gets poured.

michaelgrant8d ago

Used to think the survey stakes were just a formality, something you glance at and move on. But after seeing a neighbor's yard turn into a pond because a kid on a bike knocked one over, I get it now. Double checking those stakes is cheap insurance compared to tearing out concrete. This thread really changed how I look at the whole process before pour day.