Got burned on a Friday job in Columbus, worst day I've had in years

Last month I had a retaining wall job in Columbus that just fell apart. The client wanted this herringbone pattern on a curved wall, which I warned them was tricky. Midway through Friday afternoon, the whole west section buckled because the base wasn't compacted right from a rain the night before. Had to tear out about 15 feet and redo it by sundown. Has anyone else dealt with clients who push for fancy patterns on bad soil?

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rowanbennett3mo ago

The whole thing where people want complicated designs but ignore the basics underneath is just how most things work these days. Everyone wants the Instagram look without putting in the boring groundwork.

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mary_wells3mo ago

Yeah no kidding. People watch one TikTok of a dry stack wall and suddenly they're experts on soil mechanics. I had a guy last spring insist on a basketweave pattern for his driveway apron. I told him the frost heave would wreck it inside two winters. Sure enough, he calls me in October moaning about cracks. Couldn't help but chuckle a little.

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