Saw how a crew in Nashville handled soft ground on a new build

Was visiting my cousin's job site near Nashville last month and the ground was pure clay after rain. The foreman had them lay a 6 inch gravel base before even mixing mortar. They used a laser level to keep it dead flat across the whole footing. I always figured gravel was just for drainage, but seeing how even it kept the first course of block impressed me. Has anyone else run into trouble with settling on soft fill dirt?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.xena14d ago

Saw the same thing on a job outside Memphis last spring! We had to dig out almost 2 feet of that soft fill and bring in clean gravel before the inspector would even sign off on the footings. That laser level trick is gold, saved us having to shim every single block on the first course.

jackson.wesley14d ago

Three foot of soft fill can actually work fine if you have the right compaction and moisture content. I've seen houses on engineered fill that settled less than ones on virgin ground. That inspector might've just been playing it safe on a Friday afternoon.