We brought in 28 yards of crushed stone to replace the dirt removed from where the slab will go. The dirt was not replaced because it had too much residual root and other vegetation in it. I decided to replace it with stone rather than take a risk.
The foundation is the hard part, in terms of cost overruns from unknown/unanticipated complications. Foundation work, which often carries nasty surprises, seems to be the phase of construction that yields the most litigation. We wrote the contract as a fixed price deal, but laid out methodology to price change orders that might come up at this stage. My approach with contractors is to build a trust relationship, which means not forcing them to take risks that might result in them losing money on my jobs. This job, plus the deck the same builder already completed, will make for relatively lengthy engagement, and I want everyone to feel like they are being treated fairly. This seems to yield a better product with less expenditure of stomach acid. I keep a close eye on things, yes, but I'm not interested in pinching every penny to the detriment of the work.
I have a friend who does the opposite--he hires the cheapest guys he can find, then almost always ends up firing them. He ends up perpetually pissed, and it ends up costing him more than if he went with a quality outfit in the first place. To him, everything has to have a winner and a loser, but in seeking advantage so hard, he always ends up losing.
Build it fast, build it cheap, build it well. Choose any two.
