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My contractor buddy laughed when I said I wanted a concrete patio and told me I was nuts for not budgeting drainage.
He watched me dig a shallow pit last weekend in my backyard in Portland after a rainstorm and said “your 3 inches of gravel will rot that slab in 2 years” so now I am ripping it out and spending an extra $400 on a French drain, has anyone else had a contractor call them out on a dumb plan and saved them money in the long run?
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violar353d ago
Smart move listening to him-that saved you a headache down the line.
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ellis.faith3d ago
Ha, yeah my last DIY project looked real smart until it rained.
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the_jake3d ago
I read that the key to outdoor DIY is using exterior-grade plywood, not the cheap stuff you get at the big box store. My buddy Joe told me about this guy who built a whole shed out of that cheap MDF board and it basically melted after one season of rain. He said it looks like a wet cardboard box now. It's crazy how much you can save if you just spend a few bucks more on the right material upfront. You ever come across any other hard lessons like that?
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