Why I stopped pouring concrete pads without sloping them first

A homeowner in Reno watched me level a 12x12 pad and said 'you're gonna hate yourself after the first rain,' and he was right. Now I always set forms with a 2% slope away from the house, even if it means extra gravel work, and I haven't had a single puddle complaint since. Anyone else get corrected by a client and actually thank them later?

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the_rose2mo ago

My buddy Mike skipped the slope on a patio and spent two years draining puddles with a push broom...

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zaram972mo ago

Funny how that works, the customer catches something we miss and suddenly the whole job makes sense. @the_rose, your buddy Mike's push broom story is exactly the kind of thing that sticks with you, it's like when a mechanic tells you to check the tire pressure and it saves you a flat two weeks later. Sloping concrete is just one of those small things that feels like extra work until you see water running off like it's supposed to, then you wonder why you ever skipped it. Happens all the time in life, the annoying advice turns out to be the good stuff.

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