Spent $600 on a fancy container foundation kit and wish I just did gravel like everyone said

I was dead set on using those adjustable steel pier foundation kits for my 40ft container build. Watched all the YouTube videos, thought they'd be faster and more professional. After 8 hours of leveling and fighting with those things on uneven ground in Texas clay, I realized I could have just dumped 3 feet of crushed gravel and called it a day for under $200. The kit is fine I guess but my buddy's gravel pad container has settled less than mine in 2 years. Anyone else regret going fancy on foundations or am I just salty about the cost?

2 comments

2 Comments

tara3453d ago

Did you account for the soil type when you picked the adjustable piers? Because Texas clay is basically a living thing that expands and contracts with moisture. Those fancy kits work great on stable sandy soil but they really hate clay. Your buddy's gravel pad is probably draining better and letting the clay do its shrinking thing without pushing the container around. I've seen adjustable piers actually pop up out of the ground after a heavy rain on clay. Sometimes the cheap gravel solution just works with the land instead of fighting it.

gavinwood3d ago

Tara345 is right about clay being a monster, but nobody's mentioned the freeze-thaw cycle if you're anywhere north of I-10. Those adjustable piers can jackhammer themselves right out of the ground over a couple winters, while gravel pad stays put.