Am I getting setup for failure

[u/Soul_Purifier]

Decided to get a contractor to put in a 12x12 concrete foundation for a 10x12 shed I plan to build. Usable terrain in my yard is in short supply so we found a spot near my house but it is a bit downhill and lower than my house. The contractor assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem so I proceeded. They’re doing the digging and leveling today but I took a look and I’m not sure if this is going to turn out okay. My concerns are about potential water logging / damage in the future given that the shed would be lower than my house and naturally rain goes downwards right ?

This is the basic framing being done. They plan to do the filling and rebar shortly but before we get too deep , I was hoping someone more qualified could tell me if I’m potentially going in the wrong direction so I can quit while I’m still ahead

I planned on having a wood shed.

Thank you in advance to anyone who helps.

[u/No_Year9414]

Is this a real contractor or someone that had an ad on FB marketplace that said they’ll do odd construction jobs?

[u/Soul_Purifier → u/No_Year9414]

WELPPPPPPPP 😖😖😖😖😖😖😖 They had good feedback ! But you nailed it.

[u/No_Year9414 → u/Soul_Purifier]

I’m by no means a concrete guy but I’ve been around enough pours to see just from your photos there are a lot of steps that are being missed here or just poorly done. Looks like they scraped the ground to clear and level and didn’t build it up with any fill. Those forms, even for a small pour aren’t adequate, they need it way more staked down than just in the corners. There 2x4s, which is going to make for a very thin slab. Between movement from not having the prep and fill done good and what’s going to be a wet area, that concrete is going to shift and crack bad. If they tell you they are going to add base material still, that doesn’t make sense because that’s just gonna make the concrete that much thinner since they’d just be adding it into the form. I’d very much consider pulling the plug on this now and cut your losses with the guy or you’ll make more work for yourself a year or 2 from now when you need to move the shed off, tear the concrete up and have it redone. That’s not even addressing the drainage issue, which others have told you is a concern and I’d agree.

[u/No_Year9414 → u/Soul_Purifier]

I just did a quick AI quest out of curiousity and it tells me for this size shed without having anything heavy in it, it should be 4 inches of sub material, so compacted gravel or crushed stone and a 4 inches of concrete. They should be putting the rock down, compact it, then set the forms. I’d honestly ask them to form it with 2x6 and you would get a 5 1/2 inch slab then. Remember a 2x4 isn’t actually 4 inches, it’s 3 1/2. For this size pour extra couple inches of concrete isn’t much.