- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Soils Test for Home Pad?
Posted on 3/13/14 at 10:01 am
Posted on 3/13/14 at 10:01 am
I'd never heard of this. Is this something that needs to be done or is it more CYA? I've heard a couple of engineering friends question if they provide any value, one builder recommended it and a reputable dirt work guy didn't give me an indication either way. What say the OT?
12
Posted on 3/13/14 at 10:02 am to BeerMoney
quote:
What say the OT?
You'll never know
Posted on 3/13/14 at 10:02 am to Kingwood Tiger
ah damn it. Guess I'll repost it there.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 10:38 am to BeerMoney
I would call your county extension agent. Some even provide this service.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 10:39 am to slaphappy
Yeah, I heard one being interviewed on radio. She explained how to send in a few plugs from different areas of your yard. Then said "Please don't do what some folks have done and send us a 50 pound box of your soil." 
Posted on 3/13/14 at 10:43 am to BeerMoney
Testing of what? Existing site characterization? Or compaction testing during construction?
Posted on 3/13/14 at 11:18 am to urinetrouble
well I guess we're talking in the food board. Compaction prior to construction.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 11:45 am to BeerMoney
I would think most engineers who design foundation systems would tell you it should be done, but is rarely done because the owner is never advised or recommended to have the soils test done or the owner declines the option becasue of the cost.
That being said, even if you have a soils test done, you could still end up having foundation problems despite the engineer knowing the condition of the subsurface soils.
That being said, even if you have a soils test done, you could still end up having foundation problems despite the engineer knowing the condition of the subsurface soils.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 11:59 am to BeerMoney
If you are going to build a house,you need to get the soil tested for compaction.If your site has dirt that compacts well, you are in good shape.
If not you may have to do some site work, like digging out and putting in a layer of good compactable dirt,or clay. There are other things that can be done also, like rock and fill, but they are a bit more expensive.
Also everything is a little different, depending on slab house or crawl space.
you can buy a test rod at home depot that is the same as the soil engineer will use. You simply drive it into the ground and put your weight on it, obviously, the more resistance, the better off you are.
If not you may have to do some site work, like digging out and putting in a layer of good compactable dirt,or clay. There are other things that can be done also, like rock and fill, but they are a bit more expensive.
Also everything is a little different, depending on slab house or crawl space.
you can buy a test rod at home depot that is the same as the soil engineer will use. You simply drive it into the ground and put your weight on it, obviously, the more resistance, the better off you are.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 1:07 pm to BeerMoney
quote:
Compaction prior to construction
A compaction test and a soils tests are two different things.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 1:15 pm to BeerMoney
Depends on where it is.
When owners want to go cheap and not have a soil report done we'll grab one from a previous job in the area and include verbiage saying we assumed an allowable pressure of xxxx and if there are problems it is the owner's responsibility (cost) to rectify the foundation issues.
ETA:
Also, are you adding fill to the site?
When owners want to go cheap and not have a soil report done we'll grab one from a previous job in the area and include verbiage saying we assumed an allowable pressure of xxxx and if there are problems it is the owner's responsibility (cost) to rectify the foundation issues.
ETA:
Also, are you adding fill to the site?
This post was edited on 3/13/14 at 1:16 pm
Posted on 3/13/14 at 1:23 pm to junkfunky
We're down in Prairieville.
What we're doing is having a heavy equipment guy come in with a dozer, scrape down like 6" and then build it up 6" above.(12" total of clay from a clay pit)
It's not that I'm cheap since I'll probably pay to get it done anyhow. I just keep hearing that it's basically a CYA measure, that foundations will fail anyway and that it may or may not be a rip off. Googling didn't help so I figured ask the OT being that I must not know the right thing to Google for.
What we're doing is having a heavy equipment guy come in with a dozer, scrape down like 6" and then build it up 6" above.(12" total of clay from a clay pit)
It's not that I'm cheap since I'll probably pay to get it done anyhow. I just keep hearing that it's basically a CYA measure, that foundations will fail anyway and that it may or may not be a rip off. Googling didn't help so I figured ask the OT being that I must not know the right thing to Google for.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 1:31 pm to BeerMoney
quote:
Is this something that needs to be done or is it more CYA?
If you are building a house in south La, spend the money and do it.
If you have soil issues, you want to know before you build. Foundation problems are a huge pita.
In BR, call these guys:
quote:
Louis J Capozzoli & Assoc
quote:
(225) 293-2460
I have used them for industrial projects and they seem to know their stuff.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 1:34 pm to BeerMoney
quote:
What we're doing is having a heavy equipment guy come in with a dozer, scrape down like 6" and then build it up 6" above.(12" total of clay from a clay pit)
I assume it's local clay and not red clay from Mississippi. The grey clay we have around here is fairly lean meaning it won't absorb a ridiculous amount of water like red clay does. For a foundation your biggest concern is moisture in the soil making it expand and contract.
quote:
It's not that I'm cheap since I'll probably pay to get it done anyhow.
Sorry, I was calling my client cheap because they want a commercial building at a residential price.
quote:
I just keep hearing that it's basically a CYA measure
The more information you know about the site the better design you can come up with.
quote:
that foundations will fail anyway and that it may or may not be a rip off.
That's bogus. What you might have heard is that your slab is gonna crack no matter what and that is the truth. No amount of expansion, construction or control joints will stop this from happening in S.LA. One thing that can be done to keep the cracking down when your soil is expansive is to lay down void forms on the soil before you pour the slab. When the soil expands the forms (made from cardboard) just get crushed but the soil isn't allowed to push on the slab.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 1:40 pm to BeerMoney
More than likely, that info will be on soilweb
Posted on 3/13/14 at 2:02 pm to Hammertime
quote:
More than likely, that info will be on soilweb
I don't know what's on soilweb, but if its just generic information as to the general soil conditions in a particular area, that's not good enough. The owner should want site specific information to provide to his designer.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 2:20 pm to Roscoe
Web soil survey. Guys actually went around almost every spot in the country and took samples. It has been accurate within 5yds for every soil I have ever seen unless some event took place to change the topsoil. B horizon down should all be the same
Yes it is that accurate, and yes they did take samples all over the country.
Yes it is that accurate, and yes they did take samples all over the country.
Posted on 3/13/14 at 2:21 pm to BeerMoney
quote:um
this something that needs to be done
yea
Posted on 3/14/14 at 12:35 am to Roscoe
quote:
That being said, even if you have a soils test done, you could still end up having foundation problems despite the engineer knowing the condition of the subsurface soils.
I'd argue that ensuring your building pad is properly compacted and handled is more important than foundation itself, at least for residential structures. Obviously, they can't botch the foundation construction, but it's more often that foundation problems are do to poorly compacted soils (or expansive soils).
If it's my house, I'm at least doing some compaction testing. And I'm making sure the lift thickness aren't excessive.
This post was edited on 3/14/14 at 12:37 am
Posted on 3/14/14 at 8:45 am to urinetrouble
Invest a few dollars on the front side to be safe. It may save thousands in the long run. A pier & beam foundtion solves all issues, but is certainly more expensive.
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News