re: Dirt work (buying sand)

quote:

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This just sounds wrong. I'm no civil engineer, but I don't think silicate expands when wet. Clay, on the other hand, definitely has some expansion issues

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River sand is really silt. It has just enough space for water to get in there, and for it to leave. It is much harder for water to get into clay because the particles are smaller. IIRC, clay has some electrostatic force holding it toghtly together, more so than silt, so it packs. When the water leaves silt, it causes it to settle and makes divets all over yards. Most places anywhere near the river have this problem.

My yard looks like the surface of the moon most of the year.

Most new houses are built on clay because it packs very well and isn't affected by water as much