Geotechnical investigations are amongst the first investigations undertaken when building a new home or commencing the construction of any structure which is supported by foundations. A Soil Report will provide a site classification for your particular site which will determine the design parameters required to design your project.
A professional thorough Soil Report is vital at the beginning of any construction project as it will no doubt affect the price of your new build. It also aids in the determination of construction works should you like to extend or renovate your property.
Why is soil testing important when building a new house?
The main reason is to understand how 'reactive’ the soil is, and ensure that there aren’t any chemical or physical conditions on the site that might damage your house should they not be considered during design. An example of such matters is the depth of fill soil a property site contains. poor soil reports only end up in poor design and construction in later processes.
Soil reactivity refers to how much the soil on the site is likely to move, expand and contract (normally as a result of changing moisture content) and is graded by class.
The soil bearing capacity tells us the weight the soil can support per unit area, and determines the type of footings or slab subfloor that can be built on your site. If the soil is unstable, then the footings may be to be placed deeper into the ground, or a different type of foundation may need to be used.
What are the different types of soil classifications?
- Class A – Stable, non-reactive: possibility of very little or no ground movement as result of moisture change (often sand and rock sites)
- Class S – possibility of Slight ground movement (often clay sites)
- Class M – possibility of Moderate ground movement (often clay or silt sites)
- Class H – possibility of High ground movement (often clay sites) sub clssed as H1 and H2 sites.
- E – possibility of Extreme ground movement
- Class P – Problem sites: ground movement as a result of moisture change may be very severe.
How is a soil test performed?
Geotechnical engineers use special equipment to drill down into the ground and extract soil. By determining what kind of soil is at various depths, they will be able to classify the site and determine the bearing capacity of the soil.
I contacted Adam to do a crack inspection at my property. For the last 6 months I have had soooo many people giving me random opinions, quotes ranging from 13k to 50k to fix a small crack. From crack stitching, to underpinning to demolishing the entire wall.. I heard it all. Over time I was becoming increasingly worried by what everyone was telling me... I started to believe my house was structurally compromised and if I didn't spend that money to fix it will eventually fall down. A colleague of mine advised me that before I spend ridiculous amount of money trying to fix this one crack I should seek expert advice and get a structural engineer to look at it. Thats when I contacted Adam. Adam not only inspected the crack but looked all the around my property. Gave me such valuable advise and because of him not only I can sleep peacefully at night but I don't have to spend 52k fixing a simple crack that doesn't need doing anything. There are soooo many trades out there who will simply do anything to get some extra money from you. My only advice to everyone is.. please please spend that extra few hundreds and get expert to advice. These guys are patient, extremely professional and will give you the right honest advice. Thank you Adam. You are a blessing I hope you are able to help me in the future.
Sarah N - Mill Park - VIC
