What is a Soil Test and How Do They Work?
Before you construct a new house, you must have a soil test done. This is one of the most overlooked aspects by homebuilders. However, failing to do a soil test can lead you towards numerous negative consequences in the long run. That’s why it is important for you to get a proper soil test and make sure there are no surprises during the home building process.
Why do you need a soil test?
The main objective of doing a soil test is to get a better understanding about the composition of soil. Along with that, it is important to understand whether the soil is in a position to support foundation of a home or not. You will need to have a soil test report to get your building permit.
During the soil test, you might figure out that your soil is full of absorptive clay and can easily be compressed. In such instances, you will need to make sure that you are delivering additional support through the foundation to support the soil. This will help you to construct a solid house, while mitigating all the threats.
If you fail to add extra foundational support during home construction, the continuous expansion and contraction of soil can lead to a crumbling and cracked foundation. In the long run, you will have to deal with expensive foundation repairs, which nobody wants to pay for or deal with.
How can you get a soil test done?
There are service providers, who can help you with getting a soil test done. Soil engineers who are equipped with a strong understanding about the soil in your area will be the best option. After conducting a test, you will be provided with appropriate information about your soil. Based on that, you will also get a recommendation on how you should move forward with house construction.
When you seek the assistance of a soil testing company, qualified soil engineers will come to your location and take samples. They will bore holes in the soil to get these samples. Collected samples will then be tested in order to understand the suitability of soil.
Around 4 to 8 samples of soil will be collected for testing purposes. During the test, soil engineers will be mainly interested in getting to know about the composition of soil. Along with that, they will determine whether the soil is weak or strong.
Strong soil will not be subjected to continuous expansions and contractions. In other words, strong soil will be associated with a high level of density. In other words, the soil will be in a position to deliver excellent support to the construction of your choosing. However, weak soil is not in a position to deliver such excellent support to your construction. The soil would contract or expand for more than 10%, which can lead to structural damage and many headaches down the road.
Along with the soil test report, you will be provided with additional information about the possible issues that can take place after you construct your house on the soil. You will be able to take appropriate measures to overcome the problems beforehand. For example, you can get extra drainage, do soil grading and add more support to the foundation to overcome the problems.
