house pad question for the general populous

[mustang1200]

We do have pretty bad soil around here, I recently read a geo for a proposed building in Lewisville that had a PVR of 7"+. That's some expansive stuff!

I recall that.....

We are doing geo next week on another property.

[GeorgeG.]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I definitely appreciate it. I plan on adding piers, even if I have to skimp out our crown molding and other cosmetic things that I can do myself later.

So with the current pad, the geotech report will tell me the condition of the pad as is? My concern was whether or not to hold off on the $1600 geotech report and re-do the pad first so I don't have to get another geotech report afterwards.

I might be ok on the moisture of the dirt. There was quite a bit of time between all of these loads and I was fortunate to catch rain between some of the phases that I had dirt delivered. The geo report is about 3 weeks out so I'll know more once I schedule that and get it back.

Hey Blackpony, do you mind sharing who your builder is and what $/sq foot you're getting? You can PM if you want.

[TexasPyro]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I definitely appreciate it. I plan on adding piers, even if I have to skimp out our crown molding and other cosmetic things that I can do myself later.

So with the current pad, the geotech report will tell me the condition of the pad as is? My concern was whether or not to hold off on the $1600 geotech report and re-do the pad first so I don't have to get another geotech report afterwards.

I might be ok on the moisture of the dirt. There was quite a bit of time between all of these loads and I was fortunate to catch rain between some of the phases that I had dirt delivered. The geo report is about 3 weeks out so I'll know more once I schedule that and get it back.

Hey Blackpony, do you mind sharing who your builder is and what $/sq foot you're getting? You can PM if you want.

Piers are definitely the way to go if you can swing it. As discussed, the soil around here is terrible. Being in the site work business there is no way I'd ever build a structure without getting some sort of Geo on the dirt, even a small shop. Getting a Geo is a smart choice, I'd definitely hold off on any kind of soil conditioning until you get a report. You'd be surprised by how much moisture some of this soil requires. They will tell you that as well as recommend how deep you should go and if they think you should add a select fill cap. They will detail the different options for moisture conditioning depending on your slab choices.

We just got off of a pad that the lab required so much moisture that it practically turned into a mud bog. It was so bad our dozer got stuck a few times. Even then it still didn't have exactly as much water as they wanted. I know you think it may have gotten enough water from the rain alone, that is only half the battle. It needs the moisture as well as compaction in shallow lifts as you bring it up. Once its brought up it needs regular maintenance until the pad is placed. They tend to start drying up if not watered. Some labs will literally fail a pad if it wasn't watered on a regular basis.

Hope that helps, feel free to shoot me a pm or call if you have any questions, I don't mind helping out if you want to run anything your site work contractor wants to do.

[GeorgeG.]

Thanks again fellas. I scheduled the geo test today. Hopefully it comes back with minimal suggestions.

[ceyko]

Can you post results?

[GeorgeG.]

Does this sound about right for geo services?

"Geotechnical Investigation including: soil sampling. laboratory testing and geotechnical engineering report completed within about 4 weeks of drilling (2 borings to 20 feet or 5 feet into bedrock). "

Can you post results?

Sure thing.

[8mpg]

Does this sound about right for geo services?

"Geotechnical Investigation including: soil sampling. laboratory testing and geotechnical engineering report completed within about 4 weeks of drilling (2 borings to 20 feet or 5 feet into bedrock). "




Sure thing.

Thats what my report was.. but I had 4 borings.

[GeorgeG.]

Thats what my report was.. but I had 4 borings.

do you remember the company you used? Seems like 4 borings would give more accurate data than two borings on opposite sides. Especially since the front half is on undisturbed soil and the rear half is back filled almost 5 feet.

[8mpg]

do you remember the company you used? Seems like 4 borings would give more accurate data than two borings on opposite sides. Especially since the front half is on undisturbed soil and the rear half is back filled almost 5 feet.

I didnt pay for it...it was done by the previous owner. I do know the Geotechs name is William Dahlin. Im sure he will have a recommendation of a driller to get the core samples

[GeorgeG.]

Update:

I received the soil report back. Good news is that at the bore sites, compaction was good and the moisture is where it needs to be. It stated as long as I have the pad in place before summer, I shouldn't have to inject it later with water/chemical.

I also got the engineered foundation back. Good news is that rebar is my better option. I guess that's good news. He said I wouldn't really save much with PT. Bad news (to me) is that it has 73 flipping piers. 73!!

[ceyko]

Bad news (to me) is that it has 73 flipping piers. 73!!

I have a 2 story home with over 50 and PT. If you have a single story or large 1st floor home, that does not seem too excessive to me.

[lowfast]

Yep, single story that seems about right. We will have 52 in our two story 3500sqft house.

[GeorgeG.]

Good to know it seems about right. I can't wait to get the quote for concrete work.