Hello,
we now have the following "conflict" to resolve.
We are building a 14 x 14.5 m (46 x 48 ft) bungalow. The soil report indicates the following layers:
Layer 1: Topsoil 20 cm (8 inches)
Layer 2: Sand, highly silty, soft to stiff, gray-brown
Layer 3: Sand, highly silty, humus, soft to stiff, dark brown to black-brown
Layer 4: Sand, low silt content, partly silty, medium dense, ...
Recommendation: remove 1 to 1.1 m (3.3 to 3.6 ft) and refill with compacted gravel or a similar material.
Now, a groundworks contractor who has seen our plans pointed out that he was not informed about our planned fill. We actually need to build up an average of 1 m (3.3 ft).
He suggested that it would be sufficient to just strip off the topsoil (and possibly some centimeters of layer 2) to achieve a 1.4 m (4.6 ft) gravel layer underneath the foundation slab. If necessary, the foundation slab could be made a bit thicker and the reinforcement adjusted accordingly. This would save us money.
However, our structural engineer insists that everything must be removed as recommended in the soil report.
Now we are uncertain. Both are professionals.
We will consult other groundworks contractors to see their opinions.
However, this involves a significant amount of money. Has anyone here had experience with a similar case?
we now have the following "conflict" to resolve.
We are building a 14 x 14.5 m (46 x 48 ft) bungalow. The soil report indicates the following layers:
Layer 1: Topsoil 20 cm (8 inches)
Layer 2: Sand, highly silty, soft to stiff, gray-brown
Layer 3: Sand, highly silty, humus, soft to stiff, dark brown to black-brown
Layer 4: Sand, low silt content, partly silty, medium dense, ...
Recommendation: remove 1 to 1.1 m (3.3 to 3.6 ft) and refill with compacted gravel or a similar material.
Now, a groundworks contractor who has seen our plans pointed out that he was not informed about our planned fill. We actually need to build up an average of 1 m (3.3 ft).
He suggested that it would be sufficient to just strip off the topsoil (and possibly some centimeters of layer 2) to achieve a 1.4 m (4.6 ft) gravel layer underneath the foundation slab. If necessary, the foundation slab could be made a bit thicker and the reinforcement adjusted accordingly. This would save us money.
However, our structural engineer insists that everything must be removed as recommended in the soil report.
Now we are uncertain. Both are professionals.
We will consult other groundworks contractors to see their opinions.
However, this involves a significant amount of money. Has anyone here had experience with a similar case?
Masipulami19 Jul 2016 08:38The soil report includes the foundation recommendation. You should follow that.
Masipulami19 Jul 2016 08:47Evolith schrieb:
However, it was cut down without being aware of the strict embankment requirements. And why didn’t you pass this information on to the geologist?
If you ultimately disregard the soil report, you might as well have saved yourself the cost.
If I were you, I would now get an updated soil report. The excavation contractor might be right, but it could also backfire. In the end, you will be living in the house, not them. Building according to the soil report also protects you in case there are any settlement issues later on.
We had the inspection done before the purchase. At that time, we were not aware of any requirements. The construction company had the inspection report as well as the documentation for the fill. Now I don’t know how thorough the structural engineer will be—whether they will simply accept the inspection report or if they have considered it in detail.
Maybe I will call the guy who prepared the inspection report.
Maybe I will call the guy who prepared the inspection report.
D
daniels8719 Jul 2016 09:03Just give them a quick call. Our appraiser was very friendly and went over all the options with me again.
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