ᐅ Is a soil survey necessary even if I’m not building a basement?

Hello,

It is often recommended to have a soil survey done during or shortly after purchasing the plot. I understand that this is important to know how to waterproof a basement and where to dispose of the excavated material. But what is the purpose of a soil survey (at such an early stage) if you are not building a basement?

I have not requested any quotes yet, but it might be cheaper to include the soil survey later with the excavation work, or the survey might have to be repeated because the "old" one is not accepted...

Hausner schrieb:

Why is a soil survey (at such an early stage) important if you’re not building a basement?

So that you or the architect and the structural builder know how to carry out the foundation work. You might buy a "nice" plot and the report will say, for example:
- Please plan for pile foundations and additional costs of $75,000
- Please plan for replacing at least 250cm (100 inches) of soil, because..., and additional costs of $35,000 (or maybe build a basement anyway since you’ll be digging regardless)
- Perfect plot for strip foundations, no soil replacement needed, costs $5,000 less than estimated
You can’t tell just by looking at the plot whether it’s "good" or will end up costing you extra.

Hausner schrieb:

The survey needs to be repeated because the "old" one is not accepted

That only happens if you’ve replaced several meters of soil out of boredom beforehand and perhaps buried hundreds of cubic meters of clay.

The foundation recommendation is based on the soil survey report. This is a very important aspect for any house construction project.
We had to install pile foundations, which added an extra 40,000 euros in costs, and you’d definitely want to know that before purchasing the land.

Edit: nordanney was quicker and explained it better.

The soil report determines, among other things, the load-bearing capacity of the soil, which then guides the foundation design.

Best regards,
Sabine

OK, so just the foundation report. The chemical analysis has already been documented here to some extent, but it is only valid for a few months, right?

Hausner schrieb:

Chemical analysis has already been mentioned here, but it is only valid for a few months, right?

Where do you want to build? Normally, the soil does not change. I see no reason to continuously and regularly test the soil for chemical contamination.