ᐅ Saving Costs: Soil Survey Before Signing the Contract?

I have a question regarding the purpose of a soil survey: does it help to avoid unexpected additional costs (meaning, does it provide a sufficiently accurate indication of whether extra costs will arise), or can it actually help to save money? In other words, would the same construction project be less expensive with a soil survey than without one, for example, because the amount of required labor, building materials, and equipment usage can be better planned?
Thank you very much and best regards
T. D.

The load-bearing capacity of the soil will be assessed. If your house later settles and water presses against the foundation slab causing it to heave, that will certainly be more than just "additional costs."

This becomes especially important if you plan to have a basement.

If potential extra costs are not really a concern for you, the geotechnical survey should definitely be included as well.

In our new development area, some people have built without conducting a soil survey. In this forum, it is recommended to everyone to do so in order to avoid risks. Our architect (from the local area) was not very convinced about it and left the decision up to us...

I see a soil investigation report as a form of risk insurance: you might not need it, and if you don’t, you could have saved the cost. But if you do need it, you will be glad to have it.

In the end, it is simply a risk mitigation measure.

Does it make sense to arrange the soil investigation independently before signing the contract with the developer? Some even include it as part of their service. What do you think?

Hello,

Häusle77 schrieb:
Does it make sense to have the soil survey done independently before signing the contract with the developer? Some include it as part of their package. What do you think?

If you have made your final decision for the developer, I would recommend a different approach.

Talk to them and explain that you would like to have the soil survey done earlier to determine your financing, due to potential additional foundation costs. If they are a reputable provider, they will likely suggest arranging it this way, but you must cover the costs of the soil survey yourself. This realistically means that if you decide to withdraw from the building contract or choose another provider, you only pay for the soil survey—nothing more and nothing less. If you finalize the construction contract with the developer, the cost of the soil survey will be included in the scheduled progress payments.

If you already own the land and are still completely undecided about who should be awarded the contract, it always makes sense to commission the soil survey at your own expense. Anyone building without a soil survey is playing Russian roulette! How else can you know what ground conditions you will encounter? Sometimes, even on semi-detached plots just 2.00 m (6.5 feet) apart, you can find completely different soil conditions.

Regards, Bauexperte