ᐅ Water on the Building Site – Does It Cause Problems?

Good evening everyone,

We bought our plot of land a month ago. Since then, I have visited several times to check the water situation, but there has been little change. This worries me a bit; however, the architect seems relaxed and says the house will be built at a higher level during the groundworks anyway. Will this solve my problems?

Location: Our plot is in a newly developed residential area (a geotechnical survey was available before purchase and reviewed by the architect). It is at the end of a cul-de-sac (3 lots in total on this cul-de-sac, 115 in the whole development). Being the last in the cul-de-sac, our plot is also the lowest point, about 0.5 m (20 inches) lower than the first according to the site plan.
Now water is collecting exactly where the house is supposed to be built. 🙁
Is this due to soil compaction from the development? Does no water really drain away? It has been a small pond for several weeks.

I would really appreciate any experiences and feedback.

Good luck,
Jan

Neighbors without water

Don’t worry, it’s reasonable to raise the house a bit. We have an additional 30cm (12 inches) of washed gravel under the foundation slab. Ask the architect.
But a small pond like that is no problem at all.

And please don’t forget the drainage around the house at the end, that way nothing will happen there.

I don’t see any issues with the house.

I’m more interested in what the soil survey says. Has any fill been added, and if so, what kind? If it is truly natural soil and doesn’t drain well, you would have to expect clay, a low water table, or something similar, which could be problematic for setting up the garden.

What do I see? The compaction is high. The soil lacks structure? Surface is covered with silty deposits, prone to siltation and forming ponds? I suspect clay layers deeper down. Is that correct?

Solution: Improve soil structure. If the pond disappears, have the soil tilled. Introducing air into the soil. Plowing would be even better, or manually digging over the soil instead of tilling.

Drainage will be necessary. An earth berm towards the higher neighboring property as well. Otherwise, suitable for building. Karsten

This is displaced, compacted ground. It is quite normal for water to accumulate there.
To address the depression itself, the house will need to be built at a higher level, and attention will need to be paid to the external drainage, as has already been mentioned.