#18 How To Know If the Land is Good to Build On. Soils Testing
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- Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2024
- What to look for when buying land.
Did you do your due diligence before you bought your land?
Know your soils.
What are the soils like before you buy and how to find out what additional charges may come up.
Expandable and collapsable soils and how they affect your budget and building process.
What costs are involved with soils before you even start to build your home.
Before you buy land you must do these items. Know before you buy. This will save you a lot of headache.
Soil test and perk test.
More info at www.howtobuildyourownhome.com
What are your thoughts on using pex for plumbing? Thank you!
I using nothing but pex now. Copper for transitions here and there, but I do try to avoid shark-bite connections in freezing temps. Talk to your plumber, there is a new pex out that is about 5% more in cost that can expand and freeze more than the most popular brand.
How to Build Your Own Home thank you for the reply! My wife and I are also school teachers and trying to save where it makes sense to save. Are there any others material types that you would recommend that would make sense for us to save in other areas of construction?
We are building a farm style house. Is there a siding material that you recommend that is cost efficient but doesn’t cut necessary corners?
Thank you again for your reply about the pex. We will use that instead of copper. I’ve been watching your videos since we started this process and we really respect and value your opinion.
@@powerwh33ls My course at howtobuildyourownhome.com offers a lot of info, created by an educator like you with 26 years in construction. I married my two careers into one. Click on courses. The Self Managed Course gives you a ready-made budget, multiple checklists, draw sheets, videos and more. It also includes the intro course "Thinking About Being an Owner Builder."
How to Build Your Own Home thank you very much, we will check this out!
I would like to know this also. Alot of the tiny home DIY plumbers are using pex for plumbing. I will have my house built soon. It is good to know if it will last.
This is funny. Im 35F I know nothing about living off grid but I watch every video of yours prior to purchasing anything.
Glad to help.
Where I live in Erie, Colorado, the building codes assume that there will be expansive soil under the basement slab. When you finish off the basement, the framed walls have to be hung from the joists, and they are pinned to the floors with a couple inch gap. This is covered up by the baseboard molding, so the slab can move up or down a few inches without damaging the walls. Pretty easy to do. Installing a steam shower was more challenging, since it sat on the slab and I had to allow shower walls to move relative to the ceiling, while still being steam and water tight.
I would assume there are ways to redirect water away from the foundation to help with this issue. Water causes soils to expand. If the water is coming from below and not from the sides, that is a different story.
@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome Since things like drains block up, pipes burst, and you have both droughts and rainy times, you need to design for the range of possibilities. Not every place in Erie has bentonite below the basement, but it is common enough that you design for it. Another option here is that instead of a basement slab, they use a wooden floor in the basement that is supported by the house foundation. The house foundation is massive enough that the bentonite typically won't move it, and the if it does, the sewer lines will flex to handle it. But the basement slab is light enough spread over a large area that it can move by inches in a bad case.
Very informative thank you sir. In Africa, my father was a mayor therefore left us a huge land but since little, I knew his land isn't ideal for construction because the land is very mudy when it rains & the soil is clayish white :) Now I understand why within a mile, there's a huge cimetary :) Undertakers like collapsible & non rocky soils - makes grave digging easier. I now live in London but I might buy a land in Spain with geo tech awareness in mind. Thank you.
Interesting story, thnks for sharing.
Thanks for your vid . I have been shopping for land over a year now. You have helped me understand the different soils. Alicia Slyman
Glad to help
Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge, this is super helpful and timing as I'm about to make an offer on a plot in Washington that's in the mountains. I learned so much!!!
Download the free homesite selection checklist at www.howtobuildyourownhome.com. It is near the bottom of the page.
Excellent information. Thank you! We are getting ready to purchase your self-managed Owner Build course.
Fantastic! Glad you are here.
Great info, planning on building in Custer S.D. Found two up there. Thanks so much
My pleasure. Glad you're here.
Yikes. We're paying off our property with a mobile home on it with the intention of building a house after it's paid off. I'm worried that our soil is too sandy. Going to have to hire a geotechnical engineer.
Hello Keith thank you for responding to me, that helped alot I will take that course on days off, my other question is , as contractor on the inner walls bottom plates such as closet and other interior wall would be better to add anchor bolts while pouring concrete than using a nail gun . Your thoughts on that. Thank you Keith.
Exactly the info I was looking for.
Glad to help
Anyone is welcome to comment or answer my questions. A little background… I live in Canada, Edmonton, Alberta to be exact. My house was built in an area that has a high water table and a lot of clay in the soil. I have a hilled backyard, so water drainage flows through the front yard and rock swale. My neighbour and I both have downspouts at the front and back of our houses that drain into the rock swale.
A couple of years ago, a cable company decided upgrade to fibre optic cables and drilled channels underground in the utility easement area by the sidewalk of everyone’s property and underneath our driveways. They also installed a service box in the rock swale next to my driveway. The company that did the work didn’t even know what fluffing or the expansion fact was. There did the work in early November during freezing temperatures and lot of snow fall. Prior to digging the hole in the rock swale, they flooded the soil and for some reason removed soil from underneath my driveway. I discovered this when part of my driveway fell into the hole. The excavated hole was left uncovered for several days, before the service box was finally installed. They didn’t completely backfill all the dirt because they ran out of supplies and had to wait until spring to finish the work. A 4” channel was left open under the driveway parallel to the sidewalk. That winter my driveway did not do the normal frost heaving, it sunk during the winter. In the spring, water from melting snow couldn’t drain properly because they left piles of soil and rocks in the rock swale. Water pooled in the area between the houses, and unfortunately my property is lower than my neighbour’s. No concrete products were used during the partial or final backfilling process. When they completed installing the cables they just spread out the soil and rocks, which damaged the landscaping grade. They did not replace any of the landscaping fabric either. A gap in the separation space between the driveway and garage foundation developed and has continued to widen, and parts of fibreboard have just disappeared. My driveway has sunk approximately 2 inches by the sidewalk and 3-4 inches at the garage. Normal frost heaving and settling doesn’t occur anymore. The driveway settles more by the sidewalk during the winter. The expansion joints have cracked and widened. A driveway repair company said that the driveway had slid away from the house. I think this is due to shear force. The middle of the driveway is now uneven because the North outer edge by the rock swale dropped, which lifted up the other side. After 2 years the company finally admitted to causing some damage, but they don’t want to admit to everything, even though it’s clear there is a causative affect. Unfortunately it seems they are trying to do the minimum to fix it. They just want to mudjack the driveway by the sidewalk, and fix the grade in the rock swale..
First question: would the expansive properties of clay based soils affect the compaction of the soil? Could this cause soil migration into the spaces they left open? Can soil migration occur when the integrity of the foundation was damaged? Could 2 years of improper drainage cause enough soil erosion to create voids for the fibre board to fall into? Is there a way to check the soundness of the driveway foundation? Do you have ANY other recommendations? Any help would be very appreciated.
Holy moly! Bill Belichik also works in construction....
I had to look this name up to understand.
Haha, the hilltop neighborhood off the 405 by the Getty museum, near Belair, CA IS built on a dump. I remember that dump, it was a dump. Yes, the steam vents were everywhere. It seemed like a nice place but I bet there were more stories.
Many places in Cali are built on dumps, such as on the way to Ventura along the 101.
@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome I didn't know about THAT one. I wonder where it is? I have been watching your videos all week. A new channel for me. It grounds me....
Superb advice.
Glad you think so!
Wondering if you can do a segment on PERC test and when to do them.....and the ins and outs of them.
I did one on a mountain build about over a year ago. Here's an old vid that talks about it. ruclips.net/video/G46PRNfCjPw/видео.html
Good info. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much. How do you interpret a geotech report in line with designing of structures? Points: CBR, MDD, GRADATION, DCP etc.
I leave structural design to the engineer. My main concern is the over excavation requirement and if I can use native soils.
Keith, are you in the Denver area by chance? I'm looking to buy land in Evergreen & I want someone who truly knows what they are doing to help with land due diligence & building. Can I hire you to get your expertise?
hello i dont know if you would know the answer to this but is this a problem in Arizona as far as extendable, collapsible ? and for me im just trying to get a mobile home on the land so does this really make it a problem for me ?
Not really. See your building department to find out. Most mobil homes are build on a steel beam structure and are designed for simple pier supports with minor foundation requirements.
@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome thank you for replying
Excellent video! Other than soils and perc test, are any other tests needed?
See the Homesite Selection Checklist at howtobuildyhourownhome.com. Scroll to bottom of page. It is there to download for free.
GDay What are your thoughts on a waffle pod slab?
Many thx
It looks like a lot of extra work for little or no extra value. Here's a good post on them. cornellengineers.com.au/beware-waffle-slabs/
I had a neighbor dig an 8 ft deep 100 ft long trench to pull a line for a frost free from the well. It was the cleanest carved clay walls all the way down. We could see it was wet from the neighbor's irrigation filtering in. And I wonder how much info could be gleaned from the well driller's report. Well 80 ft. deep, clay mostly, gravel and sand at 60ft.
For the above reason I do not like core drilling, unless there is a call for it. I really like open pits and trenching, a lot more is seen and revealed.
What is a good or passing test score on a geo test?
typically for a compaction test anything over 95%. But you will need a good amount of moisture in the soil to get this density rating.
Thank you so much! I learned a lot! One more question, do you recommend to do the fault study if there is a fault line on the site? It will cost $15k and seller won’t pay it. We are In Nevada, no earthquakes though . And there are houses surrounding the site, all utilities available, it is not in the middle of no where
I would reach out to a university geology department and ask them if they know of the fault and what their thoughts are. If you are on a hill or mountain with a lot of rock, it tends to absorb shocks and tremors better than the liquefaction of a valley floor. Just something to think about.
if the lot im buying says public sewer available that means i don’t have to worry about a perc test right? just the soils test for foundation?
Correct, but double check. The listing agent could say public sewer available but maybe it is still a septic. I have seen agents list this wrong.
Good info. Go Vols.
would you consider sandy soils collapsable /?
Yes and no, it depends on the proctor analysis that comes from a test pit. I build a home on sandy soil this year and lifted the home another foot with crusher fines for a better foundation.
Hi, what kind of soil testing should we get done on the land pre-construction if the builder doesn't do any soil testing. Thanks in advance
Not a soil test which is for gardening, but you need a geotechnical report. This is when they come to dig in the ground sometimes up to 12 feet and see the strata and layers. They call it a soils test and this sometimes confuses people. It is really a geotech test.
@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome Thank you so much for your response! That really helps!
Thank you Sir
Most welcome
I tried to find a small 2 bedroom bungalow for my disabled daughter. I keep finding houses with failed foundations. Mostly concrete block with negative slope and caving shored up (steel beams vertically) Today's market they sell as is anyway. I refused to pay $150K for a 900SF house with big foundation problems. So now I look into building a 900SF bungalow, found an inexpensive lot but the previous house had burned and they buried the foundation along with some of the house debris. The cheapest way to build is a slab but not with who knows what buried there. Any advice is appreciated.
Get some good inspection by geotech. They will come do a test pit. The more you study it out the more you will know, and that is your leg up.
I'm in California there is a land for sale and there is two homes nest to land how I know if the land nis buildable is I possible that the land will not get permit
talk to a local building permit office to find out
@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome I called agent it says is zoned RE 11 what else I need to know it says can be built residential
I want to start building. I would pay you for consulting or a small percentage in the company for advising.
I do consulting and also offer a self-managed service for owner builders to be their own GC. See more at howtobuildyourownhome.com
I would like a wood foundation.have done research.have you had any experience with these? There are about 300,000 in US.
You are talking about a permanent wood foundation. I did some research on these years ago and kind of got interested. It al depends on your site conditions to be honest. If you life in an arid environment and you home is on a lot of rock with very good drainage, it can be done right. The key is making sure no water will drain back to the home. No mater how well you protect the wood, water will still get in. Controlling this is key. See howtobuildyourownhome.com for more help.
If a property is fairly large, say in the 3-5 acre range, should you ask the geotech engineer to drill/dig in a few different places on the site?
If you know exactly where you want to build, have the geotech dig/drill there. See howtobuildyourownhome.com for more help.
How do you find your courses you offer?
go to howtobuildyourownhome.com. Click on courses link at top.
*What's the estimated cost of getting a soil testing done by a geotechnical engineer before building the home?*
I can vary from $800 to $3,500, depending on your area.
Who do I contact for the soil testing? We did a perk test when we purchased the land, but I am not sure about a soil test.
It's jot a soils test for gardening, it's actually called a geotechnical test, either as a core sample that is drilled or test pits dug with a back hoe. Search for a Geotechnical Engineer in your area. This is the proper person you need. It's the same person who did your perk test for a septic.
@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome oh ok. We went through DHEC with our Perk Test. I can get a hold of them and ask. Thank You!
Great vid! I will probably take your beginner's course on your website. But I have a budget question for you first. I'm planning on selling my home in 1.5 years and I would love to downsize and build a small 2bd/2ba house at around 900 SF. I'm open to moving to another state in order to make it all work. My all-in budget for the land and the build will be around $150,000-$160,000. So: 1) Do you think that is enough money for a small house build on a foundation, NOT a tiny house. 2) In your opinion, can you suggest any particular states that have good soil to build on that don't have collapsible or expandable soil? I think I'd like to start by finding the best soil to save me the future problems. Thanks very much.
The more rural the better. And the more affordable the land the better. Find a place with water, that will be your challenge. Keep in touch.
@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome Thanks!
@@EM-qz8wj ...we're in a similar boat, selling our properties to escape Phx. land, garage/workshop, 811sqft 1br/1ba Casita to start out, then a larger full home later ---it's incredibly difficult to estimate costs w/o an exact parcel & blueprint to show trades for bids (expectations on quality of finishes too). as we're not quite to that point, i've put my time into learning everything about the steps prior (selecting the right land, building tech/products for efficiency & sustainability, design methods to cut costs & time). we're going full passive-house, not these wasteful stick builds that are maintenance hassles, so the details really matter.
i'll also likely try Keith's guide/program for all his help with selecting land & being a GC, but you might check out Garret Glaser's channel ...he's got a ton of tips on saving money throughout the process & avoiding design mistakes on an ICF build. each vid is clear, concise, & full of detailed examples & hard data... real gem of a newer/lesser-known channel.
@@Krazie-Ivan Thanks very much. I'm going to follow your lead and learn as much as I can about all of it. I'll def check out Garret's channel. Sounds like it is just what I need. Thanks again.
He can't really tell you that specifically, you need to invest or pay for two main things before buying. Finding a water source on the land or hooking up to local utilities if possible and an engineer(for a fee) can get you a quote. But you'll have to pay to drill down deep enough if you are looking for an off grid water supply. Secondly you'll probably have to spend a bit on a good solar setup to power it all. Fueling generators isn't practical. Also you'll need to probably pay for a professionally done soils report, probably also an engineer. Do things right the first time so you dont end up with a bigger headache after trying to save a few bucks initially
What if I never got a soil test and already build
You may live in an area where it is not so much an issue, but I would check with a local building department and ask. Most building departments ask for it, city departments for sure more than county.
hey how can I connect you?
Contact me through howtobuildyourownhome.com
Where did you go to school?
Undergrad was Moorpark College and Calif State Northridge, grad school was Humboldt State