×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

soil investigation

soil investigation

soil investigation

(OP)
For a preliminary design for a subdivision, into how much detail do you look at soils for you layout/concept plan?

When looking at soil surveys and run across soil that say sever of moderate sever for building pads or septic systems, is this land/soil buildible still or is this land unusable then?

Would you still layout lots on these areas?

What would be the next step if soil surveys indicate poor soil?  Go ahead with concept plan including layouts on poor soils? Concpet plan discluding these areas?  Soil borings before a concept plan is even started?

RE: soil investigation

Personally, I believe that you owe it to your client to point out that there may be poor soils.  This is especially true if the client has not purchased the property yet.  I believe it would be unprofessional to go ahead with work that you know (or suspect) will be useless.

If the client has already purchased the property and is committed to the project, then it would be advisable to do some preliminary geotechnical evaluation, including soil borings and/or test pits.

I am not sure what the terminology "sever of moderate sever" means.  Is this a typo or what it actually says?

I would contact a local geotechnical engineer and get their input on it.  They may have knowledge of the soil conditions in that area.

RE: soil investigation

Do you plan on using septic systems?  If so that could be a big/costly issue and the need for immediate soil surveys to determine areas that would allow a septic system and of what size they would need to be could drive your design (lot size and location).  Either way I would think that you would make your client aware of the situation and await his decision on how he/she wants you to procede.  If he chooses to ignore your findings and wants to procede with maximizing site layout I would document your previous conversation and ask that he/she signs of on/acknowledges the conversation and the direction that is being taken.  Building pad issues could become more expensive than normal according to what methods are needed but shouldn't take up more space horizontally than any normal method unlike the septic issue.

RE: soil investigation

In the subdivision I am in, we have really poor soils with bedrock as shallow as 1 foot.  This cost money in laying pipes and escavation work.  Also the builders had to spend more money to build the houses, and bring in top soil for the yards.  In the end, the house buyers paid for the extra costs.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources