Put Your Soil To The Test

Brown Residence, Week 6 Week 6-2 Image1After hours of boring, drilling and digging, the geologists are finally able to gather the soil samples extracted from the front and rear of the Brown’s property, and conduct their experiments. This Geotechnical Engineering Liquefaction and Foundation Investigation is a written evaluation and assessment for the proposed One Story and Second Story Additions for the Brown’s home renovation and addition project. It will document the findings of all soil sampling, testing, engineering liquefaction analysis, seismic hazard findings, and seismic design factors. It will also include grading and foundation design recommendations for the proposed construction.  This is very valuable information for the Structural Engineer as it relates directly to the design of the new foundation plans.  The contractor will also need to be aware of what will be required of them to build that foundation. So what are we looking for? Knowing how critical the soil conditions are when it comes to designing this renovation and addition project – and the direct relationship between the foundation and the soil, we now wait for the results. The engineers are looking for soil classification type, the cohesiveness of the soils and its density (or blows per inch). A test is conducted where a 140 lb. weight is dropped, and they count the number of blows it takes to advance one foot.  The more blows it takes to compact the soil, the more dense the earth – and that’s a good thing. We should have a preliminary opinion within 3 weeks, with the full report concluded within 5 weeks. I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “How to Avoid the 15 Most Common Decorating Mistakes” Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2009 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc

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