BAD SOIL | What Do We Do?

[@johnoswald6192]

Great video and explanation. We're in southern Oregon and we have really nasty expansive clay that is dusty like talcum powder in the summer and like quicksand in the winter. I tried amending with with quicklime, and it really helped, but the volume we had to treat made it a huge undertaking. We ended up just using a lot of geofabric and lots and lots of rock. Thanks for sharing this design - very good work.

[@AddisonHomes]

So glad you enjoyed it! Sounds like your soil is quite the challenge!!!

[@benjaminmoore1740]

Excellent presentation of a critical topic often overlooked by other builders. What foundation type did you guys end up using for this build? Stem wall slab?

[@AddisonHomes]

Yes indeed! Thanks so much for the positive feedback!

[@livingingreenvillenc6904]

Wow, very insightful.

[@AddisonHomes]

Glad it was helpful!

[@maxmanx1294]

I would have kept the spring & relocated the garage & maybe the house, too! Excellent video though! Maybe the owners will do something awesome with the rerouted spring water. I sure would!

[@AddisonHomes]

I wish we could have but the footprint of the home was constrained and could not be moved. The spring water is definitely available for the homeowners use and currently flows into an adjacent creek.

[@Soupy369]

I’m currently working on a project as a construction inspector and we are performing an under cut due to being near wabash river, thank you! Please do more

[@AddisonHomes]

Thanks! We have several more coming out soon!

[@car_men_666]

omg!! this is so cool. My property soil is bad (type c), do you have any suggestion? should I pour good soil to the site from somewhere else or build a pricey custom septic system?

[@AddisonHomes]

@@car_men_666 where are you located?

[@qunta53]

Hello - How did you install the drain line for future drainage? We are getting ready to pack in rock but I would like to put in some kind of drain line

[@AddisonHomes]

@@qunta53 do you have a similar situation and you’re installing the stone now? We ran a smooth wall-corrugated drain line, sloped for positive drainage, from the “burrito” of filter fabric with stone inside out to daylight.

[@User-y9t7u]

Cool fix, I'm surprised you went with corrugated pipe after spending so much money. Why not sch-40/80 kr or sdr 35?

[@AddisonHomes]

The corrugated was specified by the engineer and is adequate for the application with relatively low water flow.

[@brendanhawkins4868]

How will the water get through the compacted clay (red dirt)?

[@AddisonHomes]

@@brendanhawkins4868 ideally it will not. We are only capturing the water from below where the water table is high. The compacted clay gives us a layer that will support the foundation and shed water away.

[@ashleyprice1731]

How much out of pocket expense does this type of soil cause to be fixed?

[@AddisonHomes]

Hi Ashley! It’s very hard to generalize a cost since the extent (location, depth, type of bad soil) can vary widely. A fix like the one in this case could be in the range of $10,000 - $30,000 depending on whether or not new soil had to be purchased and brought in from another location. I hope this helps!

[@ashleyprice1731]

Thanks for your response

[@johnwhite2576]

Why not pour your footer and foundation directly on the gravel you brought in ? I get why the filter fabric beneath your brought i gravel, but why wrap it on top as welll ?

[@AddisonHomes]

The gravel must stay clean and free of sediment and other fines that could stop the flow of the spring resulting in future problems - this is why the gravel is wrapped on all sides with filter fabric. Capping the gravel with compacted soil prevents surface water from draining directly into the gravel and spring drainage system and is far more cost effective than bringing the gravel up to footing elevation.

[@domenicruso8478]

Foundation on DIRT😂😂😂