Soil sample.

[Big Jimbo]

My plot is quite near an old brickworks, so i was always a bit concerned about clay content. I also have a lot of mature large trees. I have recently hooked up with my structural engineer, and i really clicked, and get on with him well. He came to visit my site, and we talked about the trees. He said that if i ripped out all the trees, he would still have to take them into account when designing my foundations. As it happens i will keep the trees, as it means that once you come onto site, it is not overlooked. The S.E said to get some soil samples, so i dug two rubble sack samples at 1500mm down and gave them 2 him to send off. The ground was so hard that my mini digger struggled, and the ground was very dry. (Large Trees) What came out at 1500mm deep was quite red, and felt quite granular, with some large, about the size of a brick, pieces of flint. The lab came back with 96% clay, and the S.E. has gone back to them and asked them to check there results. I must say i was surprised, as last year i did an extension at my daughters in Bletchley near Milton Keynes. I dug down 1200mm, and once i got below the top soil at about 300mm i was pulling out nothing but sticky toffee pure clay. Nothing else. You could have made pots out of it. Thats why i am so surprised at the results of mine. We shall have to wait and see, unless anybody has any pointers ?

[GaryM]

I'm just outside northampton, we dug the foundations and after the rain this week we now have a series of narrow swimming pools!. We have do have clay so are just doing trench foundations, not a really problem. Although building control are still saying we will need a soakaway... the idea behind a soakaway is the water soaks away...

 

On a serious not, if the trees are sucking up the water the clay will be hard, then it will shrink, put a lot of water on it and it will swell, best just to go with the trench foundations

 

 

 

[nod]

We are on Clay directly across from a sand pit 

We are surrounded by ten mtre high Ash 100s of the buggers

I expected to pile 

SE who I’ve known for a long time advised 2mtr deep strip and clay board  and Also BB 
This worked out pretty well 

Over three years on No render or internal cracks 

 

[Big Jimbo]

7 hours ago, nod said:

We are on Clay directly across from a sand pit 

We are surrounded by ten mtre high Ash 100s of the buggers

I expected to pile 

SE who I’ve known for a long time advised 2mtr deep strip and clay board  and Also BB 
This worked out pretty well 

Over three years on No render or internal cracks 

 

I would prefer strip, but i will just have to wait and see.

[nod]

41 minutes ago, Big Jimbo said:

I would prefer strip, but i will just have to wait and see.

Me also 

 

The QS that I use is our local Counsul consultant 

He hates mini piles 

I’m hoping the next plots which are near by will s as ldl be strip foundations