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In my site, the soil is some kind of clay soil and water is also coming after digging 4 -5 ft.
And I am also planning to go for column structure. In this case, do i need to do soil testings before
start construction?

Usually for soil testing, how much they charge?

I am constructing a house in 30x40 plot. My experience is that if you suspect
the soil conditions are not normal, then it is better to do a soil test(s) and
understand the implications of the soil type on the project cost.

In my case, my plot looked normal and my architect did not do proper
soil testing. Later it turned out that there was a rock gradient just below
the surface. This is now having a major impact on schedules , cost etc.,

regards
sholla

Thanks Sholla for your reply.

Do you have any contacts for soil testing and do you know about the charge?

Soil testing is not mandatory for small residential building. But if water table is quite high, care has to be taken while designing the foundations. structural engineer can make an assessment by having a look at the test pit made at site, if required he can take the opinion of soil testing agency. The agency will take soil samples from the site at different depths, analyze them in lab to give report which say SBC ( safe bearing capacity ) of soil. Based on SBC the structural engineer will design the footing and column. Testing is charged per pit, usually 2 or 3 test pits are done, the total cost may vary from 7,000 to 10,000.
Regards
Vivek
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EDITED BY ADMIN

Hi, many a time we overlook the SBC of soil. In fact for small constructions of upto 10 to 15 feet span and 2 to 3 storey construction the assumption of Structural engineer is well enough. But as an owner it is good to know about soil and its bearing capacity.

Fundamentally the whole weight of a structure is rested on soil through foundation / footings. Footings has to spread the load evenly on the soil below. Each soil depends on its type and settlement has capacity to resist and hold load kept on it. In architectural term we call it Safe bearing capacity and safely we can load on that particular soil per unit area. The most dangerous soil in India is Black Cotton Soil which has character of expanding and contracting too much and as a result can carry very less load.

As long as your site is not located on lake bed / filled in places, an Architect / Engineer can assume the SBC. If you site is on filled in site better to get it checked.

Thx
Raj
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