fred181
Mechanical
- May 27, 2021
- 10
The grading around certain areas of my house slopes upwards, causing water to pool around a structural post supporting a second floor. I have asked the builder to correct the grading since I first moved into the house. After three years, signs of house settling (diagonal cracking in wall, downward slopes in floor) are appearing exactly at the two points where water pools at the footing.
A geotech performed soil testing at these locations and determined the soil strength to meet the standard design values of 2,000 psf. However, during periods of steady rainfall, this soils gets quite soft.
My question: In this case, wouldn't the soil strength be impacted by the soil conditions at the time of testing? And would improper grading adversely impact soil strength after steady rainfall? It seems too much of a coincidence to be experiencing settling where water is directed to the footing. The soil was dry during testing.
The geotechnical engineer has stated that this soil is not "moisture sensitive". I live in the charlotte NC area, the soil is red clay type, typical for the area.
A geotech performed soil testing at these locations and determined the soil strength to meet the standard design values of 2,000 psf. However, during periods of steady rainfall, this soils gets quite soft.
My question: In this case, wouldn't the soil strength be impacted by the soil conditions at the time of testing? And would improper grading adversely impact soil strength after steady rainfall? It seems too much of a coincidence to be experiencing settling where water is directed to the footing. The soil was dry during testing.
The geotechnical engineer has stated that this soil is not "moisture sensitive". I live in the charlotte NC area, the soil is red clay type, typical for the area.