Quote:
Originally Posted by Bc2005
When we built an addition there was a requirement that footings had to be poured on “undisturbed soil” so they could limit/prevent new building on landfill areas. The guy that assessed the footing base used a long pole with what looked like a tin can on the end, with the lid partially cut at an angle so he could use it to scoop out soil.
He walked up to the excavation, used the “can” on a pole to push down and take a scoop of soil from where the footings were going in, and then held it up to his face and “assessed” the soil. Based on that analysis he filled out the engineering assessment (in pencil) and declared the soil base acceptable for our footings. We then paid him $400 (IIRC) for his work. Not a bad gig if you can get it.
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Are you sure he didn’t stick the long pole into the dirt until refusal to judge the density of the soil? The further the stick goes in the less dense the soil.
The denser the soil the narrower footings you can get away with. You can tell how well the soil is compacted by just driving stakes.