How Important is a Geotechnical Report?

What is a geotechnical report?

Soil is the essential thing to construct a house, plazas, building, or even a zipline built on the treetop. Soil is the base that carries the weight of the structure. Therefore, testing and investigation of the soil are necessary before the construction. This investigation is done by an experienced Geotechnical engineer and presented in the form of a Geotechnical report. This report is the deep and complete analysis of the properties of soil, rocks and rock layers. The soil analysis is done to determine whether the soil will be suitable or will prove destructive for the construction. The soli has different chemical properties and physical conditions, too, and the soil may contain some harmful organic compounds that are necessary to identify before the construction.

While doing the soil analysis, the Geotechnical engineer also has to pay attention to the reactivity of the soil, which is very important to determine. The soil reactivity refers to the high moisture content in the soil and if the soil is reactive, then it will prove to be problematic while constructing multiple story houses and building with many floors. Keep in mind that the soil properties are not similar in all places; it is affected by the environment, weather, and geographical history; therefore, the Geotechnical report is necessary every time the project is planned. The soil analysis is the initial stage of planning to examine the construction site to verify the chemical composition, fault distribution, physical properties and the stability of the organic slops. All personnel involved in the construction of the building such as the contractors and architects should be aware of the considerations of this report. 

Importance of the Geotechnical Report

The failure and success of any construction project including this flying fox park, are based on the Geotechnical report. The soil analysis prior to the construction is essential to make sure that the soil is appropriate for the construction. The Geotechnical report is beneficial in many ways, such as:

• The Geotechnical report evaluates the impact of soil on the construction project
• This report can save the construction project from big lose and natural disasters
• This report helps to make a suitable plan for the construction
• It finds out that if the soil provides the required foundation for the construction project
• It is also essential, of the project design
• The Geotechnical report helps to evaluate the construction cost of the project on-site
• It is important to determine the load-bearing capacity of the soil
• The soil analysis is essential to minimize the use of resource and cut down the construction cost
• This provides the maximum quality of the project and safety of humans
• The data are useful for the planning and construction of infrastructure and buildings.
• We get to know each detail about the nature of the soil and its properties which make it easy to plan and the structure of the project accordingly
• It provides a detailed analysis of the density, strengths, organic properties, reactivity, and fault distribution.
• It gives a complete overview of how will site soil will react with the proposed construction
• Allow the preplanning for the solution of the possible problems

The soil investigation has established the importance and the need in the agricultural and constructional field, but the Geotechnical report is very important for the safety of humans because if the construction is started without investigating the soil, then there is a possibility of great damage. As the construction on poor soil can easily be damaged and collapsed by the natural disasters or the soil might not bear the weight of it. In addition to that, the report helps to minimise damage towards pre-existing underground structures. Structures such as the sewer drain system will be costly to fix once damaged. Therefore, before preceding the construction, the soil investigation and compiling the Geotechnical report is necessary to salt away from human and material losses.

How You Should Do It

The soil report is generally made available at least in a part of the builder during the bidding stage. It’s in most of parties’ best interest to accurately and unambiguously specify the floor requirements. The more authoritative the soils report the greater the confidence that the engineer has in creating a base design and the contractor will cost the work more . While small, light structures with shallow footing may just require a cursory inspection, big complex projects call for a definitive, detailed and thorough Geotechnical analysis.

Often the record is issued for information only and is not a part of the construction contract documents. This can be done so that the owner can attempt to restrict liability for builder interpretations and changed conditions. There is always the language that states that the report represents only the actual spots examined and conditions can fluctuate. This voiced warning is very real and it’s extremely common to find unexpected soil changes or concealed obstructions that are discovered during construction. It is wise to be somewhat leery of contracts that contain a no altered state statute. Whether the owner is trying to hide something or just limiting risk exposure, this can lead to very pricey and time-consuming litigation where no one wins.

Whenever you can, you should attempt and get as much local history of the job site as you can. Always try to see the project website and do your pot holing using a backhoe. This will offer you a far better understanding of the actual soil conditions. The website might have been a dumping ground or historic site. An archaeological find or hazardous substance can be very disruptive to the job. Even worse, you do not want to accidentally put a hole on a sewer drain, causing damage that affects surrounding establishments and infrastructure damage to the sewer costs a fortune to repair. Over time neighborhood contractors will gain a wonderful knowledge of the regional geology as well as the construction methods that are the most effective. For instance, in one place I worked there was a broad volcanic tuff which was rather difficult to rip or blast. By understanding the tuff formation restricts just gave us a huge edge in bidding function in the area and kept us from trouble. If possible, interview local builders and equipment operators as to what to expect. Valuable information can be quickly obtained from a friendly conversation.

The objectives and the information required by the design engineer and the builder differ radically. The design engineer should know what is needed to find the structure. The contractor wishes to know what is needed to build the designed base. Generally, construction methods are chosen by the contractor provided that no damage is caused. Because of this, the soil reports tend to be very vague when fixing construction procedures.

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