Geotechnical Engineer Abe Simantob Explains What You Need To Know When buying A Hillside Home

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Geotechnical Engineer Abe Simantob Explains What You Need To Know When buying A Hillside Home.
Abe Simantob, P.E., G.E., D. GE

L.A. PRIVATE EYES ENGINEERS perform geotechnical inspections for real estate clients.
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Contact us at 866-436-3647 or (866-GEO-ENGR) to schedule an inspection
A Geotechnical survey is a necessary inspection when buying a home on a hillside for many reasons. This type of inspection is outside the scope of a general home inspection. A home inspector will typically recommend a geotechnical inspection when homes are built on hillsides especially when obvious settling of building is visible such as floor deflection inside the building, foundation cracks, expansive soil or if the building is in a Soil Liquefaction zone.

Soil liquefaction occurs when a cohesion less saturated or partially saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress such as shaking during an earthquake or other sudden change in stress condition, in which material that is ordinarily a solid behaves like a liquid.

Expansive soils are those with excessive swelling clay minerals such as montmorillonite. The presence of expansive clay minerals in soils can cause excessive swelling when the soil comes into contact with water and also shrinkage when it undergoes drying. This condition can move the foundation up and down and side to side lifting wood columns off their concrete piers in some cases.
Expansive soils contain minerals such as smectite clays that are capable of absorbing water. When they absorb water, they increase in volume. The more water they absorb, the more their volume increases. Expansions of ten percent or more are not uncommon. This change in volume can exert enough force on a building or other structure to cause damage.

Cracked foundations, floors, and basement walls are typical types of damage done by swell

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