General guidance only — all construction work must be overseen by a supervising engineer This handbook is compiled from standards and laws with every source cited, andis being reviewed for certification by engineers Use it to know what to look at, what to ask and what evidence to request on site It is not an engineering determination and can't replace an engineer · Terms of use · Limitations of the handbook

Before construction and preparing the land

Soil investigation before designing the foundations

Page code P55 · 37 inspection criteria · 2 illustrations

Before anyone chooses how long the piles should be or how wide the footings are, there has to be one number first: how much load the soil under the house can carry. The 2023 Ministerial Regulation on building foundations and supporting ground requires a site-specific soil report for three groups of buildings…

This page contains
Who must have a soil investigation report — three groups written in the law
Without a report — the maximum soil bearing capacity you can use
Piles in clay — the skin friction you can use without a report
If you commission a soil investigation — what the report must contain
Spread footings and filled ground — two points to know before choosing not to use piles
Time scope of this Ministerial Regulation, and what goes into the house file

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