Raising ground level

[SkySpy]

I'm not sure in which area I should post this. This one seems the closest.

I have 13.5 acres on which I want to build a house. There are a few different spots that would seem to be good, but the location we like best is kind of low. I have seen people dump dirt to raise the ground level for their building site, and I was wondering if there were any special considerations when doing this. Is a certain type of fill more or less appropriate? Special prep work required? Does it need to settle for a certain length of time after being placed?

Water does stand on the site after it rains, though I believe the land could be sloped to run off into a nearby creek that is on the property.

I appreciate any advice or information anyone is willing to provide.

[Richard A Hetzel]

So much depends on what soil is already there on that spot, and then what kind of soil you import and how you place it.

The new soil should be of a type which will, when compacted, support the foundation of your house. And it can't be just "dumped" there, it must be placed in lifts of six inches at a time, and each lift must be compacted to a certain percentage of maximum. All of this requires soil testing by a soils engineer and a soils testing laboratory.

However, none of that will do any good if the soils on which it rests is unsuitable. Therefore, that must also be tested by the engineer and laboratory.

Just "dump" new soil if you want, but when you have settlement and cracking problems, and water in your house, don't write and don't call.

[SkySpy]

I don't know what type of soil is at the location now. This is not my area of expertise, and I don't know what "types" of soil there are. There are a number of houses in the neighborhood that have apparently been in place for quite some time. I infer that the ground is suitable for building, though, again this is not my area.

Apparently I should not have used the word "dump". I only meant that some type of fill might could be placed on the build site. I believe my lack of experience is limiting my abillity to intelligently ask the proper question.

Thank you for the information you have provided.

[concretemasonry]

Find out what kind of soil is under the area you wish to build on and how much (if any) you have to remove before filling.

The soils engineer many just take hand auger samples or have to use a truck rig. He will also give you an idea of the strength (bearing capacity) and the level of the groundwater, which may be very valuable.

After that he can give you direction on what type of fill to use and how to compact.

The drainage and site grading for surface moisture is a second step.

Dick