Mystery of Fdns1a · The Mystery of Expansive Soils & Foundations Table of Contents 1. Expansive...

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The Mystery of Expansive Soils &

Foundations

• Presented by: Richard Pickard• AMERICAN PROPERTY

INSPECTIONS PH: 303-940-9599


The Mystery of Expansive Soils & Foundations

Table of Contents

1. Expansive Soils

A. What problems do they cause?B. Where are they located?

2. Foundations systems.A. FootingsB. Piers

3. Basement Partition Expansion Joints

4. Foundations DrainsA. Footings – OutsideB. Piers – OutsideC. Footings – InsideD. Piers - Inside


The darkened areas represent areas where you will find expansive soils. The darker the area the higher is probability of finding the most expansive soils

Denver Area

Colorado Geological Survey ( From Jochirm 1987 )


Points to note from the: Colorado Geological Survey

• Moderate to very high clay swell potentials, are indicated by darker areas.

• Additional words which come to mind when we think of swelling soils are heaving, expanding, or settlement.

• As we see on the map :• Boulder County• Jefferson County• Adams County• Arapahoe County• Denver County• Douglas County

i.e. Most of the metro area fall with in the darker areas on the map, which indicate all of those counties are located on soils which could be expansive or have a very high swell potential. However not all of the Denver area falls to the above category.

As an example the Montbello area is one of those isolated areas which do not fall in the above categories. I see a number of homes in the Montbello area which are built on footings not cassions. Cassions are typically used where expansive soils are located. The next slide will show the difference between the two.

Mystery of Fdns1a · The Mystery of Expansive Soils & Foundations Table of Contents 1. Expansive...

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