Good Dirt is Bad Dirt - Hold up #4

Four days into our building project and the first problem has already arrived.

As they started digging the trenches for the foundation, they noticed a sour smell. The soil has about 6 inches of rich dark organic matter which means that it will continue to decompose over time and part of the foundation for the home can settle several inches causing cracks in the walls and other problems.

So far it looks like the problem is right at the front of the house where the garage will go. The engineer thinks that this was probably a low area and that leaves and other debris washed down into this area from the lot above mine, settling into this area and filling it up. He will be sending a team out to do soil samples every 10 feet to determine if there are any other areas with this issue. We should know the results by next Monday.

Once they know for sure, they will have to go in and remove the top 8 to 10 inches of this organic soil and replace it with fill dirt before we can continue on. So here we go with the joys of undertaking a project like this. It's definitely a lesson in patience, but it's better to catch something like this early and get it fixed. I'm sure there will be other issues along the way - - so for now we are on hold!!!!