Soil Testing Cost

Hi,

We are looking of buying a block of land and then start the discussion with building process. Although we have shortlisted few houses from couple of builders but instead of going for a house & land package, we want to secure the block of land first to allow us to contemplate the house and builder later.

In order to get some idea of site cost prior to deciding about the land, I would like to soil testing done.

Can you guys help me with how much such a soil test cost me?

The land is in Pakenham, Melbourne.

Thanks in advance.

Regards
Sam

Hi sam and welcome!

Did you want a contour survey done as well? From memory, a soil test and full contours was about $1500

But most builders won't accept it for use - they'll want to do their own soil test & contour survey for around $600 per builder

Hi stonecutter (or Amanda?),

I have been reading these posts for almost last couple of weeks but still I must say, sorry to sound naive as I am not sure what type of soil testing will I need.

I have been told that the site has some fill and I wanted to get an idea of how much and also the block looks flat but can't depend on what I see with my naked eyes.

Hence I am interested in getting some advice on what will be the site cost if I go ahead with that block of land and thought the soil tests should be some guide related to the same.

I am looking for suggestions and some estimation of how much such a soil test would cost.

Regards

The easiest & cheapest way would be to see if the land owner would let you organise a potential builder to do a soil test - it would only cost you $600 that way.

They'll be able to tell you how much fill - some forum members have fill on their blocks and it's increased the site costs substantially.

I agree with stonecutter1309, getting a potential builder to do the test will be the cheapest way for you (we paid $550 though our builder) and if you decide not to proceed with that builder the test data is still yours to keep.

It is always critical to purchase land 'subject to a soil test'.
You should speak to the agent or whoever about this and then arrange for the test yourself.
You should find the cost to be around the $350.00 mark.
at this stage you will only require a straight forward soil test and report - no survey etc
Don't go through a builder - organise it yourself.

Hi All,

Thanks for all the responses. I have talked to the builder and asked them to get me some estimates on a package price for that block. That will be an indicator of the site cost involved and will help me in making the decision.

They have told me that there is substantial fill on that block and hence site cost will be high but I am still waiting for some quantitative figures to compare against.

Do developers of new estate also allow the clause of subject to acceptable soil test? What is the criteria for that condition to pass - site cost within a limit or specific type of slab? I mean, normally, do they want us to specify what we consider as acceptable?

Regards

organise soil test directly yourself, they are around $330-$380 for standard soil test and report. significantly cheaper than builders will charge for the sake of a phone call. you will also require a full feature survey of the site eventually, a standard survey is under $1000 these days. Worth doing now if the site is sloping, but not critical yet if site is quite flat, but also depends if neighbours have built already since their houses may affect yours etc and this must all be determined before signing anything with a builder. When you search these forums you will find unbelievable problems that occur because owners do not speak to a independant building designer or architect for some basic advice.

Soil Testing is necessary before construction and gardening. During a typical soil test, the Geotechnical Services bores three to five fifteen-foot deep holes. The DST Consulting Engineers in Ontario done soil testing for me before construction. They used these as samples to assess land's quality. So budget should be in mind.

When we bought our land, we made our offer subject to soil test. The test cost us about $350 and was worth every cent for piece of mind. We are also south east Melbourne.
Good luck