Homesite Evaluation

Buying a house is, for most people, the largest financial investment of their lives. For this reason, it is important to become knowledgeable about soil characteristics which make a site suitable for home construction or that may cause problems on an established homesite. Potential problems and costly mistakes can be avoided by the contractor and homeowner if a study of the soil at the site is made before construction begins or before a house is purchased.

Detailed information on soil characteristics can be found in the published county soil survey report or by contacting the Natural Resources Conservation Service Office in your area. Your County Extension Office may also be able to assist you in obtaining information before you build or purchase your home. There are several questions you should have satisfactorily answered before you purchase land to build on or before you buy an established home.

1. Are the soil properties favorable for establishing and maintaining lawns, shrubs, trees and gardens without extensive and expensive soil modifications?
2. Is there a flood hazard? (Is the site on a floodplain?)
3. Are there soil factors that prevent or limit the soil's use for septic tank absorption fields or sewage lagoons (if public sewer system is not available)?
4. If you are planning on installing a basement, will its construction be limited by such factors as:

1. High water table, either temporary or permanent.
2. Depth to bedrock.
3. Drainage - surface ponding or excessive runoff.
4. Shrink-swell potential of subsoil.

5. What are the erosion conditions and landslide potential? Previous erosion may have caused gullies and/or limited the depth of topsoil requiring leveling and filling, and it will give a clue to the stability of soil on a slope uphill from the house.

The principles of land judging for homesites are similar to those in agricultural land judging. Soils are judged by the properties that may limit or endanger a planned use. A favorable soil property may pose "no or slight limitations" to homesite development, but if it creates unfavorable conditions which require its correction or a modification of the building plans, we refer to the limitation as "moderate," "severe" or "very severe," depending on the severity of the condition. The final evaluation of a building site depends on the limitations of the individual soil properties. The soil property with the most severe limitations automatically classifies the site in the same category. For example, if all soil properties are rated as "slight" but one is "severe," the site evaluation is also classified as severe. Hence, the building site is judged by its most limiting soil property.

In order to make a site evaluation, you must learn to judge the individual soil properties that affect homesite suitability. They are discussed below in the same order as they appear on the scorecard. Soil properties should be judged from a vertical soil pit or profile, deep and wide enough to see all soil features down to the depth where they may affect homesite preparation and construction (at least 3 to 4 feet).

None to Slight Limitations - Those soils or locations that have properties favorable for the planned use and present few or no problems.

Moderate Limitation - Those soils or locations that have properties only moderately favorable for the planned use. Limitations can be overcome or modified with special planning, design or maintenance. Special treatment of the site for the desired use may be necessary.

Severe Limitations - Those soils or locations that have one or more properties unfavorable for the planned use. Limitations are difficult and costly to modify or overcome for the desired use.

Very Severe Limitations - The soil or location has one or more features so unfavorable for a particular use that overcoming the limitation is very difficult and expensive. For the most part, these soils should not be used for the planned use.

How to Use the Homesite Evaluation Scorecard

The total perfect score at each site is 112 points.

1. The total perfect score on Part I is 36 points (4 points for each factor), and 76 points for Part II (20 points for foundations, 20 for lawns, 20 for septic systems, and 16 for lagoons).
2. Part I of the scorecard has to do with those factors the contestant must determine about the site. With the exception of shrink-swell, water table and flooding, the factors are similar to those for agricultural land judging. Caution should be exercised, however, in being too hasty in making a straight check-off from land judging to the homesite scorecard. While the factors are the same, different separations are made.
3. Once Part I is completed, determine the severity of limitations that the existing soil conditions impose on the planned use as listed in Part II of the scorecard.
4. The final evaluation of the site is determined by the factor that most limits the particular planned use.
5. The contestants will be given 15 to 20 minutes to fill in the answers on their score cards at each site. However, if both land and homesite judging are to be conducted at the same site, a combined time of 25 to 30 minutes will be ample.
6. In order to insure that a contest is not lengthened too much by the addition of homesite evaluation, and that grading does not become too burdensome, several alternatives are possible.

Example:

1. Judge four agricultural fields and two or three homesites.
2. Judge four agricultural fields and make interpretations for one or more uses at each site.

The only concern is to make sure that there are enough interpretive uses required to test the contestant's skills in evaluating homesites.

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