Building on Clay Soils

Clay soils are found in different types  and behave differently in different conditions. Clay soils have low penetration rate compared to other types of soils. As such they tend to be fluid when saturated and expand but when dry they contract and crack that may cause problems on foundations

Building on clay soils is usually difficult as clay soil tend to have a settlement pattern that takes several years before the structure stabilizes which may cause a building to fail

A foundation sinking on the left side and causing it to crack

How to Build on Clay soil

1. Strip foundation without piles  can be dangerous as differential settling can cause breaking of strip and ultimately of the structure
2. It is recommended to use beam and pile foundation to engineering's specifications
3.  for small structures one can remove up to 1m of clay and replace with rammed hard core and lay pad foundation usually termed floating slab. but make sure the rammed area is more than 3m  away from the edges of the structure but always consult a reputable engineer.

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