What Is Soil Testing and Do You Need It?
Perfect for digging up info on your soil
Soil testing gives you information about your soil’s composition, quality, health, and drainage.
You’ll need soil testing before building new construction, but other than that, it’s more often optional.
Soil testing costs around $1,400, on average, but prices can range from $220 up to $4,000.
Whether you’re carrying out a construction project like a home addition or new home build or are planning on putting in vegetable gardens, you might be wondering if you need a soil test. First, it’s helpful to understand what soil testing is and what information it can give you. In this article, we’ll explain what soil testing is, when you should order a test, and how much you can expect to spend.
What Is Soil Testing?
Soil testing refers to any kind of diagnostic you carry out on your soil. There are many types of soil tests that give you different information about your soil, from the makeup and stability to nutrient and contaminant levels. Regardless of the test, the process often involves taking a sample of soil from your yard and analyzing it in a lab setting. There are also DIY soil test kits you can buy that let you forgo the lab and instead test your soil for nutrients or contaminants right at home.
Do I Need Soil Testing Before Building?
In most cases, yes, you need to hire a local soil tester to test your soil before building. Testing before construction will tell you the makeup of your soil, which can affect how the ground will react to the weight of your structure and can inform how your contractor lays the foundation. Pre-construction soil tests can also give you insights into drainage on your land that influences construction.
The bottom line: if you’re planning new construction, it might be time to get a soil test.
When Should I Order a Soil Test?
You may need or want to order soil testing if you’re carrying out any of the following projects.
Building new construction: A composition test can tell you what kind of soil you have and how it will handle building loads.
Installing garden beds: Nutrient testing can help ensure you have healthy soil for your plants.
Preparing for lawn fertilization or aeration: Nutrient testing and oxygen tests can help you decide what amendments your lawn needs for healthy growth.
If you believe your underground oil tank is leaking: A contaminant test will determine if you need to carry out an oil cleanup and replace or remove your underground tank.
If you’re concerned about a septic tank leak: A contaminant test will determine if you need to repair your septic tank and perform a cleanup.
If you’re dealing with flooding on your property: A soil gravity test can help determine if you need a drainage system on your property.
Septic system installation or upgrade: A perc test is a legal requirement before installing or making changes to an existing septic system.
How Much Does a Soil Test Cost?
A soil test costs around $1,400 on average, but you could pay as little as $15 for a DIY kit that just tests nutrient levels or soil pH or as much as $4,000 for geotechnical soil testing to determine what load your ground can safely handle. A perc test costs around $1,300, on average.
It's important to ensure you have the right soil before starting your project. Hire a soil or geotechnical engineer to perform testing on your soil to make sure it's suitable for your construction.
The cost will depend partially on the type of professional who tests the soil, with geotechnical engineers costing the most.
There are many types of soil tests available, and the price will vary based mostly on which test you need.
| Soil Test | Average Price |
|---|---|
| Basic profile | $285 |
| Composition test | $640 |
| Fertility test | $175 |
| Geotechnical test | $3,000 |
| Gravity test | $65 |
| Nutrient testing | $110 |
| Oil tank test | $525 |
| Perc test | $1,300 |
| Single contaminant | $40 |
| Texture test | $55 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Soil testing can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks to get results. You can conduct a simple DIY test to check for nutrient levels and have results in minutes, while contaminant testing may require weeks for a lab to get formal results back to you, depending on demand. Most soil collections take just a few minutes, but a professional who does perc testing, which tests how quickly soil drains water, can take a few hours to complete their work on-site.
Testing soil before construction will tell you two crucial things about the land: how well it drains water and how well it will support your structure. If the test determines that the soil drains unusually slowly, your building might make changes to the design of your foundation or install a drainage system or additional foundation waterproofing during construction. They may also make changes to how deep the footings sit depending on the soil composition, as sandy soil provides less support than loamy or clayey soil.
You can use a DIY soil testing kit to test your soil at home, but the information you can get is limited. DIY kits will often only give you information about the nutrient levels, how much oxygen is in your soil, or if there are particular contaminants in the soil. This can be helpful for maximizing lawn and garden health, but If you need information about drainage, soil composition, or leaks from your oil or septic tanks, you’ll need to hire a local soil tester.
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