Bennington County, VT Shrink-Swell Risk

Bennington County, VT's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Bennington County, VT: USDA's soil survey rates 100% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.27% linear extensibility). That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What Bennington County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Bennington County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Bennington County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Bennington County, VT rating "Low", a geotechnical report is still worthwhile before a build, just less urgent than in a high-risk county. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000, typically around $2,700. Foundation repair, if a specific lot turns out to differ from the county average, runs $5,000-$15,000.

How Bennington County, VT compares

Nationally, Bennington County, VT is the 2,728-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Vermont alone it ranks 6 of 14. Bennington County, VT is 674 square miles with a population of 37,039.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Frederick County, MD and Oklahoma County, OK are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · Moisture management: the cheap fix that works on any soil

More of Vermont

Every county in Vermont is on this site, including Rutland County, VT and Grand Isle County, VT. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.