Boone County, WV Shrink-Swell Risk

Boone County, WV's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Boone County, WV: USDA's soil survey rates 100% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (0.78% 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 Boone County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Boone 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 Boone County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Boone County, WV 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.

Boone County's rank among West Virginia counties

Nationally, Boone County, WV is the 2,997-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within West Virginia alone it ranks 52 of 55. Boone County covers 502 square miles and counts 20,496 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Siskiyou County, CA and Jackson County, MN 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 West Virginia

Every county in West Virginia is on this site, including Mineral County, WV and Hampshire County, WV. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.