Caldwell Parish, LA Shrink-Swell Risk

Caldwell Parish, LA's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Caldwell Parish, LA: USDA's soil survey rates 44.5% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.81% linear extensibility). Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What Caldwell Parish's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Caldwell Parish can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in Caldwell Parish.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Caldwell Parish, LA rating "Moderate", 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 Caldwell Parish, LA compares

Nationally, Caldwell Parish, LA is the 157-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Louisiana alone it ranks 28 of 64. The county spans 530 square miles, home to 9,393 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Pasco County, FL and Bernalillo County, NM 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 Louisiana

Every county in Louisiana is on this site, including Claiborne Parish, LA and Allen Parish, LA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.