Franklin County, ME Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Franklin County, ME

Low

Soil across 100% of Franklin County, ME comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 0.86% linear extensibility. That's the easiest starting point on this site's scale - a standard foundation is the reasonable default here, though any one lot can still differ.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Franklin County, ME - never a reading for one specific parcel. 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 Franklin County.

Franklin County: the real numbers

Franklin County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. 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 Franklin County, ME compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Franklin County, ME ranks 2,958 most-constrained nationally, and 15 of 16 within Maine. Franklin County covers 1,697 square miles and counts 30,902 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Seneca County, OH and Trempealeau County, WI 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

Elsewhere in Maine

Every county in Maine is on this site, including Kennebec County, ME and Androscoggin County, ME. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.