Menard County, IL Shrink-Swell Risk

What Menard County, IL's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Menard County, IL's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.68% across 80.8% of the county's surveyed land. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Menard County, IL at once, not any single address. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Menard County, IL 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 Menard County, IL compares

Nationally, Menard County, IL is the 739-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Illinois alone it ranks 47 of 101. The county spans 314 square miles, home to 11,963 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Divide County, ND and Berks County, PA 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 Illinois

Every county in Illinois is on this site, including Clay County, IL and Greene County, IL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.