Northampton County, VA Shrink-Swell Risk

Northampton County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Northampton County, VA, 100% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 1.77% linear extensibility on average. That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

Before you rely on this for one address

Northampton County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Budgeting for Northampton County, VA

Northampton 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.

Northampton County's rank among Virginia counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Northampton County, VA ranks 2,196 most-constrained nationally, and 97 of 114 within Virginia. Northampton County covers 212 square miles and counts 12,004 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Clare County, MI and Fulton County, AR 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 Virginia

Every county in Virginia is on this site, including Alleghany County, VA and Shenandoah County, VA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.