Pulaski County, VA Shrink-Swell Risk

Pulaski County, VA's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Pulaski County, VA: USDA's soil survey rates 66.5% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (2.86% 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 Pulaski County's reading doesn't cover

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

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Pulaski County, VA 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.

Pulaski County's rank among Virginia counties

Nationally, Pulaski County, VA is the 1,301-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Virginia alone it ranks 18 of 114. Pulaski County covers 320 square miles and counts 33,579 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Bland County, VA and Montgomery County, IN 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 Virginia

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