Roanoke city, VA Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Roanoke city, VA

Low

Soil across 85.7% of Roanoke city, VA comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.89% 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 Roanoke city, VA - never a reading for one specific parcel. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Roanoke city will actually do.

Roanoke city: the real numbers

Roanoke city'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.

Roanoke city's rank among Virginia counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Roanoke city, VA ranks 2,080 most-constrained nationally, and 86 of 114 within Virginia. Roanoke city covers 43 square miles and counts 97,912 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Dade County, GA and Dawes County, NE 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 Hampton city, VA and Surry County, VA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.