Waldo County, ME Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Waldo County, ME

Low

Soil across 99.4% of Waldo County, ME comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 0.8% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Waldo 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 Waldo County.

Waldo County: the real numbers

Waldo 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.

Waldo County's rank among Maine counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Waldo County, ME ranks 2,987 most-constrained nationally, and 16 of 16 within Maine. Waldo County, ME is 730 square miles with a population of 40,617.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Edwards County, KS and Bowie County, TX 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 Aroostook County, ME and Oxford County, ME. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.