Washington County, NY Shrink-Swell Risk

Washington County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Washington County, NY, 81.7% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 2.52% linear extensibility on average. 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.

Before you rely on this for one address

Washington County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. 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 Washington County.

Budgeting for Washington County, NY

Washington 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.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Washington County, NY ranks 1,545 most-constrained nationally, and 3 of 62 within New York. The county spans 831 square miles, home to 59,839 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Drew County, AR and La Crosse County, WI 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 New York

Every county in New York is on this site, including Suffolk County, NY and Orleans County, NY. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.