Whatcom County, WA Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Whatcom County, WA

Low

Soil across 91.4% of Whatcom County, WA comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.73% 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 Whatcom County, WA - never a reading for one specific parcel. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Whatcom County: the real numbers

Whatcom 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.

How Whatcom County, WA compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Whatcom County, WA ranks 2,244 most-constrained nationally, and 21 of 39 within Washington. Whatcom County covers 2,108 square miles and counts 234,954 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Tipton County, IN and Blair County, PA 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 Washington

Every county in Washington is on this site, including Columbia County, WA and Jefferson County, WA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.