Z40770_Response to InformationRequest_NC_final

A.      DEFINITIONS
Safe Bearing capacity: The soil nominated in this report as a suitable foundation material has an allowable bearing capacity of 100KPa
and is considered safe for the construction of a dwelling that is in accordance with AS2870-2011.
Cohesive Soils:      Clays and silt soils that have inherent cohesive (binding) strength.
Granular Soils:      Gravels and sand soils that have no cohesive strength. Individual particles can flow under certain conditions.
Controlled Fill: Manually placed soil which has been placed and compacted to achieve sufficient bearing capacity to support a structure
according to AS 2870-2011. Fill certified at Level 1 according to AS 3798 and 95% Relative Field Density is considered controlled fill.
Partially Controlled: Manually placed soil which appears to have been compacted under controlled conditions but, at the time of preparing
this report, no compaction certificate suitable for compliance to Level 1 of AS 3798-2007 had been presented.
Uncontrolled Fill: Manually placed soil (overlying the natural soils) which is not adequate to support a normally loaded footing or floor slab
or structural load.
Unexcavatable Rock: Strong material that does not soften in water or collapse under the combination of loading and wetting. Material that
cannot readily be excavated by a backhoe.
Excavatable Rock: A rock-like material including shaly material and strongly cemented sand or gravel which does not shrink or swell with
changes in soil moisture, but is readily excavatable with a conventional backhoe.
Load Bearing Wall: In our design work a load bearing wall is defined as any wall imposing on the footing a service load greater than
10kN/m. A load bearing wall will normally be supported by a slab thickening or footing in our slab designs.
Natural (Strata): Refers to soil that is neither fill or imported material but one that is in its original undisturbed state and position.
Gravel: Coarse particles, larger than sand size, but less than 60mm in diameter.
Cobbles: Rocks greater than 60mm in diameter but less than 600mm in diameter.
Boulders: Rocks larger than 600mm in diameter.


                                                     SOIL STRENGTH INDICATIONS
            NON-COHESIVE (GRANULAR) SOILS                                                             COHESIVE SOILS
Loose         A 12mm rod/bar can be easily pushed in by hand                Soft           Can be moulded by light finger pressure.

Medium        A 12 mm rod/bar can be pushed in 300mm with                   Firm           Can be moulded by strong finger pressure.
Dense         difficulty
Dense         A 12mm rode cannot be pushed in by hand.                      Stiff          Cannot be moulded by fingers. Can be indented by
                                                                                           thumb with pressure.
                                                                            Very Stiff     Can be indented only by thumb nail.
N.B.   These indications should be used for guidance only. These indications can vary greatly under Abnormal Moisture Conditions.
Please contact SCG Consulting Engineers for on-site clarification of soil strengths.



B.      LIMITATIONS
AS2870-2011:        This report and associated foundation designs have been completed in accordance with AS2870-2011 the Australian
Standard for “Residential Slabs and Footings” design and construction. The standard provides performance based criteria for its design
recommendations. This criteria is not based upon crack or movement free performance. The code states “It is acknowledged that minor
foundation movements occur on nearly all sites and that it is impracticable to design a footing system that will protect the building from
movement under all circumstances”. The code provides guidance on the assessment of crack sizes in walls and floors and suggests
acceptable limits. Should the potential owner not be satisfied with this criteria we should be notified such that any recommendations can be
amended to suit their requirements. However, it should be noted this could dramatically increase the construction costs.
Field Testing: Our investigation and the results and recommendations contained herein have been compiled following careful
consideration of our clients supplied information and instructions. Such considerations include the proposed structure to be supported and
its position, proposed earthworks and land use. Any variation to this information may render this report incorrect. Furthermore this report
must not be used by any person other than our client noted at the head of the report.
Client Supplied Information: In writing this report we have considered all the information supplied to us by the client. Should the client or
his agent have omitted to supply us with relevant information our report may be irrelevant and / or inappropriate. We do not accept
responsibility for the consequences in such cases.
Borelogs: The soil profiles reported in our Borelogs Section represent the soil conditions at our test sites and have been located were we
believe best represents the soils within the proposed building envelope. However soil conditions can change dramatically over short
distances, therefore such point type exploration programs may not locate all variations. If site preparations/excavations reveal soil
conditions that are different from those shown in our Borelogs we must be notified immediately. Changes to the site classification and/or
footing design may be necessary.
Site Information: The site information shown on the attached plans such as surface grades and levels are estimations taken during our
field testing and are provided for a rough guide. They must not be used for any design purposes. Site plan dimensions are as measured
from the noted visible site feature during our field testing.
Previous/Future Excavations: The recommendations contained in this report have not considered the effects of any previous, current or
future excavations, mines or slope instability problems that are not highlighted in the clients supplied information or, that was not clearly
visible during our field testing. If such features exist we must be advised so that our design can be adjusted to accommodate them.
SCG Consulting Engineers                                       Appendix Page 2 of 7                                                 Appendices.1