Before excavating for a new building, what should be done to determine subsoil conditions?

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To determine subsoil conditions before excavating for a new building, conducting test borings is essential. This process involves drilling into the ground at various locations to obtain soil samples from different depths. Analyzing these samples provides critical information about soil composition, strength, drainage characteristics, and potential issues such as the presence of rock, groundwater levels, and soil stability.

Understanding these factors is crucial for the design and construction of a building, as they affect foundation selection, structural integrity, and future performance. Test borings help identify any conditions that may pose risks during excavation and construction, allowing for proper planning and mitigation strategies.

While consulting construction codes, hiring a land surveyor, and performing soil tests are also important aspects of the pre-construction phase, they serve different purposes. Construction codes ensure compliance with legal standards, land surveyors define property boundaries, and soil tests analyze specific soil characteristics. However, it is through test borings that the preliminary understanding of subsoil conditions is best established, forming the foundation for all subsequent construction planning and execution.

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