Soil survey before purchasing property?

Hello,

a few days ago we looked at a nice plot of land in a new development area. It is a building gap, most of the plots are already built on. The development area is located in a [Wasserschutzgebiet] (at least that’s how I understood it) and the groundwater is supposed to be high, which is why the other houses were built with a white tank.
It would make sense now to do a soil survey before buying the plot, wouldn’t it?
After all, it must be determined whether there is a stable building ground and how the groundwater situation is. Is this the right approach?

Best regards
Sabine

It always makes sense and should always be done.

Hello Sabine,

The development area is located in a water protection zone (at least that's how I understood it) and the groundwater level is supposed to be high, which is why the other houses were built with a white tank.
Wouldn't it make sense now to have a soil survey done before buying the property?
After all, it must be determined whether a load-bearing foundation is present and what the situation with the groundwater is. Is that the right procedure?

Basically, I would tend to say "yes," on the other hand – if the property meets your wishes and, as elsewhere, properties are scarce where you are – the seller might be against it. I can also imagine that demand is high – so why should the seller agree to a conditional sale of the property to you?

Soil surveys are always carried out for the planned roads in new development areas; from these you can draw initial conclusions about the soil quality. In your case, some plots are already built on. So I would advise you to talk to the neighboring builders; you can also derive information from these sources. The local builders will surely be happy to tell you about the extent of their additional foundation costs.

Of course, there is always a residual risk that, for example, a relic from World War II might be found exactly under your property. However, there are maps for this too, and the seller must inform about this in her development plan – if she is aware of it.

Rhenish greetings

I fully agree with ’s opinion. And since I know her, I know that she forgot to give the advice to definitely have the soil survey done after the purchase. After all, it’s about the warranty – the experienced BUs don’t build without it anymore.

I just googled the topic of soil surveys and read on some relevant sites that you should definitely have a soil survey done before buying the property. In case contaminations are found, you should definitely not buy it.

Now the thing is, most GCs include and carry out the soil survey in their price calculation. How does this usually work? They will only do it if they have a fixed contract for building the house, and that in turn can only happen after the property has already been purchased. Or am I seeing this wrong?

Therefore, I wonder why GCs include it in their service package when you should actually be active here before the actual property purchase?

Is this primarily interesting for new development areas? We are looking at a property where the existing building from 1962 would be torn down. The property is located in the middle of an established neighborhood.

But there can still be contaminants there, right, or do you think not? And then it’s too late if the GC becomes active here after the property purchase (although I suspect the GC would rather commission a report that deals purely with static issues and not contamination, right?).

The realtor showed us during the visit that there are two old soakaways in the garden (old stone slabs are still at grass level)... the property was not connected to the sewer system at the time of construction. Allegedly the pits have been filled. But I didn’t look inside. And there was also a cavity under the slabs.

Also, the huge garden (1,085 sqm property) is not flat but - as the realtor calls it - it has tension. I would say slightly hilly in some spots... doesn’t bother me at first glance but maybe I will bring it up here. The GC I’m in close contact with doesn’t see a problem there for now.

Therefore, I wonder why the GUs include this in the service package when one would actually have to become active here before the actual land purchase?`

The soil report is also needed in house planning for the foundation (soil composition), for the condition of the basement if desired (white tank) etc.

Otherwise, contaminated land can also be located right in a residential area, for example if there was once a mixed-use area with small businesses (carpentry with immersion tanks for wood impregnation, paint shops, etc.) 20 or 30 years ago. What we have also experienced: former open-pit mining from a very early time, filled with household waste dumps after the war, then meadow and trees for many decades ... but that doesn’t change the fact that oil barrels etc. from the 50s may be stored there. It’s all not very likely, but not impossible. Everyone must decide for themselves how risk-averse they are. Merry Christmas!