*Soft* soil in Barrhaven ?

[canabiz]

Hi folks, i was recently informed that the soil for the area of our new house is *soft*. I am not a geological expert by any means so I don't know what is *soft* soil and what is *hard* soil but being the curious George that I am, I went on a fact-finding mission and here's some info which you may consider useful.

I first stopped by the City of Ottawa (the office in Centrepointe) and asked if it has any geological report for the area that I am interested in. They don't have any thing on hand; however, they gave me a form titled "Access to Building Permit*. I was told that it costs $62 and it would take 2 weeks to process and some materials are copyrighted so i might not be able to get what I am looking for.

I then went back to the Sales Centre and asked the sales rep whether the soil in the area is soft. To her credit, she said yes, rather matter-of-factly. She went on to say that this problem is not unique to that particular area, it's actually for Barrhaven as a whole. She remarked that the soil in the area where Mattamy is building is known to be *unstable* and they are trying to sort things out. I asked her if I can get a hand on a soil report from the builder but she told me I would have to go through the city. She did tell me that the builder will make the foundation stronger in light of this (I saw a ton of styrofoam and bales of hay) so that's the end of our conversation.

In between, I contacted 2 real estate agents, one living in Barrhaven right now and one who just bought new in Barrhaven as well (not sure what area) and inquired about this soft soil issue. They let me know that they are not aware of any problems.

My wife talked to a family friend last night, also a Barrhaven resident, and we were informed that Barrhaven used to have a lot of swamplands so this is not an issue and builders have normally taken this into consideration.

So the question right now for you folks who live in Barrhaven or who is familiar with this issue: Do you see this as being a problem for us new home buyers ? Am I just worried too much (my nature, mind you!) and I should just let it ride and work on other stuff ? or should I continue to dig further and if so, what else could/should we do ?

Thanks for your feedback.

[BiggieG]

Sorry I can't offer any insight - the area that Mattamy is building on - do you mean the area next to Strandheard Meadows or the area that will eventually be "Halfmoon Bay"?

We will definately be buying new in Barrhaven within the next couple of months so it would be good to know if this is in fact an issue. I do know that most if the completed Phoenix houses in Strandheard Meadows were delayed up to a year - wonder if the "soil" had anything to do with it...

[canabiz]

Big, she didn't specify but I wouldn't be surprised if that's the area besides Strandherd Meadows

If I were you, I would go to Mattamy sales office and ask them about this. Again, this is something that the sales reps don't normally tell you until you find out yourself. If you do get an answer from them, please let us know how it goes. I don't think a lot of new buyers are concerned about soil and soil reports but it's better to have some ideas and expectations beforehand.

Cheers!

[mart242]

Originally Posted by canabiz

I don't think a lot of new buyers are concerned about soil and soil reports but it's better to have some ideas and expectations beforehand.

They should. Soft soils = foundation will settle / shift / move which in turns can cause cracks in concrete and leaks... My house was on hard rock, my previous too. I wouldn't feel comfortable buying a house for which they do not need to dynamite to put a basement in there! I'd be too afraid of leaks in the long term.

[canabiz]

Big, also with respect to Phoenix Homes, they don't have a very good rep here (you can do a search on this forum) as well as on the newsgroup

Here's a couple of threads

http://groups.google.com/group/ott.h...0bf8c206bb8ed4

and

http://groups.google.com/group/ott.g...ae989e6bc91ab2

Whether the *delay* is because of the soils or any other reasons remain to be seen but it's tough to look at them in a positive light.

Cheers

[TMA28]

Originally Posted by BiggieG

Sorry I can't offer any insight - the area that Mattamy is building on - do you mean the area next to Strandheard Meadows or the area that will eventually be "Halfmoon Bay"?

We will definately be buying new in Barrhaven within the next couple of months so it would be good to know if this is in fact an issue. I do know that most if the completed Phoenix houses in Strandheard Meadows were delayed up to a year - wonder if the "soil" had anything to do with it...

Mattamy is currently building right beside Home Depot aka Barrhaven Mews. Half Moon Bay is going to be further down Greenbank behind Home Depot. Phoenix ALWAYS delays their closing date. I rarely hear that they close on time. I think it could possibly be factor...as more time is spent properly making the wider fittings around the foundations...

[BiggieG]

Thanks for the info Canabiz and others. We'll be sure to bring this up when we talk to the agents and I'll definately update if I find anything out.

Yea - we checked out Phoenix in Strandheard Meadows because they have really nice floorplans, good prices and we like the location, however it didn't take long for us to realize we had to keep looking...

[aikejon]

We thought of Phoenix in Barrhaven and DeerRun, but I happened to run into a friend in Barrhaven (I just pulled over to interrogate a guy I saw waiting for a schoolbus in the development, and he happened to be someone I went to school with 100 miles away) - his sister had bought a Phoenix, and he had bought a Richcraft. After hearing his stories of people he knew with Phoenix homes there and other communities (delays, subsidance, lawsuit threats against owners who publicly complained, etc.), I didn't walk away-I ran.