I have recently dug for a perimeter foundation, found the soils to be pretty heavy in clay but very homogenous and solid, difficult to pound a stake into when dry.

It’s spring here in the Pacific Northwest and it has been pretty wet since the dig, needless to say the site has some standing puddling water even though it does drain to daylight.

Of course the uppermost clay layer becomes soft and and there would not be much to cure that besides waiting quite awhile for the site to dry out.

I could hire a geotechnical engineer to come out, but that’s another $3K added onto a budget build. All the local contractors do not have much concern with the clays in our area, even when when. They say “go for it, no problem”

Any thoughts on this situation, it just feels criminal to pour concrete onto a squishy 2 inches of basically mud. Or is this just par for the course in wet areas?

I suppose that is why a footer is 16 inches wide, to distribute that pressure.

My concern is not so much the soils I am in, but the fact that at the moment they are wet and will not be able to dry before we pour if we want to keep any sort of schedule.

Thanks