Dalby is a beautiful town situated on the rolling black soil plains of the Darling Downs region of Queensland in the centre of Australia's richest grain and cotton growing area. Dalby is well serviced being at the junction of the Warrego, Moonie and Bunya Highways as well as being rail linked to Ipswich and Brisbane. Dalby is also the administrative centre of the newly formed Western Downs Regional Council.
Dalby hosts an array of industry including large-scale engineering, coal mining, and fuels (ethanol) so work is abundant in the area. Dalby's rich black soil makes it the centre of a diverse and productive agricultural area that produces crops such as wheat, cotton and sorghum as well as Livestock farming.
The rich Black soil that gives Dalby its rich agricultural diversity can make building, your new home, in Dalby, with the wrong Dalby builder, a real heartache and financial burden.
Many Dalby Builders will quote you a price for your new home that nicely fits into your budget, then sign you up to build with them. Suddenly the soil test comes back and the price of your lovely new home suddenly spirals out of your reach. Don't be caught out by unscrupulous Dalby builders who use this ploy to trap you into building with them. In contrast, Michael Pollard Homes and The Pure Gold Building Group are experienced in building in Dalby and this experience means we are up front with the possibilities of your block of land's soil test. Michael Pollard advises if your builder tries to charge you extra site fees that you are free to approach other builders at this point because you actually own the soil test.
The truth is any Dalby builders with any experience already know your soil will be ED reactive. Signing you up with a plan with Type M foundations is a common marketing trap used by some builders to make you feel that you have to build with them. If you are looking for a Dalby builder who has the foundation costs up front Michael Pollard Homes in conjunction with the Pure Gold Building Group have house packages that already include the necessary foundations, for your home, included in the price. Every home on www.pgbuildinggroup.com.au has a price especially for Dalby. Build with the confidence of knowing not only are you building with a quality builder but also with a Dalby Builder who is open and up front from the start, so you are assured of the best value for money.
Click here to see the Pure Gold Building Group Quality plans for yourself. See the difference a quality designed home with the proper foundations for your soil type will make.
The Type E/D soil in the Dalby area can expand from 90mm to 140mm.
Due to this massive expansion Pure Gold Building Group and Michael Pollard homes use a specially designed suspended slab system with each Dalby Home to cope with the highly reactive site.
Our Dalby house pricing reflects the footings you require as Pure Gold Building Group have allowed for the worst case scenario in Dalby. The prices are set with extensive knowledge and construction of these Suspended slab systems in Dalby.
Features of our Suspended Slab system to make your Dalby Home safe in this reactive soil.
A special void former, which disintergrates at any sign of moisture, is used underneath each slab to create the necessary void for the soil expansion. The cardboard void former, in the diagram below, used by the Pure Gold Building Group and Michael pollard homes cuts down on a large amount of labour compared to other underfloor construction designs for this soil type.
The perimeter of the slab has an 800mm x 300mm footing with large cages of steel incased in concrete. Also under each of the Footings is the same void former used under the slab .
This footing essentially fully protects the slab from the moisture from storm rain and quick rain fall events where the rain does not penetrate deep into the ground . This footing not only protects the slab but also protects brick work in the event expanding soil.
6 meter deep Piers are drilled under the footings and main floor then filled with reinforced concrete These piers are connected to the floor and footings to support the house in prolonged dry spells when the soil dries out and subsides. The piers also limit rolling which helps resist the upwards movement cause by swelling soil on the slab and footings.
Pure Gold Building Group also restrict the amount of plumbing exiting the slab at the exterior reducing the n umber of Swivel and expansion joints required to cope with the expansion effects on the plumbing as depicted in the drawings below.
Pure Gold Building Group brings in fill for the house pad so there is adequate site drainage on the finished floor. The fill is generally built up 600mm above natural ground . This site drainage is a key factor in sustainable construction of houses In the E/D type soils.
In conclusion if your builder is not using a suspended slab system in Dalby He is leaving your asset to the whim of the reactive soil which can at a minimum reduce the capital worth of your investment or at worst lead to extensive repair bills and heartache some time in the future.