On return from Tasmania I got stuck into the pruning and weeding in a very overgrown garden. Umpteen bags of rubbish to the tip later, I started replanting, but decided to do the front garden only, not the back, as it was probably going to be walked on. A wise decision - the first lot of boots arrived today, adorning the feet of a charming bunch of young geological engineers who came to do the soil test and look at the footings of the slab at the back of the house. There were two young men and one young woman. One of the men said that she was the brains, they were the brawn, as they dug away with augers and a kind of double-sided spade. But he was clearly in charge, and the kind of person who is more than happy to tell you what he's doing and why, so I received a short lesson in the geology of the area. They dug down with the auger until they hit something solid (brick? lump of bluestone?), which was a "What a bugger!" moment as they had to start again. 2-3m down the second hole they came to a layer of sands known as Brighton Group sand, which is the stable layer that underlies all the infill and other stuff that has accrued over the years since it was swampy ground behind coastal dunes.
Along with a giving me a free geology lesson, they investigated the footings under the slab, or lack thereof. Slabs should be put on pillars that reach down to the stable soil level, but as a result of my being stupid enough to accept a friend's offer of a cheap builder when I was 30-something, the slab under the living room doesn't have any. Various discussions ensued as to how that may be fixed, but it's not really up to the soil test folk to solve - they just provide a report and then the structural engineers work out what to do about it. There will almost certainly be a solution, but I fear it will be expensive. Oh well, it's only money.
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