r/GeotechnicalEngineer

I need advice that isn’t pouring concrete.
So, i’m not allowed to have a traditional foundation on a piece of property. It’s technically off grid zoning, but I am allowed to have something solid out there, but just not a massive permanent house. I’m probably going to have a couple of shipping container homes, and also a few different sheds with decks. I’ve seen deck blocks/pier blocks that people put shipping containers on… my concern is them sinking/ shifting even if the ground is dug down and tamped. Is that a valid concern? I think I could get away with using something like 1 1/2” - or 3/4- aggregate and the fines in a hole, rather than poured concrete. Then should I set up these deck blocks on top of these holes with the rock under for added stability? Or is it smarter/safer to just do the deck blocks on the tamped ground? Or should I use the aggregate basically like a concrete alternative and put the pressure-treated post in the dugout subsoil with the fines and aggregate all around it in excess acting like concrete? Or is that very dumb cause they’ll move? 😅
Any advice would be helpful. I am new to building/construction. Also, how should I keep the shipping container home from sagging overtime just lots and lots of deck blocks or is there a more durable solution? Tia!!

Edit: this will *not* be for a full sized home, but several smaller structures. Anything I use will have to be able to be removed on an average size trailer; i.e. a 40” shipping container, or a tiny home that has a road legal width, or similar construction. Thx

I recently graduated in Civil. My parents live on a couple acres just north of Tampa Florida, whole state currently in a massive drought. Cause of the drought, lawn watering is restricted to 1 hour a day, once a week. Their neighbor(I'm sure you can guess his beliefs), thinks the rules don't apply to him cause he's on a private well, and has been watering his lawn for 4-5 hours a day, 7 days a week. And recently complained about having to get his house lifted and how expensive it was(It took everything I had not to laugh at him). He obviously brought this on himself, right?

Trying to figure out why we need to build foundation inside the ground.

Hello, hoping for some guidance from this community. I bought a property two years ago in Arizona that has a wash running along one side. There are a couple areas that are eroding badly, and I intended to have the wash graded to even it all out and then apply riprap along the sides to mitigate this erosion. Based on the parcel map, it appeared the whole wash fell within my property line, but my neighbor just had a survey done which revealed that the property line actually cuts through this wash and comes up the end of one slope (which is eroding) on my side.
This completely throws a wrench into my plans to mitigate the erosion/beautify the area, since it’s impossible to only fix PART of the wash. And unfortunately the neighbor is kind of a jerk and doesn’t seem willing to address the issue at all. Her reason for getting the survey done was because she suspected I was encroaching on her property with my new landscaping (I WASN’T..whew…but good thing I didn’t start shelling out money to fix the wash yet, because THAT would have been encroaching.)
I would like to have someone local to come out and examine the wash/educate me on what should be done to properly address the erosion, but it’s not clear to me what type of professional/organization could assist with this? Is it civil engineering? A landscaping company that deals with erosion? City Development services? And, would this person be able to advise on how to fix the problems JUST on the side of the wash that’s mine, based on the goofy property lines?
I appreciate any guidance you guys have, as I don’t know where to start with getting this evaluated. I feel like I need a Geologist-Engineer-Attorney-Excavator, lol. Does that exist? 😂 Thx!!