How To Effectively Build On A Swampy Land

Swamps are forested wetlands. Like marshes, they are often found near rivers or lakes and have mineral soil that drains very slowly. They have trees and bushes. They may have water in them for the whole year or for only a part of the year.

 Lots of developers try to avoid constructing on swampy land because of the cost of getting it right but in areas like Lagos state where it is increasingly getting difficult to get dry plots of land, swamps or waterlogged plots are inevitable. Places like Lekki and Ajah were swamps that have been turned residential neighborhood with massive constructions. Sometimes, it is ignorance or naivety that gets people to spend unnecessary sum of money.  Therefore, to construct on swampy land, it is important you employ the services of relevant professionals. The professional would know procedures, engineering methods and techniques to take to ensure that the development is perfect. Because the construction of houses on swamps require special attention, either the soil is removed or  strengthened by suitable means known as stabilization after ascertaining its (soil) properties through thorough investigations. These investigations are done so as select the appropriate type of foundation for the structure.

As a Civil Engineer,I will advise those who have bought swampy land to ensure that the foundations of their buildings rest on sound soil so that when the super structure (building) is completed, the weight would be evenly spread.

On how to effectively utilise a swampy land, building on swampy land requires thorough soil investigation as mentioned earlier, this goes a long way to reveal so many things as regards the soil properties and this is a major factor to the choice of foundation to be used. It is generally assumed that the only suitable foundation for swamp is raft. From a professional's point of view, I can categorically say that sometimes, the swamp might be too deep that using the raft foundation will not solve the problem. In that case, you should go for a pile foundation,” - which are of two types (end-bearing pile foundation and friction pile foundation.).

It is also important to inform that the type of filling done before doing the foundation matters a great deal, the swampy land should be sand-filled so that it would become firm (some would want to use laterite, but consult an expert before the choice of material is made).
Builders on swampy soil should equally consider the future level of the road around the premises. If the road level is higher than the level of the foundation, the house will have drainage challenge. Water from the ground will also pose a challenge to the building, this is why from the onset, the developer should use water resisting membrane so as to prevent dampness of the walls.

In constructing the fence round the building, concrete retaining wall must be used on the lower part of the fence above the proper floor level.

Finally,  painting of the external walls of the structure should be done with premium quality paint to prevent moisture on the building