Construction

construction site in the beginning stages – photo: Carrie Meyer Richardson

Why so much dirt?

The site’s building footprint measures roughly 70′ by 70′ and will be circled by retaining concrete blocks supporting nearly twelve feet of preload fill.

The soil below is soft and silky. Bedrock is nearly 40′ under this jello like ground layer. Current Building Codes require the ground to “be mashed” under the foundation of a future above structure.

Rising vertically approximately 12′ above the ground level and descending 12′ below the ground level, is a slender vertical monitoring pole installed and is visible from the street. There are more throughout the site. The Engineers will monitored the compaction. After (approx.) a year the preload fill will be removed and the site will be ready for construction.

These poles are part of a settlement monitoring system that extend upward above grade and deep below the buildable lot. The preload, monitoring system, and pole placements have been engineered to measure soil compaction and settlement over time.

This work has…

been carried out by an engineering firm, in coordination with the architectural and a surveying teams, under the direction of applicable the City of Stanwood’s codes and requirements.

Construction activity along Stanwood’s Historic Brick Road in August, 2025 photo: Carrie Meyer Richardson

While the engineering work underway today focuses on stabilizing the soils beneath the site, the Brick Road, fronting the site reflects a much earlier chapter of Stanwood’s History.

The preload fill remained in place throughout March while engineers continued monitoring settlement across the site. The monitoring poles visible from the street are part of a system, measuring how the soils respond under the weight of the preload. These measurements help engineers understand how the site is performing before construction.

As engineers evaluate the preload results, they also consider how future building loads may be transferred to the soils beneath the site.

A raft (mat) foundation spreads the weight of a building across a broad reinforced concrete slab, helping reduce uneven settlement in soft soils. (interpretive engineering illustration)

Because the soils in this area are soft and compressible, engineers sometimes consider raft (mat) foundations. With bedrock roughly 40 feet below grade, driving piles to rock would be structurally reliable but potentially expensive. A raft system instead spreads the building’s weight across a large reinforced concrete slab covering most of the footprint.

By distributing the load over a broad area, the raft reduces pressure on the soil and helps limit uneven settlement.

A raft foundation is more than a thick concrete slab. Engineers design it using soil data and structural analysis so the building’s weight is distributed evenly across the site.

comparison of traditional footings and raft (mat) foundation systems – interpretive engineering illustration

What’s happening below the surface matters just as much as what’s built above. These diagrams show two different ways engineers can transfer building loads into the ground. With preloaded soils on this site, the question isn’t just what gets built – but how the ground will carry it over time.

And about the construction

photo: kris Voelkers

We’re making progress! The preload efforts (mashing the underly base) seem to be successful. That which is under the blocks and the soil has compressed, almost to the level called for by the engineers.

What’s next? Well, the blocks and the soil goes. The expert Excavator returns with his truck, and removes all of it; dirt, blocks, sensor poles. So sorry… and the mural has to go.

The unseen phase of construction happening right now

If you’ve passed the site recently, it may look like nothing is happening—just a large mound of dirt sitting in place. But what’s happening here is actually one of the most important phases of the entire project.

A large amount of soil has been placed on the property to compress the ground below. This forces the soil to settle now, rather than after the building is constructed. Again, this process is called preloading.

Without this step, the building could continue to sink over time, leading to cracks, uneven floors, and stress on sidewalks and utilities. By allowing the ground to settle in advance, the project reduces the risk of long-term structural issues.

Over the past several months, the ground has already settled several inches to over a foot in some areas. Just as important, that movement is now slowing significantly. Engineers are watching closely for a point where there is little to no vertical movement between readings—an indication that the ground has stabilized and is ready to support construction.

Once that happens, the next steps will follow quickly. The dirt pile will be removed, the site will be regraded, and foundation work will begin. That’s when visible construction will finally start to take shape.

For now, the most important work is happening below the surface. It may not look like progress, but it’s preparation that helps ensure the building remains stable for decades to come.

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