Todd Munson

Since you mentioned you are a home gardener I think that a one time soil test is a good idea unless you know the history of your land and know that lead, arsenic, etc are not present. Depending on the age of the house and construction methods significant soil contamination can occur from the construction process.
I've heard good things about Logan Labs but not used them.

Sam Barber wrote:Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?

I'd say that would always be a good thing unless you are building in a swamp.

Love this idea. The logs stacked vertically makes it feasible and I think durable enough. Might have to implement this. I just need more soil, since this doesn't involve significant excavation.