Frequently asked questions

For the Houston metro we can typically schedule a certified technician same-day or next-morning. Multi-day placements and full-time project assignments are scheduled through a proposal request.

Test reports are reviewed and issued under our quality system, with engineer review available where the project specification or jurisdiction requires it.

Our construction materials testing scope covers concrete (ASTM C31, C39, C78, C138, C143, C172, C173, C231, C1064, C1231), aggregate (ASTM C29, C117, C127, C128, C131, C136, C566, D75), and soils (ASTM D698, D1557, D558, D854, D1140, D2216, D2487, D4318, D4718, D6913, D6938, D7928, G51, G57, G187). The full list with titles is on this page, and each designation links to a plain-language explainer.

Yes. Testing is performed to the edition referenced by your project specification. Where a specification cites a withdrawn method such as ASTM D422 or D421, we run it as written and can run the current replacement, D6913 and D7928, alongside it.

Yes. We run the electrochemical backfill package — pH by ASTM G51, resistivity by ASTM G187 soil box and ASTM G57 field method, with chlorides and sulfates — and report results against the specification limits for metallic and geosynthetic reinforcement.

Concrete technicians hold ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I. Soils and laboratory technicians hold NICET Construction Materials Testing certifications in Soils, Concrete, and Asphalt at Levels I through III. Special inspection work is performed by ICC-certified special inspectors for reinforced concrete and soils. Nuclear density gauge operators complete gauge safety and hazmat training under the company radiation safety program.

The technician samples the truck per ASTM C172, then runs slump (ASTM C143), air content (ASTM C231 pressure method or ASTM C173 volumetric for lightweight concrete), concrete temperature (ASTM C1064), and unit weight (ASTM C138). Cylinders are cast and initially cured per ASTM C31, transported to the laboratory, and broken for compressive strength per ASTM C39 at 7 and 28 days, with 56-day or hold cylinders when the specification asks for them.

In-place density and moisture are measured with a nuclear gauge per ASTM D6938 and compared to the laboratory Proctor maximum dry density and optimum moisture from ASTM D698 (standard) or ASTM D1557 (modified), whichever the specification calls out. Each test reports percent compaction and moisture relative to optimum, by lift and location, so the earthwork contractor knows the same day whether a lift passes.

The International Building Code, Section 1705, requires an approved agency to inspect and test specific structural work — concrete placement and reinforcing, soils and compacted fill, structural masonry, structural steel bolting and welding, post-installed anchors — and report to the building official and engineer of record. The owner retains the agency; we provide the certified inspectors and technicians and the laboratory behind them.

Field results — slump, air, temperature, in-place density — are reported to the site the same day. Laboratory results follow the method's own timing: compressive strength as the 7- and 28-day breaks come due, Proctor curves and sieve analyses typically within several business days of the sample arriving. Every report is reviewed under the quality system before it is issued.

Not yet accredited — we state that plainly. The Sugar Land laboratory is in the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation process with A2LA for concrete, aggregate, and soils test methods (on-site assessment completed September 2026; corrective actions under A2LA review). The quality system is structured on AASHTO R18 and ISO/IEC 17025: controlled procedures, calibrated and verified equipment, technician training records, and report review before issue. Technicians hold ACI and NICET certifications. Running a test to an ASTM standard is not the same as accreditation, and we will not describe the laboratory as accredited until the certificate is issued. Ask and we put the current status in writing on any proposal.

Most commercial permits, lenders, and structural engineers require a geotechnical report to establish allowable bearing pressure and foundation type. It is the least expensive insurance a foundation can have.

A typical light-commercial site runs one to two weeks from drilling to final report, depending on lab test turnaround and access conditions.

Boring logs with Standard Penetration Test blow counts (ASTM D1586), groundwater observations, laboratory classification and index testing (ASTM D2216 moisture, ASTM D4318 Atterberg limits, ASTM D2487 classification, ASTM D698 or D1557 Proctor), and engineering recommendations: allowable bearing pressure, foundation type, expected settlement, pavement sections, and earthwork requirements. It is sealed by a professional engineer licensed in the project's state.

It depends on the building footprint, structural loads, and how variable the soils are. A small commercial pad may need two or three borings to 20 or 25 feet; a large warehouse, a multi-story building, or a site with fill or expansive clay needs more and deeper. The engineer sets the boring plan from the site plan and structural loads, which is why we ask for both before quoting.

Rarely. Reports are written for a specific site, footprint, and loading, and most jurisdictions, lenders, and structural engineers require one addressed to the current project. A neighboring report is useful background for planning the boring program, and we will read it before proposing.

Geotechnical work happens before design: borings, laboratory testing, and a report telling the engineer what the ground can support. Construction materials testing happens during construction: field density testing on the fill, concrete testing at the pour, and laboratory testing on the samples, verifying the work matches that design. Most projects need both, and using one agency keeps the Proctor values, soil classifications, and site knowledge consistent from the borings through the last lift.

Drilling and engineering are delivered with geotechnical engineers licensed in the project's state, coordinated under one proposal and one point of contact. Laboratory index testing on the samples and the construction-phase materials testing that follows are performed by our own certified technicians and laboratory.

Field sampling, coring, and laboratory testing are performed by our certified technicians and laboratory. Engineering evaluation, opinions, and any expert testimony are performed by licensed engineers engaged for the matter, so the deliverable is sealed by the professional whose name is on it.

Before. Physical evidence degrades, gets repaired, or gets demolished. Getting cores, samples, and photo documentation captured under a defensible chain of custody early is what keeps the technical record intact regardless of where the dispute goes.

Not without disclosure. If we performed the acceptance testing on the same project, we will say so up front — an independent investigator is usually the right call, and we will help you find one.

Drilled cores tested for compressive strength per ASTM C42, petrographic examination per ASTM C856 to identify air content, water-cement ratio indicators, alkali-silica reaction, or freeze-thaw damage, chloride content for corrosion assessment, rebound hammer surveys per ASTM C805 to map relative strength, and ground-penetrating radar or cover meter surveys to locate reinforcing. Field sampling and testing are performed by our certified technicians; the engineering evaluation is delivered with a licensed engineer.

Under ACI 318 the strength is acceptable when every average of three consecutive tests meets the specified strength and no individual test falls more than 500 psi below it (or 10 percent when f'c exceeds 5,000 psi). If the results fail those criteria, the engineer of record usually orders cores per ASTM C42: the in-place concrete is considered adequate when the average of three cores is at least 85 percent of f'c and no single core is below 75 percent. We cast and break the cylinders, drill and test the cores, and document the chain of custody so the outcome holds up.

Crack mapping and elevation surveys to establish the pattern, cores to check slab thickness and concrete quality, and subgrade sampling for moisture content (ASTM D2216), Atterberg limits (ASTM D4318), and classification (ASTM D2487) to identify expansive clay, poorly compacted fill, or moisture change beneath the slab. The findings are compared to the original geotechnical report and compaction records when they exist.

Lenders typically require a Phase I ESA on commercial property transactions to establish the innocent-landowner defense under CERCLA. It is a records-and-reconnaissance study — no sampling is performed.

A Phase II is recommended when the Phase I identifies recognized environmental conditions, such as historical industrial use, nearby releases, or suspect storage tanks.

ASTM E1527-21, the current Phase I Environmental Site Assessment practice recognized under EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries rule. It covers the records review, site reconnaissance, interviews, and the environmental professional's opinion on recognized environmental conditions (RECs), controlled RECs, and historical RECs. A Phase I is generally considered current for 180 days for the purposes of the CERCLA landowner defenses.

Sampling designed around the RECs found in the Phase I, following ASTM E1903: soil borings, groundwater monitoring wells, soil vapor probes, or concrete and building-material samples, analyzed by an accredited laboratory for the constituents of concern — petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile organics, metals, PCBs. The report compares results to the state's cleanup standards and says whether further assessment or corrective action is warranted.

Two to three weeks is typical from authorization to report, driven mostly by regulatory database orders, historical record retrieval, and access for the site walk. Rush timelines are possible when a closing date requires it; say so when you request the proposal.

Environmental site assessments are delivered with environmental professionals meeting the ASTM E1527 and 40 CFR 312 definition, licensed as required in the project's state, coordinated under one proposal. Field sampling support and geotechnical borings on the same site can be scheduled together to save a mobilization.

A boundary survey establishes legal property lines and corners; a topographic survey maps existing grades and features inside them. Most development projects need both, and they are cheaper ordered together.

Two to three business days of notice is typical for staking mobilizations; large or phased sites are scheduled as standing weekly visits.

A boundary survey performed to the ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements, which lenders and title companies require on most commercial real estate transactions. It shows boundaries, easements and encumbrances from the title commitment, improvements, encroachments, and the optional Table A items the client selects, such as utilities, flood zone, and parking counts.

Setting control points and offset stakes from the approved plans so the contractor can build to line and grade: building corners and gridlines, curb and pavement, utilities and structures, and finished-floor and pad elevations. As-built surveys at the end verify what was built against the design and are often required for utility acceptance and project closeout.

A professional land surveyor licensed in the project's state — in Texas, a Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS). Survey services are delivered with licensed surveyors coordinated under one proposal and one point of contact with the testing and inspection work on the same project.

Not necessarily, but it helps. Boring locations are laid out from the site plan, and a current topographic survey lets the geotechnical engineer reference boring elevations to the proposed finished grades so cut and fill depths in the report are right. Scheduling the two together avoids a second mobilization.