Geotechnical Investigation & Engineering

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.