Ground conditions can be one of the greatest hazards to any construction project and are often the cause of large cost and time overruns. A well-designed and executed ground investigation is an essential part of the construction process and Soil Consultants have over 30 years’ experience in designing, planning and undertaking a large variety of investigations. We use the findings of the Phase 1 Desk Study to assess the best techniques which will provide the require information, taking into account the anticipated ground sequence and any identified geotechnical and environmental risks.

We offer a wide range of exploratory methods which include:

•Cable percussion boreholes, including low-headroom rigs for working in basements and areas of limited access

•Rotary boreholes using coring (such as GeoborS) and open-hole techniques

•Solid stem rotary auger boreholes using a tracked rig

•Dynamic sampling (window and windowless) with tracked rigs or handheld/operated equipment

•In-situ testing such as Standard Penetration Testing (SPT), falling/rising head permeability testing, self-boring pressuremeter testing in boreholes

•Continuous dynamic probing

•Cone Penetration Testing (CPT)

•Mechanically-excavated trial pits, including large-scale soakage testing to BRE365

•Hand-excavated trial pits to expose existing foundations

Where relevant, the investigation techniques employed are undertaken and reported in accordance with Eurocode 7.

As an integral part of the Phase 2 investigation, we can provide additional services using specialist companies including buried utilities clearance, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys, UXO clearance, root identification and LIDAR surveys.

The fieldwork and specialist testing are carried out by experienced and trusted subcontractors who have worked with us over many years. The overall investigations are controlled by our geotechnical engineers who continually monitor progress and ensure that sufficient and relevant data are obtained for the proposed development.