If you’re trying to figure out how to choose a geotechnical engineering company that’s going to fit your project perfectly, then you’re in the right place.
After 30+ years running our Florida geotechnical engineering company, we’ve worked with dozens of construction companies including residential developers, local contractors, and commercial builders. From these experiences, we’ve developed a deep understanding of:
- What builders are looking for when they hire a geotechnical engineering firm.
- The challenges and disappointments they have when working with an engineer or soil testing firm.
- How to evaluate if a firm can meet potential challenges with innovative solutions.
- What a successful geotechnical report needs to look like (so it can get quick approval).
The more we learn from clients about the work that other geotechnical companies do — as well as see the results of the failed work performed for our clients — the more we’ve realized most engineering firms don’t actually deliver much value to their clients in the form of accurate reports and approved building permits.
To help builders choose the right geotechnical expert for their needs, we’re going to share the 6 key factors that you should consider. These all play a crucial role when evaluating geotechnical engineers for your soil reports.
Specifically:
- Factor #1: Does the company provide the specific geotechnical engineering work you need done?
- Factor #2: Do they personally visit and test soil on-site? Or, do they trust outdated soil and elevation reports?
- Factor #3: Are they located near your building area, especially if multiple site visits are required?
- Factor #4: How long has the geotechnical engineering company been in service? Do they have proven experience serving your industry?
- Factor #5: What are the project fees, and how do they compare to others in the area?
- Factor #6: Do they communicate effectively (in a way that supports your project). Or, do they expect you to always hold their hand?
Below, we’ll explain what you should understand about each of these factors, and walk you through how our geotechnical engineering company addresses each.
6 Factors You Can Use to Choose a Geotechnical Engineering Company
Factor #1: Does the company provide the specific geotechnical engineering work you need done?
Your first step is to find out exactly what type of geotechnical testing and report your building department requires.
Too many construction companies waste time chasing down the wrong type of geotechnical engineering services, simply because they weren’t given good directions from the local building manager. To be fair, local building departments are tasked with learning “just enough” about each area of engineering so they can interpret how the state’s building codes apply to their area.
If you’ve been sent to get a geotechnical investigation performed, you’re likely going to need to have one of these two tests performed before building (ask your building department which one):
- Compaction testing – This is the baseline surface testing to ensure that building pads or road bases meet Florida Building Code requirements for bearing capacity and compaction. Only one trained and certified team is required to perform this test, and they can arrive in a pickup with approved testing equipment on hand. This is a more common type of testing because it requires multiple on-site tests as each new lift (or layer) of soil is added to a foundation pad and compacted.
- Limited sub-grade soil evaluation – This is more involved than a single compaction test, because it requires analysis of soil several feet below surface grade. Clients may need to evaluate soil bearing capacity, type and classification, water table elevation, or saturation rates of in situ soils, each requiring different tools and training. Only one trained and certified team is required to perform any of these tests, and they can arrive in a pickup with approved testing equipment on hand.
- Drill rig geotechnical testing – For testing at a depth of 30-50 feet below the surface (even as far as 100 ft), a truck-mounted drill rig is brought to the jobsite and prepped to perform split spoon sampling along with blow count analysis. Commonly known as SPT borings, the Standard Penetration Test is the gold standard of deep subgrade geotechnical testing.
The local ground conditions and project scale will determine which type of test is needed, so ask lots of questions right from the beginning (of the building department and geotechnical experts). Limited sub-grade soil evaluations are often sufficient for most building permit needs… You will need to hire us!
A standard Standard Penetration Test (SPT), Sand Cone Density test (ASTM D1556) or Lightweight Deflectometer (LWD) test is sufficient for most building permit needs. But if you’re building near the ocean or another major body of water (or planning a large multi-story building), you’ll need to hire a company with larger drilling rigs that can test up to 30–50 feet below the surface.
As you can imagine, the project costs, skills, and equipment required vary greatly between the tests.
Factor #2: Do they personally visit and test soil on-site? Or, do they trust outdated soil and elevation reports?
In our Southwest Florida area, we’ve discovered some engineering companies don’t even visit project sites in person. Make sure you hire a geotechnical consultant committed to getting their own test data on your property.
Too many firms use previous soil samples and elevation reports, or lean on data from nearby properties to make an “educated guess” on the suitability of soil for compaction and septic needs. Sadly, this has led to thousands of dollars in wasted project fees, inaccurate reporting, and postponed building projects across Florida.
The simple truth is that you need an accurate assessment. It’s impossible for a geotechnical engineer to provide valuable insights without first getting their boots dirty. Before hiring any engineering firm, you want to ask:
“Will you perform current, on-site tests of our project site?”
Factor #3: Are they located near your building area, especially if multiple site visits are required?
This one might seem obvious, but you want to find a company located near your project location.
Contacting geotechnical firms based on the other side of your state will likely be a waste of time (especially in coastal states) because of the difference in soil characteristics and local building trends. Here are a few things to consider:
- Do they already know and work with the building department you’re applying for permits from?
- Are they familiar with the state and local building codes — related to subsurface conditions and soil testing?
- How quickly can they perform your tests, when you notify them the site is ready for inspection?
Factor #4: How long has the geotechnical engineering company been in service? Do they have proven experience serving your industry?
In every area of construction and engineering, longevity is a decent signal of high-quality, professionalism, and customer satisfaction.
You’ll want to dig deeper to make sure the company is staying current with building codes and continually improving their skills. But we all know it’s difficult to fake quality work for long.
Also, find out if the firm provides other engineering skills as well. Do they provide a range of services? Sooner or later, you’re going to need help with other areas such as: environmental engineering, septic design, structural engineering, and civil engineering.
Factor #5: What are the project fees, and how do they compare to others in the area?
Project cost is obviously an important factor to consider when choosing the best engineer for your construction project.
Resist the urge to jump at the lowest bid, or assume the highest price will come from the top engineering firm. Some companies will recommend geotechnical tests that are overkill for your needs and requirements, which results in exponentially higher costs.
If you want quality geotechnical solutions that provide solid foundations and prevent structural failure, then you need to focus on quality and experience. Construction costs won’t matter if your building crumbles because of complex ground conditions your rookie engineer didn’t discover.
Factor #6: Do they communicate effectively (in a way that supports your project). Or, do they expect you to always hold their hand?
Good project communication is a cornerstone of any top-notch geotechnical firm.
Effective firms will provide plenty of up-front conversations, before you pull the trigger on their project. This is because they know it’s best to clarify your goals and the project needs before confirming you’re a good fit for their geotechnical services.
If the firm seems to provide quality services for other top contractors in the area, but doesn’t return your calls within a day or two, they are likely handling too many projects to provide your testing on an efficient timeline.
How We’ve Addressed Each of These Factors to Produce Better Results Than Other Geotechnical Engineering Firms in Florida
By far, most of our focus — what we spend 90% of our time working on — are the first two points below:
- Prioritize contractors and geotechnical testing projects that best fit our skills, experience, and location.
- Providing in-person soil testing to get current and accurate site data.
In our experience, both of these are equally important steps for builders. If you pick the wrong geotechnical company, they will only be able to recommend the types of testing they provide (even if it doesn’t fit your needs). And if you don’t get on-site testing performed, then all bets are off for getting an accurate geotechnical report that your building department will approve. So both are crucial.
Good communication with both our clients and Southwest Florida departments, is done in support of these two main priorities.
1. Our First Priority is Work with Contractors and Geotechnical Projects that Fit Our Skills and Experience.
We’ve worked in the geotechnical testing and construction industry long enough to know exactly which types of projects fit our specialized skills.
Our team focuses specifically on serving residential developments in Southwest Florida. This has helped us develop an efficient process that provides the quickest results for the contractors we work with. If a builder is told they need a sub-grade soil compaction test in one of the areas we serve, then we can confidently say we’re the best around.
2. We Perform On-Site Soil Tests to Get Accurate Site Data.
Call us old-fashioned, but we like to get our hands dirty and only trust the data we’ve personally measured.
Our engineers and design team are well-trained, and our tools have proven their accuracy time after time. There is no way we would risk the safety of your building (or our reputation) on outdated soil sampling from someone else’s tools. Commitment to quality and effective communication skills are paramount to every building owner.
What to Expect During a Geotechnical Investigation:
Like we discussed above, the scope of a geotechnical investigation will vary depending on your project location, state and local building codes, and complexity of the project. However, you can expect the following steps to be carried out by the geotechnical engineering company:
- Planning and Project Review: This initial phase involves gathering existing information about the site. This could include reviewing geological maps, aerial photographs, and previous construction reports (if available). The geotechnical engineer will also meet with the project team to understand the planned construction and its requirements.
- Field Investigation & Analysis of Soil Conditions: This phase involves collecting data directly from the construction site. Techniques like drilling, digging test pits, and geophysical methods are used to obtain soil and rock samples. Actual site conditions are crucial, so in-situ tests might also be performed to assess soil properties on-site.
- Laboratory Tests: The collected soil and rock samples are then analyzed in a laboratory. Engineers will perform various tests to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the materials, such as strength, density, and water content.
- Reporting and Recommendations: With all the collected data analyzed, a final geotechnical report is prepared. This report details the findings of the investigation, including soil profiles, groundwater levels, and potential engineering challenges. Most importantly, the report provides recommendations for adequate foundation design, earthwork activities, and any mitigation strategies needed for potential issues.
If the geotechnical engineer has done has done a thorough job, you’ll get a full geotechnical report that includes general soil conditions, a slope stability analysis, rock mechanics, environmental impact evaluations, type of soils present, groundwater flow, borehole drilling results, soil erosion, and any other geotechnical challenges.
Want to Learn More about Our Geotechnical Engineering Services?
If you follow our points above, you’ll be able to simplify things and find an ideal choice for your next build site.
If you’re looking for a Geotechnical Engineering partner in the Southwest Florida area, then we’d love to talk and learn more about your needs. We provide compacting testing, standard penetration testing, lot feasibility assessments, and foundation design for residential contractors who value long-term safety, relationships, and overall profitability.
