Soil

Soil Reports For Residential & Commercial Buildings Bay Area CA

Soil Reports are mandated by the city/county building department, they are needed for new constructions or additions to an existing home or building. The report provides design parameters and recommendation for grading, slope stability, drainage, foundation engineering, construction and other pertinent technical information. Cal Engineering soil reports for residential & commercial buildings in the Bay Area CA also provide Soil / Toxicity reports covering Title 22 in accordance with EPA guidelines, Soil / Corrosivity, Soil / Bacteriology , Waste-Storm Water & Soil Chemical reports .

Elements of the Soil Report

• Search at the city & county level for available geological & geotechnical records and historical data
• Study of the viable USGS,  CGS and EPA data with Title 22 applications when applicable.
• Site investigation including drilling and CONTINUOUS sampling program, for full and comprehensive mapping of the entire sub surface, missing no layer or strata, and leading to an economical design based on scientific facts and not approximations.
• Water table accurate readings through the installation of Piezometers for next day measurements.
• Laboratory testing of the samples and soil parameters identification, development of the boring logs. Toxicity testing using EPA methods.
• Engineering calculation of soil bearing capacity, shear, skin friction, etc.
• Engineering calculation for soil / structure interaction, settlement, slide, tension cracks, slope stability, etc.
• Publishing the Soil/Geotechnical report containing all pertinent site, drainage & foundation data and recommendation for drainage, foundation type & structure for Engineering Design.
• The Report bears the professional engineering wet stamp of our licensed geotechnical engineer in the State of California
• The cost for professional engineering services starts at $300/hour. The total cost for a soil report varies between $1800 – $2000 for a reconnaissance type soil report, and between $5500 – $9700 for a typical comprehensive soil report, the cost varies depending on the needed field & laboratory investigation, depth of drilling to hard / very dense soil strata, number of extracted soil samples and site location accessibility & general conditions. Our method of soil sampling is the SPT “Standard Penetration Test” that detects early hard/dense soil strata per 6″ controlled penetration increments, a continuous drilling advancement, making it more economical for the client by minimizing drilling time and earlier detection of the hard/dense soil strata leading to lower sampling time, a cost-saving to client. The SPT method provides solution optimization away from guessing and is used World Wide, In California, it is used by State registered geotechnical Foundation Engineering Professionals. SPT was generated at University of Illinois by professors Terzaghi-Peck, fathers of soil mechanics and further tuned up at UC Berkeley. We are proud for having attended both great Universities.