Drainage Consultants
"Directing Water"
Foundations are designed to move, and they certainly do. The extent to which a foundation moves depends on how water is managed around it. Too much water, foundations move up. Not enough, foundations move down. Property owners struggle with the extreme costs of foundation repair only to have the foundation move again due to the one factor that really gets addressed or discussed - "DRAINAGE".
Drainage is the science and art of moving water across your property. French drains are not the golden solution to everything. Actually, French drains can cause additional foundation movement if not coordinated correctly. Moving water away from your foundation is just as important as moving the water off the property. This is where a drainage engineer comes into play.
The first step is to have your property assessed. No one knows your property better than you, so tour your property after a heavy rain event. Or try looking out the windows and doors around the building to see where water collects and ponds. Locate those areas. Ask our engineers to visit the site and orientate them to your observations. Maybe the water is actually entering the building, or maybe it's just collecting and causing foundation issues. The key is to let the engineer know where the water collects, based on your first-hand observation. Our engineers will also assess the terrain and topography to visualize the flow of water. With your observations and our understanding of water flow, a valuable discussion of measures for you to consider can be developed. Just like there are a million ways to score a touchdown in football, there are lots of ways to control water flow. The method and measures that you choose will depend on budget, feasibility, accessibility, skill set, and degree of importance.
Our drainage discussions can be summarized in a report, or we can develop a drainage schematic to visualize the measures discussed. Every project is unique, so tailoring the drainage recommendations is a great discussion to have with our engineers.
Drainage between buildings is critical for protecting buildings from water entering the building or causing foundation movement.
Civil Feasibility Study
Research Before You Develop
Developing a property, either commercial or residential, can be a complex process. Each property has its own legal status (zoning and platting), infrastructure (utilities), and restrictions (setbacks, HOA guidelines, and code parameters) for development. Some properties are more "dramatic" than others, but each has its own potential that can be maximized when you understand the civil characteristics of the property.
A-1 Engineering, LLC can complete a property feasibility study. A feasibility study is a report that provides information on the potential to develop a property. For example, you find a 1-acre piece of property that you want to build a house on or maybe start a business. The property sale prices fit your budget, but you are not sure whether you can build your dream house or start your new business there. A feasibility study of the property summarizes its characteristics in a report. The study will provide information on the lot's zoning, utilities, restrictions, easements, right-aways, plat status, flooding, encroachment, etc. Seller disclosures can tell you a lot about a property, and realtors are great resources and guides, but a feasibility study provides factual information for the property.
Feasibility studies are neither expensive nor time-consuming to complete. Our staff of engineers understands the resources well and can quickly retrieve the information and consolidate it into a report for you. The study can cost as little as a few hundred dollars for a small lot to a couple thousand dollars for large lots and tracts.
Raw land may have easement restrictions and building setbacks that affect where you can put your new building. A feasibility study will help answer most of those questions.
Civil Engineering - Platting
"A Properties ID Card"
A plat is a map of a property (commercial or residential) that shows more than just the property boundary. Plats get recorded with the county and show important civil characteristics of a property such as easements, boundaries, assessor's parcel number, lot number, etc. You can consider a plat as a "birth certificate" for the lot. Key, most residential properties do not have individual plats; instead, they are part of a plat for the entire subdivision. For instance, you may notice that you live in a subdivision that's set as Phase 1 or Unit 1. Subdivision names like Encino Heights Unit 1 or Whispering Rocks Unit 5 typically have associated plats for that unit development. The property boundary survey that you get when you buy your house is just that, a "boundary survey".
Plats are more important for commercial properties. Each commercial property typically has an individual plat. It is very common for someone to buy a commercial property and get a boundary survey showing the limits of the purchase, but later find out that the commercial property is part of a larger plat made up of a few commercial lots. In this case, the new owner will need to amend or renew the plat altogether for their newly purchased individual property. The difference is thousands of dollars. Platting a commercial property can cost as little as $4000 up to $40,000 or more, depending on the size of the lot.
The key here is to understand whether the property you are buying or selling is platted as an individual plat or part of a larger plat. Another key point permits for construction are typically not granted for commercial properties that do not have individual plats for the property. A feasibility study before you purchase a property will help you understand its legal situation.
Plat applications are provided by cities and counties. Most city and county offices can assist with explaining the platting process. A-1 Engineering can develop the plat application for you and help coordinate the documents and plans for the platting process.
Civil Engineering - Utility Plans
Bringing the water and electricity home.
One of the major contributions civil engineers make to civilization is bringing water and electricity to your property. Civil engineers design and coordinate the utility layouts for developments. We coordinate the locations of sewer, water, and electrical lines, as well as utility easements. Electrical engineers generate electricity, but civil engineers make way for the extension cords that connect to the power grid.
A-1 Engineering, LLC's civil engineering team is prepared to help power your project. We can develop and coordinate the utilities for your development. A feasibility study will help you learn up front how feasible it is to power your building and locate sewer lines and water lines. The location of these lines may impact where you end up putting your building.
Electrical lines, water lines, and even water towers are coordinated by civil engineers. Developing infrastructure is the prime benefit that civil engineers bring to your project.
Civil Engineering - Zoning
Zoning - Getting the right zone for your development
Zoning is a label assigned to each lot (commercial or residential) that sets parameters and permissions for how you develop and use the lot. For instance, residential lots typically have an "R" in the zoning type. Multi-family (apartments) typically have an "M" label in the zoning type.
However, commercial property has various types of zones that can be assigned. Zone types can be changed for each property, but it has to be approved by a "Zoning Commission" with the city or county. The city or county controls the zoning and does so rightfully. For instance, businesses that sell alcohol need to have proper zoning to do so. You can not just open a bar anywhere you want. This is the same for offices, churches, assembly areas, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and similar settings. What you are allowed to use the property for is directly linked to the type of zoning for the property.
A feasibility study will provide you with the current zoning for the property you are buying, and our engineers can also assess the feasibility of changing the zoning to meet your plans. At times, it may not be feasible to change the zone to operate your business- even if the property is commercial or at a great price.
Whether your building is a single-family home, a commercial building, or a multi-family apartment building, having the proper zoning will allow you to use it appropriately. Zoning can sometimes be changed. Seek the guidance of a civil engineer to assist you.
Civil Engineering - Grading Plans
Shaping the land
Grading plans are maps that shape the land to meet your development. Some lands are low, and we need to "grade" them to raise them or make them sloped to drain better. Civil engineers will grade the land to make streets and driveways function more smoothly and accommodate traffic flow. Grading a lot is important to keep water flowing around the building, keep water away from areas we don't want to drown out or pond, and help smooth out the lot for cars to travel. We once helped a client grade their property for their Ferraris (notorious for their low ground clearance) because they did not want to scratch the bottoms of the cars. Or maybe your lot has a lot of water that ponds or collects at the same location where you want to put the building, so our engineer may need to raise the lot and start moving the water around the new building.
A feasibility study can provide additional information on the grading of the lot to better understand how much work needs to be done to shape the land and construct your building.
Civil Engineering - Retaining Walls
Holding back the dirt
Retaining walls are intended to hold back dirt to help shape the land that you want to build on. Our staff of civil and structural engineers works collectively to design retaining walls constructed of masonry, stone, or concrete. We can design walls as tall as 30 feet or more, or as low as 2 feet.
We also have the technology to gather topographic data immediately and with great accuracy using 3D laser technology. Our engineers collect extensive topographic data of the ground using 3D lasers to develop a surface map with high accuracy. These topographic maps help our engineers design retaining walls to better match the land and slopes.
If you have existing retaining walls that need repairs, our engineers use the same 3D laser scanners to measure them, study the issues, and develop repair plans.
We also specialize in designing segmental retaining walls. Segmental retaining walls are cost-efficient, versatile, and easily conform to the shape of any land. Our civil and structural engineers collectively collaborate to design segmental retaining walls for both commercial and residential projects.
Timber retaining walls can fail without notice. Get timber walls inspected and repaired immediately.