Foundation
Designs
Most folks believe that foundations are only designed to carry the building or the occupants that use them. In reality, foundations are the medium between the soils and the building. They serve a dual role: 1) support the building and the occupants, 2) react to the forces that the soils put on the foundation. This interaction between building loads and soil loads makes foundations special. They are the most controversial structural element on the building. A-1 Engineering, LLC believes that foundations are a reflection of the owners' tolerance for movement. We are confident that any structural engineer can design a suitable foundation for the building. Some engineers design foundations heavily for less movement; some design them lighter to just meet the code requirement in accepting more movement. Our staff of engineers has designed foundations for large commercial complexes to small tool sheds. This vast expansion of experience benefits our clients in exploring foundation options and construction that is tolerable for the owner, within budget, meets code requirements, and is feasible to construct. We understand that you have choices for choosing your structural engineer, but you also have a choice to better understand the foundation you are constructing or just accept what is provided.
Our scope of services includes:
- Foundation designs for residential buildings
- Foundation designs for commercial buildings
- Foundation designs for carports, patios, decks, fence walls, signs, and towers
- Capacity analysis of existing foundations
Foundation
Assessments
You may think that you need foundation repair, or you may be considering purchasing a home with suspected foundation problems. With our design experience in foundation designs, we have the experience and expertise to assess foundations of all types and construction. Historically, we have assessed foundations for:
- Warranty Companies for warranty claims
- Homeowners appealing warranty company decisions
- Insurance claims for water damage to foundations
- Litigation cases for defective foundation designs
- Investigations for condition and capacity of existing foundations to support new loads or story additions
- Real estate transactions for buyers and sellers
- FHA assessments for modular homes
- Foundation assessments for permit requirements
- Foundation assessments for foundation repair
We do not assess foundations blindly. With the use of ground-penetrating radar and 3D laser scanners, we can see through concrete and measure differences in elevation to 1mm in accuracy. Technology has provided us with cutting-edge equipment and software to explore foundations beyond the conventional methods still used today.