Construction Inspections

SSC is available for long-term construction projects, or we can be on site within hours of an isolated request. Because we are staffed entirely with engineers and inspectors, we oftentimes are able to recommend design changes in the field and provide signed and sealed design modifications to the city or county if needed. Once the construction item (e.g., footers) has been approved, a signed and sealed inspection report is left on site and a copy is filed with the respective city or county the very next business day. This assures you that there will be no delay in getting a final approval of your permit by the local building official. We also work on weekends with minimal advance notice.

Types of inspections services offered by SSC:

SSC is qualified to inspect concrete formwork and re-bar inspections. We verify form dimensions, plumbness, and serviceability; re-bar placement, type, spacing, overlap, and length against project specifications.

Footings are defined as the supporting base or groundwork of a structure, as for a monument or wall. Under every house is a foundation, and under most foundations are footings.

Typically, SSC inspect the soil bearing capacity, soil type, footing dimensions, and reinforcing steel placement.

As the name suggests, a slab is a single layer of concrete, several inches thick. The slab normally rests on a bed of crushed gravel to improve drainage. Casting a wire mesh in the concrete reduces the chance of cracking. A plastic vapor barrier is place between the wire mesh and the crushed gravel below. SSC inspects the slab for the presence of all these items for conformance to the approved plans.

One area that can be commonly overlooked, or at least underestimated, is the necessity to drain the backfill behind a below-grade wall of rainwater and/or groundwater. Hydrostatic pressure is the most common cause of retaining wall failures and the lack of a proper drainage system is the most common reason for the build-up of hydrostatic pressure.

Drainage of water as a result of rainfall or other wet conditions is very important to the stability of a retaining wall. Without proper drainage the backfill can become saturated, which has the dual impact of increasing the pressure on the wall and lessening the resistance of the backfill material to sliding. Granular backfill material offers the benefits of good drainage, easy compaction, and increased sliding resistance.

Drainage systems behind below-grade walls usually utilize free-draining backfill material protected with a geotextile fabric and a footing drain consisting of perforated pipe protected with geotextile (commonly referred to as a "silt sock") and surrounded by gravel. The water collected by the drainage system is directed to a discharge point or points.

The discharge point for a foundation wall is typically an interior sump pump or an exterior gravity drain.

A retaining wall typically uses weep holes to discharge the collected water. Weep holes actually penetrate the retaining wall and drain the area immediately behind the wall and should have a minimum diameter of 1.5" so as to permit free drainage. Adequate spacing between weep holes allows uniform drainage from behind the wall.