No As-Built Drawings for Your Commercial Building? GPR Scanning Services Can Help
Are you the owner of a building that you didn’t have a hand in constructing? Commercial buildingschange hands all the time, so there are a lot of structures out there that aren’t owned by the person who originally had it built. If you own such a building, there will likely come a time when you want to make some renovations to it, and when that time comes, hopefully you have a set of as-built plans that will show you how the building was constructed and help you determine the best way to modify it.
But what if you can’t locate the original set of building plans? Or what if you suspect modifications were made that aren’t reflected in the plans you do have? Before you start any construction projects on your building, you will want to make sure you have an accurate set of as-built plans.
One way to do this is to have a company that offers GPR scanning services come to your site and scan your building and the surrounding area. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a scanning technology that that can locate unseen items such as utility lines in concrete, in walls, or buried underground. It can find electrical wires, telecommunications cables, water lines, sewer lines, gas lines, and more. Knowing where these items are located will help you avoid them during the demolition process, and can also help you decide where to relocate them, if needed, prior to the start of your project.
If you need to disturb the concrete in your building for any reason, GPR scanning services can also help you locate any reinforcing elements, such as rebar or post-tensioned cables within the concrete.
Even if you have what you believe to be accurate building plans, it never hurts to confirm the details in them. Contractors have been known to “go rogue” and not strictly adhere to the plans they are given. So, while a set of plans could clearly indicate where certain items are located, the reality could be quite different. For the safety of everyone involved in the remodeling process, and to ensure the structural integrity of your building, it’s wise to get a GPR scan to accurately locate all of the utilities and supporting elements.
While GPR will likely be the technology that the scanning company you hire will use, it can be a good idea to hire a company that has other non-destructive tools at their disposal. For example, a company that also offers LiDAR scanning can create a “digital twin” of the space.
If you are in Southern California, a company that provides expert GPR scanning services is Enhanced Scanning. Their technicians are extremely thorough and provide the accurate results that building owners are looking for.
