Every building, house, bridge, road, or anything built on the ground has a foundation to support it. Foundation design simplistically is calculating how to make the soil support the structure you want.
Since every structure is different and built in different places, it’s important to have a specific foundation designed for the conditions at your property or job. 
Whether you are planning new construction or a renovation, it’s important to start with a solid foundation. Other engineering firms will tell you a foundation is the lowest structural member of a building. We at FGE will tell you that a foundation is what you will build everything from. A proper foundation design minimizes settlement and potential damage to your building.
The design of a foundation is critical since foundations in Florida have a weak point; they’re usually built on soil. To counter this obstacle, a good assessment of the supporting soil is your best weapon. Our engineers utilize proven techniques along with old fashioned common sense to evaluate what the soil conditions are at your site so we can design the best foundation for your needs. At FGE, we are proud to offer our customers the convenience of our drilling and foundation design services.
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Generally foundations are broken down in to two categories, shallow and deep.
Shallow Foundations
Shallow foundations are normally used in residential construction and commercial construction where the weight of the structure is not too heavy or where the shallow subsurface conditions are suitable to support your structure. This is normally the less expensive foundation when compared to a deep foundation. Typical shallow foundation types utilized in Florida are slab-on-grades, strip footings, mat/raft foundations, and pad foundations.
Deep Foundations
Deep foundations are commonly used for larger structures such as commercial or industrial buildings. These types of foundations distribute the structural loads to bedrock or competent soil where a shallow foundation is inadequate or where the shallow soil is incompetent. There are several types of deep foundations FGE is experienced with including but not limited to augercast piles, drilled shafts, driven piles, and micropiles. The deep foundations are normally constructed by drilling to a set depth and creating either a zone of influence in the soil or a column for a load to be applied to. FGE has the knowledge and experience to find appropriate cost effective solutions for most deep foundation design projects.
FGE offers complete turn-key Foundation Design and Inspection services. Our team of skilled engineers can oversee each step of the design process, working with customer to deliver the right foundation for your job efficiently, effectively, and affordably!
Foundation Inspection
A foundation is arguably the most essential component of any building or structure. As such, you need to know if yours was built properly. FGE offers complete foundation inspection services for all types of foundations.
A foundation inspection can involve two categories of testing, commonly referred to as non-destructive and destructive testing. Non-destructive testing can includes tasks such as a visual inspection of the foundation to identify construction defects, poor drainage, and settlement, or can include an elevation survey to determine levelness, or various types of surveys such as GPR or x-ray to determine foundation construction. When necessary, destructive testing methods such as coring are completed.
OUR NON-DESTRUCTIVE SERVICES INCLUDE:
- Visual inspections to identify settlement, construction defects, poor drainage, and much more
- Elevation survey to determine levelness
- Concrete strength with common techniques such as a rebound hammer, Windsor Probe, or impact echo
- Concrete imaging with modern techniques such as GPR, electromagnetic, or x-ray
OUR DESTRUCTIVE SERVICES INCLUDE:
- Concrete coring
- Compressive strength
- Petrographic Analysis
- Chemical Analysis
- Reinforcing steel strength
Our team of skilled engineers are trained to recognize the signs of a distressed foundation and determine the cause(s). Where necessary, our engineers have extensive experience at formulating efficient, cost-effective solutions tailored to your needs.
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