Major renovations to a home or commercial facility can get very expensive very quickly. Even the cost of a seemingly minor renovation can spiral upwards if you’re not careful (or even if you are). Residential and commercial improvements and repairs are just expensive nowadays, with the costs of materials and labor both increasing over the past several years.
However, there are cases where you might want to spend additional money in order to potentially save some money on a renovation project. One specific example would be to spend money on concrete scanning services.
What Are Concrete Scanning Services?
If you aren’t familiar with concrete scanning services, this type of service involves hiring a company or individual to come to your location and conduct a scan of your concrete slab or concrete block wall using nondestructive technology such as ground penetrating radar (GRP). A GPR scan can tell you what items are located within your concrete and where they are located—without disturbing the concrete. This is important if you plan to cut, drill, or core into your concrete. Like if you want to run new utility lines, move walls around, or cut into a block wall for a new window or door.
The Benefits of Working with Concrete Scanning Services
Knowing what is embedded in your concrete before disturbing it can help you avoid hitting water, gas, sewer, or electrical lines, as well as the metal reinforcing bars (also known as rebar) within the concrete. Hitting a utility line can result in expensive repairs and can cause the entire project to come to a standstill as you wait for repairs to be made. Hitting the rebar embedded in the concrete can compromise the integrity of the concrete, and can also require expensive repairs, depending on how badly the rebar was damaged.
By calling in a concrete scanning service prior to disturbing the concrete you can locate all of the embedded hazards and then avoid them. Yes, a concrete scanning service will cost you money, but it could also potentially save you a ton of money, time, and heartache. A concrete scanning service can mark the areas that need to be avoided, so you can safely proceed with your project.
In Southern California, Enhanced Scanning is one of the leading concrete scanning services for both residential and commercial projects. They typically can come out to your property within a day or two, so even if you procrastinate in having your concrete scanned, your project still won’t be held up too long. They use ground penetrating radar equipment, as well as other nondestructive tools for locating embedded hazards.
