What sets us apart
Non-destructive methods first
Gather information about suitable concrete without unnecessary opening-up or exploratory damage.
Seven-day availability
Flexible attendance for planned works, occupied properties and projects operating to changing schedules.
Practical interpretation
We assess the radar information and explain the relevant findings rather than supplying data without context.
Answer questions about existing concrete before work starts
Alterations to an existing building often begin with a basic question: what is actually inside the concrete? Drawings may provide some information, but they may not show the detail needed around a proposed hole, opening or fixing location.
ACUO Structural Insights provides GPR concrete scanning in Barnstaple to investigate these areas from the surface. Ground-penetrating radar can help map detectable reinforcement and reveal other relevant embedded features within suitable concrete, giving the project team additional information before the structure is changed.
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The technique can be applied to refurbishment, extensions, building upgrades, new service routes and other works involving existing slabs or walls. We can concentrate on specific locations or examine a wider area where the reinforcement arrangement needs to be understood in more detail.
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If the project involves cracking, suspected defects or questions about structural performance as well as concealed reinforcement, our structural investigations can help explore those concerns further.
What we can help establish
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Reinforcement positions in accessible concrete
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Conditions around proposed drilling locations
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Detectable features within slabs and walls
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Information for planned openings and penetrations
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Concrete details relevant to refurbishment
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Additional evidence where drawings lack detail
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Subsurface information for engineers and contractors
Useful when the building records leave questions unanswered
Not every project starts with a complete set of structural information. Older properties may have limited documentation, while subsequent extensions and alterations can make it difficult to know whether historic drawings still represent what is present today.
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Scanning the concrete itself provides another source of evidence. GPR can help establish reinforcement patterns and highlight detectable features across the area being examined, allowing those findings to be considered before new work is committed. In Barnstaple and across North Devon, this can be useful for residential alterations, commercial refurbishment, property upgrades and construction projects where existing concrete needs to accommodate something new. The investigation can be tailored around the practical question being asked rather than applying the same scope to every building.
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Where planned works also involve trenches, foundations or other ground disturbance, our utility surveys can help establish where buried services may affect the work.