Twelve questions, answered directly

If you are building a new structure, adding column loads, or your municipality requires a statement of special inspections, then yes — and your structural engineer will need bearing values regardless. For minor residential work a two-boring screening program is often enough. Call us and describe the project; we will tell you plainly whether you need a full investigation.

As a rule of thumb we plan one boring per 5,000 to 10,000 square feet of building footprint, with a minimum of four for a commercial structure and two for a small addition. Depth is generally the greater of 50 feet or refusal, reduced where competent glacial soils appear early.

Most small-commercial programs in Essex and Hudson counties fall between $4,500 and $12,000. Cost drivers are boring count, depth, access constraints, traffic protection and the laboratory program. We quote a fixed fee, so the proposal number is the invoice number unless you approve a change in writing.

Utility markouts govern the schedule. With a standard NJ One Call ticket we are usually drilling within five to seven business days. We reserve capacity each week for active-site emergencies — call 908-383-5504 and ask for the yard.

Five to eight business days from the last boring for standard investigations. Consolidation testing adds one to two weeks because the test itself takes that long. If your schedule is tighter, tell us at proposal stage and we will confirm whether it is achievable.

Every geotechnical report we issue carries the seal and signature of a Professional Engineer licensed in the state where the project is located. James Parker personally reviews each one before it leaves the office.

Yes — field density, concrete cylinders, asphalt, masonry and special inspections. Keeping the investigation and the testing under one firm means the engineer who wrote the recommendations is the one verifying them in the field.

We do, across Essex, Hudson, Union, Middlesex and Bergen counties and in New York City jurisdictions where we are listed. We prepare the inspection log, document deviations and issue the signed closeout statement reviewers require.

We stop, call you the same day, and describe the options and cost implications before doing additional work. Discovering a buried slab or an unexpected soft layer is common in this region; discovering it during construction instead is what we are hired to prevent.

Yes. Additions, pool structures, retaining walls, driveway settlement and homeowner movement concerns. We scope these at a residential budget rather than pushing a commercial program onto a small job.

We carry general liability, commercial auto, workers' compensation and professional liability coverage. Certificates naming your entity as additional insured are issued on request, usually the same day.

Email the site address, a plan or sketch, and what you intend to build to partners@geotehnica.com, or call 908-383-5504 during business hours. You will speak with an engineer, not an intake screener, and you will have a written scope and fee shortly after.