Although we don’t want to be the bearers of bad news, the cold season is just around the corner. It is common knowledge that many engineers and contractors consider the risks involved with performing concrete work in the winter. Last winter, we were approached by a client with a proposal to complete his project, which had been abandoned by the initial engineering firm that the client had contracted. 

The previous firm the client was working with had declined to continue working on the client’s project due to the comments and concerns raised by the city inspector. As a result, the client contacted Q Engineering in the hopes of reaching a resolution. Q Engineering accepted the task of delivering engineering solutions for the project after coordinating with the customer and establishing that the previous engineering firm was informed that another engineering firm would be looking after the project.

During the concrete foundation visual inspection, our structural engineer, at first glance, had noticed several horizontal cracks in the foundation along the property’s perimeter; he concluded that the foundation was inadequate. After carefully investigating, we found that the contractors our client had hired to form the foundation had done a reckless job by using construction glue to connect the masonry foundation wall to the footing and pouring concrete without following the proper procedures. 

The client suggested whether a solution such as concrete coring to complete testing concrete was possible to implement in hopes of keeping some of the foundation work. After completing the site visit, our engineer concluded reconstructing the entire foundation and hiring a qualified contractor to complete the job adequately was the best solution. Although the client wasn’t happy with the solution we proposed, we wanted to share some of the valuable lessons learned from this experience:
– Hiring engineers with the necessary skills, and experience, to provide the engineering details and specifications
– Client to ensure asking engineering firms for engineering support during the construction process regardless of the size of the job
– Doing your due diligence on the prior work experience of your proposed contractor to ensure you’re entrusting the right people for the job
– Verifying the contractor is knowledgeable in mixing concrete and following all necessary steps on-site or is working with a concrete supplier who provides the ready concrete mix on site
– Ensuring the contractor to be knowledgeable and experienced in concrete vibration and concrete curing process