Geotechnical service
Foundation Engineering & Design
The right foundation is the one matched to your soil, your loads, and your budget. We design shallow and deep foundation systems using bearing capacity and settlement measured from your own site data, then deliver clear, buildable recommendations your structural engineer and the building department can act on immediately.
What's included
- Shallow foundation design — spread footings, strip footings, and mats
- Deep foundation design — drilled piers, driven piles, and micropiles
- Allowable bearing pressure and settlement estimates
- Lateral capacity and passive resistance for retaining and seismic loads
- Soil-structure interaction parameters for structural modeling
- Foundation recommendations coordinated with your structural engineer
What you receive
- Foundation design recommendations report
- Bearing capacity and settlement tables
- Lateral and uplift design parameters
- Construction-phase observation criteria
When you need it
Foundation engineering follows the site investigation and precedes structural design. You need it for new construction, vertical additions that increase loads, and any project on soft, expansive, or filled ground where a generic footing detail would be a liability.
Foundation Engineering — common questions
- When do I need deep foundations instead of footings?
- Deep foundations become necessary when near-surface soils are too weak, compressible, or liquefiable to support loads within acceptable settlement — common on bay mud, deep fill, and steep sites. We compare shallow and deep options on measured data so you only pay for what the ground actually requires.
- Can you work with my architect and structural engineer?
- Yes. We deliver bearing pressures, settlement limits, and lateral parameters in the form your structural engineer models against, and we coordinate directly through design and permitting to keep the project moving.
- Do you design foundations for hillside homes?
- Frequently. Hillside sites in the Oakland and Berkeley hills often combine slope stability, drilled piers, and grade beams — an area where our combined foundation and slope experience is a real advantage.
Related services
Tell us about your site.
Send us the location and what you have planned. You'll get a straight answer on what the ground can carry — and a fixed-fee proposal within 24 hours.