Concrete Scanning · Anchors · Dowels · Post-Installed Rebar
Every anchor hole is a bet. We take the gamble out of it.
Drilling anchors, dowels, and post-installed rebar means putting dozens or hundreds of holes into structural concrete — each one a chance to strike rebar, sever a post-tension tendon, or cut a conduit. GPR scanning clears every location first, so fasteners land in sound concrete with proper edge distance and embedment, the connection holds, and nothing expensive gets hit. Same-visit scan-and-drill, across all of BC.
Free phone consult · No pressure · Mon–Sat 8am–6pm PT
Anchor & dowel work we scan for
- Equipment and machine-base anchors into slabs
- Racking, mezzanine, and storage-system anchors
- Façade, curtain-wall, and cladding attachment
- Handrail, guardrail, and bollard anchors
- Post-installed rebar dowels for slab/wall extensions
- Adhesive and mechanical anchors at depth
How the scan-and-drill workflow runs
- 1
Mark the anchor layout
Your anchor or dowel pattern is laid out on the concrete — the locations we need to clear. For large patterns we work to your drawing.
- 2
Scan each location
GPR maps rebar, post-tension tendons, and conduit at every anchor point, with depth context to the planned embedment — so the hole clears both the path and the depth.
- 3
Mark clear windows
Each location gets a clear-to-drill mark, or a shifted position where reinforcement forces it, preserving edge distance and embedment for holding power.
- 4
Drill the same visit
Your crew drills the marked clear locations immediately — no report-waiting delay for routine work. Formal documentation provided where an engineer requires it.
Part of the concrete scanning practice
Anchor and dowel clearance is one application of our concrete scanning service. For coring and cutting see scanning for contractors; for rooftop and deck equipment anchoring see scanning for solar & rooftop equipment. New to it? Start with the concrete scanning guide, cost guide, and depth & accuracy guide.
Anchor scanning, answered
Why scan concrete before drilling anchors or dowels?
Anchor and dowel drilling is high-volume, high-risk drilling: dozens or hundreds of holes into structural concrete, each one a chance to hit rebar, sever a post-tension cable, or cut an embedded conduit. A GPR scan clears each location first — so the anchor lands in sound concrete with proper edge distance and embedment, the fastener actually holds, and you don't trigger a $20,000+ tendon repair or a conduit strike. It's faster overall too: marked clear zones mean fewer aborted holes and re-drills.
Will scanning tell me if my anchor will hit rebar?
That's exactly what it does. We map rebar, post-tension tendons, and conduit at each anchor location and mark clear windows where your fastener can go without striking reinforcement or losing required edge distance. For post-installed rebar dowels and adhesive anchors — where embedment depth matters — we also flag what lies at the drilling depth, so you don't bottom out on a bar or breach a duct partway down.
Can you scan and let us drill the same visit?
Yes — for routine anchor and dowel work that's the standard workflow: we scan, mark clear locations, and your crew drills the same visit. There's no report-waiting delay built in unless you specifically need a formal engineer's deliverable. For large anchor patterns (equipment bases, racking, façade attachment) a day rate clears all the locations in one mobilisation, which is the most cost-effective approach.
What about post-installed rebar and adhesive anchors?
Post-installed rebar (doweling into existing concrete for new slabs, walls, or extensions) and adhesive anchors need both a clear drill path and adequate embedment, so scanning matters even more. We clear the drill line of existing reinforcement and embeds and confirm there's sound concrete to the required embedment depth — protecting both the structure you're drilling into and the connection you're creating.
Is this safe on post-tensioned slabs?
It's essential on them. Post-tensioned slabs — standard in BC towers and parkades since the early 1970s — carry tendons stressed to 15–20 tonnes each; an anchor hole that nicks one is a serious safety event and a $20,000–$75,000+ repair. We map the tendon drape and mark strict keep-clear zones before any anchor goes in. On a PT slab, scanning before anchoring isn't best practice, it's the only responsible practice.
Do you provide documentation for the engineer?
When required, yes — an annotated record of cleared anchor locations with the reinforcement and embed map, formatted for the structural engineer or owner. Many anchor and post-installed-rebar scopes are conditioned by the engineer on a scan; the deliverable is quoted up front as part of the scope. See our leak detection reports approach for the documentation standard.
Serving Metro Vancouver, Victoria, the Fraser Valley, and all of BC.Concrete scanning hub·All services
Drill into cleared concrete, every time.
Free phone consult — anchor count, slab type, and a firm scan-and-drill quote in five minutes.