GPR Services · Metro Vancouver
Concrete Scanning in Richmond, BC
The full picture inside any slab, wall, or beam — rebar, PT cables, conduits, voids, thickness — imaged at 1.6 GHz before a single cut. Serving Richmond and the Metro Vancouver region with certified technicians, non-invasive methods, and insurance-ready documentation — since 1999.
Free phone consult · No pressure · Mon–Sat 8am–6pm PT
Richmond ground conditions & what they mean for GPR
Local geology: Richmond sits on Fraser delta silts and peat with a water table often within a metre of grade. Richmond is BC's most depth-limited GPR environment — saturated silts attenuate signal fast. Shallow targets still image well, and we compensate with EM, acoustic, and tracer methods for deeper work.
Local building stock: Slab-on-grade construction nearly everywhere, dyke-protected industrial parks, and extensive irrigation and drainage infrastructure.
Common concrete scanning work in Richmond
- Slab leak detection in slab-on-grade homes
- Drainage and irrigation line mapping
- Shallow utility locates before fence and deck builds
- Slab-on-grade concrete scanning where X-ray is physically impossible
- Pre-coring clearance
- Structural investigations
- Renovation openings
How the Richmond site visit works
- 1
Define objectives
Coring clearance, structural QA, or full as-built — the objective sets grid density and coverage.
- 2
Grid scan
Orthogonal passes build a complete internal image; suspect areas get tightened grids.
- 3
Interpret on site
Targets identified and marked in real time — crews see results before we leave.
- 4
Imagery report
Annotated scans, depth tables, and marked photos delivered for the project record.
Richmond questions, answered
GPR vs X-ray for concrete — which is better?
GPR needs one side of the slab, no radiation permits, no area evacuation, and scans 10× faster at lower cost. X-ray wins only on sub-centimetre detail for congested embeds when both slab faces are accessible. For 95% of BC scanning work, GPR is the right tool.
Can GPR find voids inside the concrete itself?
Yes — honeycombing and consolidation voids reflect distinctly. Common finds in older pours and patch repairs; each gets boundary-marked for the engineer.
How fast can you clear core locations?
Single locations clear in 15–30 minutes including marking. A typical tenant-improvement scope of 10–20 penetrations clears in a half day, same-visit drilling included.
Is the equipment safe to use in occupied buildings?
Completely — GPR emits less RF energy than a phone. No evacuation, no permits, no disruption to tenants or hospital/lab equipment.
How deep can GPR scan in Richmond?
Richmond sits on Fraser delta silts and peat with a water table often within a metre of grade. Richmond is BC's most depth-limited GPR environment — saturated silts attenuate signal fast. Shallow targets still image well, and we compensate with EM, acoustic, and tracer methods for deeper work. We select antenna frequency to match — and where local ground limits radar depth, we pair GPR with electromagnetic locating, acoustic methods, or tracer gas so the survey objective is met regardless of soil conditions.
Do you actually work in Richmond, or dispatch from elsewhere?
Richmond is part of our standing Metro Vancouver service area — the same certified technicians and equipment that cover the rest of the region. Scheduling is typically within 24–72 hours, with same-day response often possible during business hours (Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm Pacific).
What does concrete scanning cost in Richmond?
Pricing matches our province-wide structure — no regional premium for Richmond. Most residential-scale work falls in the $350–$1,200 range depending on scope; commercial and multi-site projects are quoted after a free phone consult. Call 604-239-9934 and we will give you a tight estimate in five minutes.
Other GPR services in Richmond
Rebar & Conduit Locating in Richmond
Know exactly what's inside the concrete — rebar mats, electrical conduits, embedded pipes — before you drill into any of it.
View servicePost-Tension Cable Mapping in Richmond
Cutting a live PT cable releases tonnes of force instantly. GPR maps every cable before any coring, cutting, or anchoring on a post-tensioned slab.
View serviceCore Drilling Safety Scanning in Richmond
Every core hole cleared before the bit touches concrete — rebar, PT cables, conduits, and in-slab pipes mapped at each penetration point.
View serviceSlab Thickness & Void Detection in Richmond
Find the washout before it becomes the sinkhole. GPR measures slab thickness and images the voids beneath floors, decks, and pavements.
View serviceConcrete Scanning near Richmond
Need concrete scanning in Richmond?
Free phone consult with a certified GPR technician — we will tell you whether a survey is warranted and quote it in five minutes. No pressure.