Structural Surveying Services

At Firntec we take pride in delivering comprehensive Structural Surveys tailored to your property needs, ensuring peace of mind and confidence in your buildings. With Firntec, excellence meets affordability. Choose Firntec for a survey that exceeds your expectations.

Reinforced Concrete Frame Material Testing

Health and condition tests for RC frames constructed in the 1950’s to 1970’s. We will supply a team of trained and experienced contractors to site to take the samples and then send to certified laboratory for testing. 

Collect 3 No. core samples of 100mm diameter concrete to test strength 
Check cover depth in 6 No. locations 
Check depth of carbonation in 5 No. locations 
Test 5 No. locations for presence of chloride 
Collect 5 No. samples for laboratory testing for presence of High Alumnia Cement 
Laboratory testing of the samples taken 
Report back on works completed and supply comprehensive photos of all works and areas inspected
Follow up structural interpretive report for client with conclusions and recommendations

Based on the initial visual structural appraisals there are 37 buildings that require this survey. 

Scope Abseiling Cladding Fixings Survey

Supply a team of fully equipped roped access technicians to site.
Use of anchorage points where possible on each block or a mobile weight anchorage box to be used for rigging.
Abseil all four facades to each block and drill holes in three locations (top, middle and ground) to assess the condition of the internal wall ties.
3x inspection locations to be undertaken per elevation of the building.
Cavity wall tie’s locations will need to be identified with a wall tie scanner, and we will need to report back on locations of wall ties.
Installing an endoscope camera at each location to take some pictures of the brick ties and filling the hole again with a suitable dye matched mortar dye.
Use of a wall tie scanner and endoscope camera required for condition photos to be suppled. Tie scanner will require rental. 
Report back on works completed and supply comprehensive photos of all works and areas inspected.
Follow up structural interpretive report for client with conclusions and recommendations.

(if low rise, it wouldn’t involve abseiling

The “cladding fixing” survey proposed for these type of walls are to check the presence and condition of the internal wall ties between the inner and outer leaf. The process would be something as shown in the steps below. We would do this likely at 3 locations on each elevation,  top middle bottom. This is to assess the wall under all types of exposure.  

STEP 1

Using the Bosch Wall Scanner it identifies the thickness of the wall and picks up any obstacles as well as locate wall ties.

STEP 2

Our engineer is scanning the wall to locate wall ties, which he will then drill beside the target area to insert a Borescope camera.

STEP 3

The engineer drills a small hole in the mortar between the bricks to insert a small borescope camera.

STEP 4

Using a HD borescope camera, we linked this to the smartphone to demonstrate the quality of the image.

Non destructive concrete testing using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)

We can establish general construction details such as overall thickness, reinforcement depth and layouts. The GPR is additionally used to determine the presence of corrosion potential within each of the RC slabs. This can be effective to determine the durability and condition of a cantilevered balcony.

Cover Meter Checks

Spot checks on the cover depth on representative locations of an RC frame to determine the as-built fire resistance of the structural frame.

Systematic Risk Assessment

We can determine whether there are any hazard scenarios that have an unacceptable level of risk and if so to identify steps to mitigate those risks based on the flow diagram procedure described in BS EN 1991-1-7.

Concrete Repairs

Localised concrete repairs to spalled concrete, cracked sections and corroded exposed reinforcement.

Concrete Health and Condition Tests

With a combination of Non Destructive and laboratory testing we can assess:

The durability of the RC frame and estimate the likely time to onset of corrosion due to carbonation
Assess the risk of corrosion due to cast-in and ingress chlorides

An indicative fire resistance of the concrete elements derived from concrete rebar scanning undertaken in a few representative locations of the main structural elements

The presence of HAC within the concrete

An assurance on the quality of the construction and workmanship with spot checks on the compressive strength of the concrete

Cavity Wall Tie Checks

Abseilers can assess the presence and condition of the original cavity walls using endoscope surveys and assessment of their structural integrity.

Large Panel Building Checks

We can assess the presence and form of remedial brackets installed to large panel system buildings which were recommended by the inquiry after the Ronan Point disaster in 1968.

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Identification

We can assess precast concrete flooring systems to determine if RAAC panels are present.

Case Study

Chelmer Housing Partnership (CHP) is responsible for managing a diverse range of residential properties.

With increasing regulatory requirements due to the Building Safety Act, CHP sought Firntec’s expertise to ensure the compliance of a high-rise residential block in Chelmsford.