Concrete scanning for general contractors

Placing the survey in the sequence

For a general contractor, the right moment sits after the location decision and before the drilling crew mobilises. Late enough for the target points to be settled, early enough that moving a few centimetres stays possible without reopening a discussion with the other trades, who rarely have slack in their own schedule.

The survey method is described on the concrete scanning page. What matters here is the sequence: who decides the location, who drills, and what happens if the survey moves the point.

Marking that survives the day

Floor marking serves whoever drills, sometimes several days after the visit. It therefore has to be readable without a spoken explanation, and to survive traffic, dust and cleaning.

Agreeing its form in advance avoids the classic misunderstanding: a cross that means “drill here” to one person and “avoid here” to another. The convention is settled beforehand, not in front of the wall.

• The agreed convention: what each line or colour means
• Protection of the marking until the opening
• A dated photograph of each marked area, filed with the site records
• The name of the person who will drill, so they receive the information directly

Preparing the area so the visit counts

Contact with the surface governs the reading. Stored material, pallets, floor protection or a loose covering create blind spots that cannot be recovered afterwards.

Clearing agreed the day before, an accessible power supply and access to locked rooms turn a rough visit into a survey that can be acted on the next day.

When the survey moves the opening

It happens, and that is precisely the point of the exercise. Allowing margin around the target point avoids having to come back: if an obstacle sits exactly where planned, an acceptable position is sought in the immediate vicinity.

The decision to drill stays with the site. The survey documents what was detected under its conditions; it authorises nothing and does not replace the judgement of those responsible for the work.

Several openings, several areas

Penetrations grouped on one surface and penetrations scattered through a building do not call for the same organisation. Each separate area needs its own preparation, its own locating and its own marking.

Saying in the request how many openings are planned, and whether they are grouped or scattered, lets the scope be framed rather than discovered on site. It also lets the visit be sequenced with the trades who need the result, so nobody waits on a marking that has not been made yet.

Arranging a visit

State the number of openings, their approximate location, the reachable face and the intended drilling date on the contact page. Access and timing constraints are agreed before the visit.

Frequently asked questions