If you have been told you need a geotechnical report and are not quite sure what that means, you are in the right place. Here is what we do, when you need it, and what you get, in plain English.
It is an assessment of the ground your project sits on. We investigate the soil and rock beneath your site, test how it behaves, and write up what it means for your build. In short, it tells your designer and builder how to found your structure safely on that particular piece of ground.
Councils, structural engineers, and certifiers ask for a geotechnical report because the ground varies enormously from block to block. Two houses on the same street can sit on very different soils. Your report gives everyone the numbers they need to design footings correctly and sign the project off.
You are guessing. Over-designed footings waste money; under-designed footings crack, move, and fail. A small investigation up front is far cheaper than remediation after a slab has cracked, and in most cases you legally cannot get approval without one.
Still not sure? Send us your address and what you are building. We will tell you exactly what is required, at no obligation.
On site / residential investigation
/ 01We dig or drill into the ground at your site and find out what's actually down there: soil type, rock depth, groundwater, and anything that could affect your build. It's the starting point for almost everything else: your footing design, your building approval, and your budget.
/ 02Once we've got samples from your site, we test them in the field and in the lab to understand how the ground will behave: whether it swells and shrinks with moisture, how much weight it can safely carry, and how it drains. These results are what your designer or builder uses to get the engineering right.
/ 03Under the Australian Standard for residential slabs (AS 2870), every site gets a classification, ranging from stable ground through to highly reactive or problem soil. This classification tells your builder and designer what kind of footing system your home needs. Getting it right the first time avoids both an underbuilt slab and an overbuilt, overpriced one.
/ 04For driveways, access roads, and subdivisions, we design the pavement layers to suit the ground conditions and the traffic the surface needs to handle, so it holds up under the load without costing more than it needs to.
/ 05Where a site has a slope, a cut, or a retaining wall, we assess how stable the ground is and what's needed to keep it that way: drainage, a retaining structure, or a change to the design. This protects the site itself and anything built on or near it.
/ 06Once work starts, we come back to site to check the ground matches what the design assumed. Footing and pier inspections, subgrade sign-offs, and the certification your builder and certifier need to keep the job moving.
/ 07When ground conditions end up in dispute, we provide independent technical assessments and expert reports for legal and insurance matters, written to be understood by people who are not engineers.
/ 08Contamination assessments and waste classification so you know what is in the ground before you dig, and so soil can be legally moved off site.
Project scoping, site context, and proposal, usually within 24 hours of enquiry.
Boreholes, hand augers, DCPs, or test pits. Methodology matched to the project.
Laboratory testing and engineering analysis to characterise site conditions.
Clear, certified report with classifications, recommendations, and design parameters.
Inspections, RFIs, and engineering input through construction and beyond.
Written to be read, not decoded. Soil classification, bearing capacity, and design parameters your engineer can use straight away.
Footing and construction advice grounded in what actually works on site, so your builder is not left guessing.
If anything is unclear, an engineer walks you through it in plain English. No jargon, no runaround.
/ 01Fast turnaround matched to your project, with options to suit your timeline, keeping your design and approval on track.
/ 02Recommendations grounded in buildability. Solutions your contractor can actually execute, not over conservative theory.
/ 03Direct line to your engineer. Phone calls returned same day, queries answered without escalation chains.
/ 04Site experience informs every recommendation. We understand what works on the ground because we have stood on it.
/ 05Engineering Australia chartered accreditation. Defensible, signed off advice that satisfies councils and certifiers.
/ 06Reports written for the people who use them. Designers, builders, certifiers. Not bloated for the sake of it.
Speak directly with the Momentum Geotechnical engineering team. No call centres, no junior assistants. Straight to a chartered engineer.
Direct Line
1300 213 005
