Ensure the success of your construction projects with Lucion’s comprehensive ground investigation surveys. Our expert team provides essential geotechnical data to identify potential issues and optimise design and construction strategies.
Whether you are developing a new construction project or working on existing structures, understanding the ground conditions and subsurface structure is crucial for ensuring the success and safety of your project.
Our technical expertise extends across a comprehensive range of site services, including cable percussion boreholes, window sample boreholes, dynamic probe penetration tests, rotary boreholes, trial pits and soakaway testing, and foundation inspection pits. We conduct thorough site investigations to provide the critical data needed for informed decision-making throughout your project lifecycle.
Cable Percussion Boreholes
Cable percussion drilling is one of the most versatile and widely used ground investigation techniques in the UK and essential for construction projects requiring in-depth sampling.
Whether you’re planning a residential development, commercial build, or infrastructure project, our cable percussion boreholes deliver the reliable geotechnical data you need for confident design decisions. From soft clays to dense gravels and weak rocks, our borehole services obtaining high-quality disturbed and undisturbed samples for laboratory testing within on our in-house UKAS Accredited Geotechnical Lab.
Our experienced teams also install monitoring wells and provide detailed geological logs to support your contaminated land investigations and foundation design requirements.
Window Sample Boreholes
Window sampling provides a rapid and cost-effective method for obtaining continuous soil samples and assessing ground conditions. This technique uses a windowless sampling system to retrieve relatively undisturbed samples from cohesive soils, enabling visual assessment and classification of strata.
Window sample boreholes are particularly useful for:
- Preliminary site investigations – quickly establish baseline ground conditions across your site
- Contamination assessments – efficiently sample multiple locations to assess contamination extent
- Projects with tight timescales – obtain results faster than traditional drilling methods
This approach is well-suited to projects requiring multiple investigation points or where initial ground characterisation is needed to inform more detailed investigation phases.
Dynamic Probe Penetration Tests
When you need quick answers about ground strength and bearing capacity, dynamic probe penetration testing provides immediate, cost-effective results.
Our dynamic cone penetration (DCP) testing helps you assess soil density, identify changes in strata, and evaluate foundation suitability, without the need for extensive excavation. This approach is particularly valuable for pavement design projects, assessing ground improvement effectiveness, and preliminary investigations where you need rapid data to inform your next steps.
Rotary Boreholes
For projects involving deeper investigations or harder geological formations, rotary drilling provides the solution you need.
Our rotary coring capabilities are essential when:
- Investigating rock conditions – obtain continuous core samples for detailed geological assessment
- Designing deep foundations – gather data from significant depths to support piled foundation design
- Assessing slope stability – understand geological structure and discontinuities in rock masses
- Installing deep monitoring wells – establish groundwater monitoring for environmental compliance
- Planning tunnelling or mining works – characterise rock mass properties and engineering behaviour
We work closely with your design team to determine the optimal borehole locations, depths, and sampling strategies to meet your project’s specific requirements.
Trial Pits and Soakaway Testing
Direct visual access to your site’s subsurface conditions provides invaluable insights that borehole data alone cannot deliver.
Our trial pit excavations allow you to see exactly what lies beneath, identifying potential obstacles, assessing shallow ground conditions, and obtaining bulk samples for testing. If you’re planning sustainable drainage solutions, our soakaway testing services determine whether your site is suitable for infiltration-based SuDS.
We conduct percolation tests and BRE 365 soakaway tests to provide the data you need for Building Control approval and to ensure your drainage design meets regulatory requirements and performs effectively throughout its design life.
Foundation Inspection Pits
Planning an extension, refurbishment, or building adjacent to existing structures? Understanding the condition and construction of existing foundations is critical to avoiding costly surprises during construction. Our foundation inspection services carefully expose and document existing foundations, providing you with detailed information about their type, depth, dimensions, and structural condition. This enables your design team to develop appropriate foundation solutions, assess potential settlement risks, and ensure your new works are compatible with existing structures. Our comprehensive reports include photographic records and practical recommendations to de-risk your project from the outset.
Trusted Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Services
All our ground investigation surveys are carried out by qualified and experienced personnel, using state-of-the-art equipment and following industry best practices. We provide comprehensive factual and interpretive reports, including detailed logs, test results, and recommendations, to support your design and construction decisions.
By partnering with Lucion for your construction project ground investigation needs, you can have confidence in the quality and reliability of the geotechnical data obtained. Our surveys help you identify and mitigate potential ground-related risks, optimise your design and construction strategies, and ensure the successful delivery of your project.
