Faringdon's specialist NDT team. On site at short notice.

Concrete Scanning Faringdon

GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment across Faringdon, Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties. short-notice attendance, usually within one to two working days and same day where the diary allows, from our Oxford base.

Book a Scan01865 704407
  • Level 4 UKCSS Operator
  • Interpreted and reported for engineers
  • Oxford based, UK and Europe
Henley-on-Thames church and river, Oxfordshire

Overview

NDTScan provides concrete scanning in Faringdon as part of its core Oxfordshire coverage. The company is based in Oxford and led by Neil Smuts, who carries out and interprets the surveys himself rather than passing the data to a back office. For Faringdon clients that means one accountable specialist from the first call to the final report.

Faringdon lies in the Vale of White Horse, and what NDTScan is asked to look at here reflects Oxfordshire as a whole: university and science campus estates, market towns with listed fabric, and sustained new housing growth around Bicester, Didcot and Witney. Across the Vale of White Horse the recurring need is the same: to know exactly what is inside a concrete element before anyone drills, cores, cuts or specifies a repair.

Most scanning companies stop at marks on the surface. NDTScan does not. Every Faringdon survey goes through careful office post-processing, where reflections are analysed, ambiguities resolved and the interpretation checked against the drawings and the element's history. The result is a record the client can design from, defend in a dispute and hand to an auditor.

NDTScan will always say this to a Faringdon client considering repairs: scan first. A repair specified without a proper survey and an expert interpretation is a repair to a guess. The survey establishes what is really there, so the engineer can design for the structure that exists rather than the one on the drawings.

Scan before you repair. That is the standing advice for every Faringdon client, and the reason NDTScan reports what the concrete contains before anyone specifies what to do about it.

Services Available in Faringdon

  • GPR Concrete Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, rebar and mesh mapping, post-tensioned tendon detection, void and honeycombing detection, slab thickness and cover estimation and RAAC identification. Method and antenna selected for the Faringdon element in question, with the full interpreted record supplied.
  • Ultrasonic Testing of Concrete Ultrasonic pulse velocity testing for uniformity and quality assessment, pulse echo for thickness and delamination where only one face is accessible, and the combined SONREB method for compressive strength estimation. Used across Oxfordshire where GPR alone cannot answer the question.
  • Concrete Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer surveys, UPV combined method and managed core extraction with laboratory testing to BS EN 13791. Independent reporting suitable for engineering acceptance, building control and dispute work on Faringdon structures.

Typical Faringdon Projects

The work NDTScan is instructed for around Faringdon follows the shape of the Vale of White Horse: pre-drill and pre-coring scans in occupied houses and commercial units, post-tensioned slab checks before fixings or penetrations, RAAC identification in schools, halls and public buildings, cover and rebar surveys ahead of structural alterations, and investigation of existing slabs and frames before repair or redesign.

NDTScan also covers Wantage, Stanford in the Vale and Shrivenham and the rest of the Vale of White Horse. Every one of these areas is reached from the Oxford base without a subcontractor in the chain.

About NDTScan

NDTScan is a specialist non-destructive testing company based in Oxford and led by Neil Smuts. Its core disciplines are GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and in-situ compressive strength assessment, brought together in its concrete scanning and structural condition survey service. NDTScan is a Level 4 UKCSS Operator, the first in the UK to achieve that certification. Faringdon and the whole of Oxfordshire are within the company's everyday working area, and all work is reported to a standard suitable for engineering acceptance. RAAC identification is covered on the RAAC surveys page, and steel on the ultrasonic thickness and corrosion mapping page.

Faringdon NDT Services

  • GPR Pre-Drill Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, PT slab mapping, rebar location and void detection across Faringdon housing, commercial and public buildings.
  • Post-Tensioned Slab Investigation Tendon detection and full slab documentation for Oxfordshire commercial, education and healthcare structures before any fixing, cutting or coring.
  • RAAC Identification GPR based RAAC plank identification for schools, halls, housing and public buildings across the Vale of White Horse, reported in line with IStructE guidance.
  • Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Testing UPV surveys using the Proceq Pundit PL-200 to BS EN 12504. Uniformity, delamination and strength estimation for Faringdon structures.
  • Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, SONREB and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, reported for engineering acceptance and building control in Faringdon.
  • Short-Notice Faringdon Coverage Oxford-based team covering Faringdon and the rest of the Vale of White Horse. Immediate mobilisation available, with every survey interpreted and reported in full.

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Why Choose NDTScan

Faringdon Concrete Scanning FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

The questions Faringdon clients ask most often about concrete scanning, RAAC identification and structural investigation, answered by the specialist who does the work.

Is Faringdon within NDTScan's normal working area?

It is. NDTScan works from Oxford across Oxfordshire and the two neighbouring counties, and Faringdon sits comfortably inside that patch. Every survey is carried out and interpreted by Neil Smuts, so the specialist on site in Faringdon is the one who writes the report.

What will a concrete scan tell me about a Faringdon building?

What the data indicates is inside the concrete and how far each reading can be trusted. A survey indicates the position and estimated depth of reinforcement, post-tensioned tendons, embedded services and voids, and estimates slab thickness and cover. For a Faringdon building that is the difference between a decision made on evidence and one made on the drawings, and between a repair designed for the structure that exists and one designed for the structure someone assumed.

Can you identify RAAC in Faringdon buildings?

Yes. NDTScan uses GPR to distinguish reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete planks from conventional reinforced concrete, and reports the findings in a form that supports the building owner's duties under IStructE guidance. RAAC identification is a regular instruction across Oxfordshire schools, halls, housing and healthcare stock, and Faringdon is no exception.

Why should I scan before drilling or repairing concrete in Faringdon?

Because the drawings are not the structure. Post-tensioned tendons, live services and undocumented reinforcement are all commonly found where nobody expected them, and striking any of them is expensive at best. On repairs the argument is stronger still: a repair specified without a proper survey and interpretation is a repair to a guess. NDTScan's rule for Faringdon and everywhere else is scan first, interpret properly, then design.

What equipment does NDTScan use on Faringdon concrete scanning projects?

GSSI SIR 4000 and Mala ground penetrating radar systems for the scanning itself, the Hilti PS Ferroscan for high resolution rebar mapping in tight spaces, and the Proceq Pundit PL-200 for ultrasonic pulse velocity and pulse echo work. The choice for a Faringdon element is made by the method the element needs, and the interpretation of the data matters more than any single instrument.

Concrete scanning guides

The questions behind most enquiries

How to identify RAAC

What RAAC looks like, where it was used, and what a visual check cannot tell you.

Read the guide

Scanning before drilling or coring

What happens on the day, what the marks mean, and what the contractor receives.

Read the guide

Post-tension detection

How tendons are investigated in a post-tensioned slab, and when the engineer decides.

Read the guide

Rebar scanning

Bar position, spacing and estimated cover, and what a scan cannot tell you.

Read the guide

Ferroscan surveys

What the Hilti system does well, and where radar takes over.

Read the guide

Concrete x-ray

Why radiography is rarely practical on site, and what replaces it.

Read the guide

What clients and partners say

In their words

I have worked with Neil on a number of projects and have found him to be extremely knowledgeable in the fields of concrete scanning and structural repair. His approach to the task is very structured and professional, and communication throughout the project is always open and honest. I will be working with Neil again in the future, and I would happily recommend him.

Andy HEngineering Project Manager, client. Recommendation on LinkedIn

I had the pleasure of working with Neil on a complex project involving structural remediation, where his expertise was key to our success. Neil was professional, knowledgeable, and solution-focused throughout. He worked seamlessly with the client team and brought the right attitude to every challenge.

Steven CSenior Construction Consultant, client side. Recommendation on LinkedIn

Neil is an expert in his field, with a high level understanding of concrete scanning techniques, concrete repairs, and the technology that suits. He shows a keen interest in innovation and is open to learning new methodologies. I would highly recommend Neil to those seeking his services.

Tell us about the structure.

A postcode, the element in question and what you need to do to it is enough to start. Every survey is quoted on the structure, the access and the reporting required.

Book a survey01865 704407