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Concrete Scanning Thatcham | Local Specialist | NDTScan

GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment across Thatcham, Berkshire and the surrounding counties. Same-day attendance from our Oxford base.
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Bracknell town centre, Berkshire

Overview

For concrete scanning in Thatcham, NDTScan offers something most scanning contractors do not: a named specialist who does the site work and the interpretation. Neil Smuts leads every Berkshire survey from NDTScan's Oxford base, and the report you receive is his reading of the data, not a set of marks left on a slab.

In Thatcham the local context is clear enough: a town on the Kennet with large industrial estates at Colthrop and a big post-war housing stock. Across West Berkshire 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 Thatcham 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.

Where Thatcham clients are heading towards concrete repair, NDTScan's position is firm: the element must be scanned and the data interpreted by a reputable specialist before any repair is designed. Anything else risks treating the symptom and leaving the cause in place. The findings feed straight into the repair specification.

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

Services Available in Thatcham

  • 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 measurement and RAAC identification. Method and antenna selected for the Thatcham 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 Berkshire 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 Thatcham structures.

Typical Thatcham Projects

Around Thatcham the instructions NDTScan receives are shaped by commercial and laboratory floors where post-tensioned slabs are common and post-war housing where non-standard construction has to be identified before any works. Alongside those sit the constants of every Berkshire town: pre-drill and pre-coring scans on occupied buildings, post-tensioned slab investigation before any fixing or penetration, RAAC identification in schools and public buildings, and structural investigation before repair.

NDTScan also covers Newbury, Cold Ash and Woolhampton and the rest of West Berkshire. 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. Thatcham and the whole of Berkshire are within the company's everyday working area, and all work is reported to a standard suitable for engineering acceptance.

Thatcham NDT Services

  • GPR Pre-Drill Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, PT slab mapping, rebar location and void detection across Thatcham housing, commercial and public buildings.
  • Post-Tensioned Slab Investigation Tendon detection and full slab documentation for Berkshire 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 West Berkshire, 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 Thatcham structures.
  • Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, SONREB and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, reported for engineering acceptance and building control in Thatcham.
  • Same-Day Thatcham Coverage Oxford-based team covering Thatcham and the rest of West Berkshire. Immediate mobilisation available, with every survey interpreted and reported in full.
Sales Support?

02080
888 724

Technical Support?

info@ ndtscan.com

It is. NDTScan works from Oxford across Berkshire and the two neighbouring counties, and Thatcham sits comfortably inside that patch. Every survey is carried out and interpreted by Neil Smuts, so the specialist on site in Thatcham is the one who writes the report.
Ground penetrating radar locates reinforcing bars and mesh, post-tensioned tendons, conduits and services, voids and honeycombing, and measures slab thickness and cover. In Thatcham that most often means proving a slab or wall is safe to drill or core, mapping reinforcement before an alteration, or characterising a structure before repair. Where GPR cannot resolve a question, NDTScan adds Ferroscan or ultrasonic methods.
With ground penetrating radar. RAAC planks return a distinctly different signature from conventional reinforced concrete, and NDTScan reads that signature element by element rather than sampling a corner and assuming the rest. The findings for a Thatcham building are reported in line with IStructE guidance, so the owner has a record that supports the decisions that follow.
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 Thatcham and everywhere else is scan first, interpret properly, then design.
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 Thatcham element is made by the method the element needs, and the interpretation of the data matters more than any single instrument.
Need reliable NDT support? NDTScan delivers advanced non-destructive testing and structural diagnostics across the UK. Explore our full capabilities below:

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Our NDT Process - Simplified

How NDTScan Delivers Clarity, Confidence, and Compliance

Initial Scope Consultation

We start by understanding your asset, its environment, and your inspection goals. Whether it's structural integrity, corrosion mapping or defect detection, our team tailors a solution that fits.

Advanced NDT Scanning

Using industry-leading equipment, including Trimble, Leica, DJI drones, and GPR systems, we perform detailed non-intrusive testing with minimal disruption.

Data Reporting & Analysis

You receive comprehensive, plain-English reports backed by high-resolution imagery, 3D models, and annotated scan maps. Data is delivered fast, often within the same week.

Recommendations & Support

Beyond inspection, we guide your next steps, from remedial works to structural interventions or re-inspections. We’re partners, not just service providers.

Precision Scanning. Proven Results. Trusted Nationwide.

Our performance protects your assets. Our technology leads the way. Our insight helps you decide.

We deliver specialist non-destructive testing (NDT) that helps you avoid risk, cut cost, and gain absolute clarity, across infrastructure, utilities, construction, marine and more.

Discover our process
Why Choose NDTScan

Changing the way industries think about inspection and assurance.

Proven, Compliant Technology

Our scanning systems are smart, secure, and fully compliant with UKAS, ISO 9712, and sector safety protocols. We bring the right tech to every job, no compromise.

Highly Skilled Team

Every NDTScan technician is certified, trained, and experienced in real-world environments, from rail tunnels to marine piles. You're in expert hands.

Certified, Auditable Results

We deliver UKAS-traceable reporting and standards-led inspection workflows, ideal for clients under CDM, Utilities, and Infrastructure compliance frameworks.

Support When You Need It

From urgent site visits to post-scan guidance, our team is on hand to support you, because clarity shouldn't wait until Monday.

Thatcham Concrete Scanning FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

Common questions about GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment in Thatcham and across Berkshire. NDTScan works from its Oxford base with fully interpreted reporting.
It is. NDTScan works from Oxford across Berkshire and the two neighbouring counties, and Thatcham sits comfortably inside that patch. Every survey is carried out and interpreted by Neil Smuts, so the specialist on site in Thatcham is the one who writes the report.
Ground penetrating radar locates reinforcing bars and mesh, post-tensioned tendons, conduits and services, voids and honeycombing, and measures slab thickness and cover. In Thatcham that most often means proving a slab or wall is safe to drill or core, mapping reinforcement before an alteration, or characterising a structure before repair. Where GPR cannot resolve a question, NDTScan adds Ferroscan or ultrasonic methods.
With ground penetrating radar. RAAC planks return a distinctly different signature from conventional reinforced concrete, and NDTScan reads that signature element by element rather than sampling a corner and assuming the rest. The findings for a Thatcham building are reported in line with IStructE guidance, so the owner has a record that supports the decisions that follow.
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 Thatcham and everywhere else is scan first, interpret properly, then design.
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 Thatcham element is made by the method the element needs, and the interpretation of the data matters more than any single instrument.