Aerial Photo Documentation
Environmental Assessment
Geotechnical Engineering
Construction Materials Testing
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| Aerial Photo Documentation
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Q: Why does BOYLE, an engineering firm, provide in-house aerial photographic documentation services?
A: In 2005, our firm experienced explosive growth, and it was the only way we could keep a good eye on all our environmental, geotechnical, and construction monitoring projects, on behalf of our clients. It made sense to integrate the tool for the long term as it was so effective. As a consulting engineering firm, it made sense to extend these services to others who see the value of our innovation and can benefit from our experience. Although the quality of our all-digital photography is excellent and we consider ourselves professional photographers, we are licensed consulting professionals first, adept at the many tools used to assist our non-technical clients. We consider aerial photo documentation very complimentary to all our other data collection and assessment services. |
Q: Do you provide photogrammetry, or "topographic" aerial photographs?
A: No. We provide quick response aerial reconnaissance using cost-effective off-the-shelf technology to enhance information collection, documentation, and project knowledge, not aerial mapping products such as orthophotographs, planemetrics, Digital Terrain Models, etc. These services do not fit the market we serve, so we leave those tasks to the aerial mapping firms and the licensed photogrammetrists. |
Q: What kinds of aerial photo services do you provide?
A: We use high-resolution digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras and professional optics to provide oblique (at-an-angle) and vertical (straight down through the airplane belly) images. We also provide a unique service called InSiteful Imagery TM ; this is a custom reconnaissance service that incorporates other information with our photographs that makes the photo documentation service "insightful" and thereby more valuable. Our clients don't need sophisticated GIS software to be able to use these one-of-a- kind custom services. We use technology that serves the client and try to keep it simple.
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Q: Why do you use digital cameras?
A: Digital camera technology has come a long way in just the last couple years. The all-digital environment allows us to plan, capture, process, store, and deliver high quality aerial photography more efficiently than ever before. We focus on finding ways to use this technology in making aerial photo services more useful and readily available, especially to those in fast-paced environments that reward proactivity. |
Q: How does your firm stack up against the other aerial photography firms in the area?
A: There are very many capable aerial photographers in the area. Some are primarily professional photographers and need to hire a commercial pilot/ airplane, while some are very capable pilots/ photographers. BOYLE brings together a 25-person engineering consulting firm with professional environmental, engineering, and construction monitoring staff, along with military reconnaissance credentials; this makes us very unique and capable to meet a wide variety of client needs. |
Q: How do I know if your firm can meet my aerial photo documentation needs?
A: We may or may not be a good fit for you. If you are interested in very high-resolution aerial images that can be obtained quickly and routinely, at an affordable price, and strict photogrammetrics (highly accurate measurements on the image) are not that important, we can probably help you out. We will always discuss your needs and determine if there is a good fit. There are many, many variables that need to be discussed prior to determining an appropriate scope of work and cost. Feel free to call us or email us at any time.
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Environmental Assessment
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Q: Why should I do a Phase I Environmental Assessment (Phase I) on the property I am about to purchase?
A: If you want to protect your self from buying a "pig-in-a-poke", have one done. Also, it is the only legal way to claim "innocent landowner defense", in case you end up in a lawsuit for buying a hazardous waste site. A Phase I is a preliminary evaluation of a property to assess its potential to have been contaminated. |
Q: What other environmental services do you provide?
A: Our environmental group provides all kinds of services in the Carolinas. We work mostly for private entities needing very custom and experienced consultants to manage environmental problems. Our aerial photographic documentation services are provided to enhance our routine services and are also provided to environmental clients needing very custom aerial photo services. |
Q: What is a reliance letter? Who can get one?
A: A Reliance Letter allows someone who was not named in a Phase I report to rely on the findings of the Phase I report as if it were prepared for them. We will typically provide a Reliance Letter to the original client, a related company of the client, or the client's lender. |
Q: How long is a Phase I good for? How long does it take to complete a Phase I?
A: "Compliant" Phase I's are good for one year but certain sections have to be updated after 180 days. Depending on the complexity of the property, a Phase I can be completed in about 2-3 weeks. |
Geotechnical Engineering
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Q: Why should I have a geotechnical study of a site performed?
A: In many cases, the risk of adverse geotechnical conditions affecting the viability of a project can be greater than the environmental potential to do the same. Banks rarely require it, but it makes sense, depending on the size and type of project. |
Q: How many borings do I need?
A: It depends on the size and complexity of the site but we can offer the following guidelines: Preliminary Geotechnical = One boring per 10 acre parcel (e.g. 110 acre site yields about 11 borings); or Final Geotechnical = One boring per 100 to 125 ft of building (e.g. a 100 by 130 ft building gets 5 borings, one at each corner and one in the center). |
Q: What is "Bull Tallow" and why is it bad?
A: "Bull Tallow" is a local term used to describe clayey soils that typically shrink and/or swell during drought or rainy periods. It is bad because it causes movement of structures and their foundations. |
Q: What's the difference between good fill and bad fill?
A: The thing most engineers consider as "good" fill is an engineered soil material that has been monitored, tested and documented as being suitable for proposed construction. Bad fill is everything else! |
Q: It's been 3 months since I purchased a lot certified by an engineer as suitable for residential construction. It should still be OK, right?
A: Maybe, maybe not. Unless it was properly capped and protected from standing water, it may have softened considerably. It's a good idea to get your certification date as close to construction start date as possible. |
Q: My walls have cracks that get wide then tighten up at different times of the year. Why?
A: Sounds like your house foundations are constructed on expansive clay. When the clay dries out it shrinks and pulls the walls apart. Later, when the rainy season arrives, the clays get wet and swell, pushing the walls back together. If you tried to fill the cracks during the summer, the fillings will either get pushed out or the walls may crack somewhere else. |
Q: What is a helical pier or a caisson?
A: Helical piers are basically big drill bits attached to a steel column that is twisted into the ground. Caissons are drilled holes in the ground that get filled with concrete. Caissons are also called drilled piers. Both helical piers and caissons are used to go deep to get foundation support. |
Construction Materials Testing
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Q: Can your vertical photographs be used for "engineering" purposes?
A: Absolutely. We are uniquely suited for this because we have a strong appreciation for the problem-solving needs of other professionals. Approximate scales can always be used and the photographs are excellent for preliminary engineering planning, problem solving, and documentation purposes that rely on high-resolution visuals. Our vertical photographs do not meet the strict equipment and photogrammetric standards needed for legal surveying purposes. We leave this to the aerial mapping firms. Our photographs have maximum visual impact for broader, and in some cases, more useful applications where very precise scale and photogrammetrics are not needed and would not be cost effective. |
Q: Will I be able to obtain a signed engineering letter for my building project if I just have a footing inspection performed?
A: No. There is further documentation besides just a footing inspection required for an "engineering letter" to be drafted and signed by an engineer. An adequate understanding of the subsurface to a sufficient depth is required of the responsible engineer. |
Q: Is my new construction project in Mecklenburg County required to have Special Inspections performed by a third party engineering firm?
A: If the project plans have a Schedule of Special Inspections on the structural specifications of the drawing, then chances are the project will require Special Inspections as indicated by the project structural engineer. Mecklenburg County has recently issued an interim scope for Special Inspections, so review of this scope will provide further details for requirements of each specific project. |
Q: What is soil compaction testing and how is it used?
A: There are many methods of determining the adequacy of "soil compaction" in order to build a structure. Some methods determine the soil density, while others measure the resistance to an applied force. All these methods are used to give the engineer an idea of the available soil strength and how it will behave over time under the weight of a structure. |
Q: Why do I need to have any third-party construction materials testing (CMT) done during my construction project?
A: Construction Materials Testing is used to determine the adequacy of construction materials and techniques employed by the builder/s. The scope and intensity of testing is a subjective decision and should be guided by the architect and engineers involved in the project. |
