When renovating a property, no one is looking to spend more money than they need to. In fact, most people taking on construction projects are looking to spend the least amount of money possible to get their desired results. They get quotes from multiple contractors to find the best one for the price they are willing to spend. They shop around for materials, and they don’t spend money on anything they deem unnecessary.
However, some things that a property owner deems “unnecessary” in the renovation process may, in fact, be very important. One such thing is private utility location using ground penetrating radar (GPR). Private utility location involves bringing in GPR scanning services to scan the property for any buried private utilities that could get damaged during the construction process if they are not identified in advance. Common examples of private utilities that could be affected during a construction project include things like propane lines, septic systems, irrigation systems, and water lines coming from a well.
Most experienced contractors will require that the property owner locate all utilities—public and private—prior to the start of a project. Public utilities can be located by calling 8-1-1—a free service—but to locate private utilities, the property owner will need to pay an outside GPR scanning service.
Not only can locating all buried utilities potentially save a property owner a ton of money by not having to repair damaged utility lines, it can also protect the person doing the excavating from possible harm. If a gas line or power line is accidentally struck, it could cause serious injury, or even death! While bringing in a GPR scanning service to locate buried private utilities in an added expense that most property owners don’t want to pay, it can be well worth it to avoid a costly accident!
Enhanced Scanning, a company offering GPR scanning services in Southern California, put it this way: “Typically, the cost to bring in a company like Enhanced Scanning to locate private utility lines is just a fraction of the overall project cost. And if we are able to help you avoid hitting utility lines, this will be money very well spent! You won’t have expensive repairs to make because you damaged a utility line. Instead, your project can keep moving forward as scheduled. You will also keep people safe from the potential dangers associated with hitting utility lines.”
Property owners typically pay for things like property insurance without question. So paying for the peace of mind that comes with knowing where potential hazards are buried should be a no-brainer! Even if the general contractor on a renovation project doesn’t require private utility locating, it would still be wise to contact a GPR scanning service.