On-Site Lot Drainage Assessment
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
I’m about to put an offer on a single residential lot in a new subdivision and need a licensed civil engineer to walk the site with me and give a professional opinion on its storm-water behaviour before I commit. My two priority concerns are erosion issues and overall drainage efficiency; the parcel sits uphill from a lake/pond and I’d prefer to know now—rather than mid-construction—if natural run-off patterns or a high water table could threaten the house pad or future landscaping.
The lot is mostly covered with grass and other low groundcover, so you’ll have decent visual access to slopes and swales. I’d like you to:
• Perform an on-site inspection focused on grades, visible sediment movement, and existing drainage paths
• Review any subdivision plans or contour data I can supply (PDFs from the developer)
• Flag red-flags such as poor back-slope, inadequate easements, or signs the lake could back-flow in heavy storms
• Provide a brief written memo—nothing fancy, just clear notes, annotated photos, and preliminary recommendations for cut-and-fill, swales, French drains, or other mitigations that might be required before we pour a foundation
If you use standard tools like AutoCAD Civil 3D, HEC-RAS, or similar to double-check calculations, please say so in your bid. A one-page summary of potential costs to remediate would be the icing on the cake.
Timing: We are waiting on this to move forward with the contract, so someone who is available ASAP would be ideal.
The lot is mostly covered with grass and other low groundcover, so you’ll have decent visual access to slopes and swales. I’d like you to:
• Perform an on-site inspection focused on grades, visible sediment movement, and existing drainage paths
• Review any subdivision plans or contour data I can supply (PDFs from the developer)
• Flag red-flags such as poor back-slope, inadequate easements, or signs the lake could back-flow in heavy storms
• Provide a brief written memo—nothing fancy, just clear notes, annotated photos, and preliminary recommendations for cut-and-fill, swales, French drains, or other mitigations that might be required before we pour a foundation
If you use standard tools like AutoCAD Civil 3D, HEC-RAS, or similar to double-check calculations, please say so in your bid. A one-page summary of potential costs to remediate would be the icing on the cake.
Timing: We are waiting on this to move forward with the contract, so someone who is available ASAP would be ideal.