Concrete Slab Scanning for Multi-Family Buildings in BC

Why This Scan Matters

Multi-family buildings in BC — from four-storey wood-frame apartments to 50-storey concrete towers — concentrate hidden hazards in their slabs. Plumbing risers, in-slab radiant lines, conduit raceways, PT tendons, and structural rebar all share the same vertical envelope. A single slab penetration in the wrong place can flood the suite below, knock out a riser serving 30 units, or compromise structural capacity.

Our multi-family scanning service covers both rental-managed buildings and stratified condominiums. We work directly for owners, building managers, contractors performing tenant turnovers and capital projects, and the engineering and architectural firms managing renovations on aging mid-century apartment stock across Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, and the rest of the Lower Mainland.

We pay particular attention to two BC-specific issues: aging cast-iron and copper risers that often run partially in-slab in 1960s-1980s buildings, and PT slabs in 1990s+ towers where unmarked drilling has caused multiple six-figure repair events over the last decade.

What We Detect Inside the Concrete

Concrete is rarely “just concrete.” Modern slabs in BC carry a tight grid of structural steel, electrical conduits, water lines, low-voltage cabling, and — in post-tensioned construction — high-tension cables that will fail catastrophically if cut. Our scans map every embedded element before any drilling, coring, or cutting begins.

Common Scenarios We Solve On This Page

Owner-paid suite renovation — pre-drill scan

Condo or rental owner is renovating; council or landlord requires a scan before slab work. We scan the renovation footprint, mark embedded elements, and produce an approval-ready report.

Building-wide riser-replacement project

Aging cast-iron stacks need replacement. We map the existing stack routing, identify slab transitions, and document the existing service layout for the engineering team.

Suite-to-suite leak investigation

Water appears in one suite from above. We scan the upper suite’s slab, locate the leak source, and provide source-attribution documentation for insurance.

Tenant-improvement (commercial podium) anchor drilling

Mixed-use buildings have a commercial podium where TI tenants drill anchors. The podium is typically post-tensioned — we scan every anchor location.

Parkade slab and ceiling investigation

Multi-family parkades suffer from waterproofing failure, salt damage, and embedded-rebar corrosion. We GPR-scan plus impact-echo verify for capital-planning reports.

Who Books This Type of Scan

Multi-family owners and rental operators (REITs, private operators, BC Housing, non-profit housing societies) book us for both routine and post-incident slab work across their portfolios.

Strata councils in concrete tower buildings use our scans for alteration approvals, leak investigations, and parkade capital projects.

Property management firms bring us in routinely — we work with the major BC residential property managers across Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Island.

Architectural and engineering firms handling mid-century apartment retrofits commission us during scoping for accurate as-builts.

Our Concrete Scanning Process — Step by Step

1. Pre-scan briefing

Before we step on site we want your drawings, photos, the exact intent (“I need to core eight 4″ holes through this 8″ suspended slab”), and any constraints — live wiring, occupied tenant space, sensitive equipment below. A 5-minute call almost always saves a costly surprise.

2. Site walk & grid layout

On arrival the technician confirms safe access, marks a working grid (typical 1×1 m or 1×1 ft), and photographs baseline conditions. If the slab is dirty or coated we sweep and may light-sand to ensure good antenna contact.

3. GPR scanning passes

We run an orthogonal grid with our 1600/2000 MHz concrete antenna — one set of lines in the X-direction, one in the Y. The real-time image is reviewed on screen; hits are paint-marked on the slab directly as the survey progresses.

4. Verification & cross-check

For high-stakes work (PT slabs, deep cores, occupied buildings below) we cross-verify with a secondary method — electromagnetic locator, half-cell, or impact-echo — to remove false positives and pin down depths.

5. Marking, photos & report

Every embedded element gets a colour-coded mark on the slab (red = PT, blue = rebar, green = conduit, yellow = water/hydronic). Before we leave you receive on-site photos and, on the next 1-2 business days, a stamped PDF report with annotated drawings.

6. Standby for drilling/coring

For complex jobs we stay on site while your contractor drills the first 1-2 holes, so any unexpected reading can be addressed in real time. Once we’re confident, we hand off and you continue safely.

Equipment We Bring on a Concrete Scan

Every instrument is calibrated and traceable. Calibration certificates can be supplied with the report on request — useful for tenders, insurance claims, and government work.

What Does a Concrete Slab Scan Cost in BC?

Concrete scanning is priced by the technician’s time and the scope of marking required. As a guide for budgeting:

• Small single-area scan (one room, 1-2 cores) — typically a half-day rate, suitable for residential or single-suite work.
• Medium scope (full floor plate, multiple drill zones) — full-day rate; includes orthogonal grid, marking, and PDF report.
• Multi-floor or PT slab survey — quoted by floor area; PT slabs require additional verification time.
• Stand-by during drilling — hourly add-on; recommended for any post-tension or occupied-suite work below.
• After-hours / weekend work — premium quoted upfront; common for retail and hospital scans where daytime access isn’t possible.

Every quote is itemised and emailed before we mobilise. There are no junk fees, no minimum subscriptions, and no surprise add-ons. Get an honest number at (604) 269-5325.

BC Building Code & Worksite-Safety Context

WorkSafeBC and the BC Building Code don’t mandate a concrete scan by name — but they do mandate that you not cut, drill, or core into a structural slab without first verifying what’s inside. Scanning is the standard of care, and any competent general contractor or strata council will expect to see scan documentation before drilling proceeds.

For post-tensioned slabs the bar is higher still: cutting a PT cable is treated as a near-miss safety incident even when no one is injured. Most municipalities (City of Vancouver, City of Burnaby, City of Surrey, District of West Vancouver, City of Victoria) will ask to see a scan report as part of any tenant-improvement permit involving slab penetrations.

Our reports include the technician’s name, scan date, equipment used, slab area covered, and a marked drawing. That documentation is enough for almost every permit, insurance, and warranty conversation in BC.

Service Areas Across British Columbia

We mobilise to Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, White Rock, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Squamish, Whistler, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George, and most BC communities in between. For a full list see our service areas hub.

Outside the Lower Mainland we typically batch concrete-scan work with other inspections to keep mobilisation fair. Call (604) 269-5325 with your address and timeline and we’ll quote travel honestly.

Why BC Property Owners Choose AnyLeak for Concrete Scanning

• Since 1999 — over two decades of BC concrete work, from heritage West-End buildings to modern high-rises in Yaletown and Burnaby.
• One responsible technician per job — no junior left alone with your slab. Senior leads run every PT and high-risk scan personally.
• Written, stamped reports — every scan ends with annotated drawings, photos, and notes your contractor, architect, or insurer can act on.
• Insurance-friendly documentation — adjusters across BC accept our reports as expert evidence for water-loss, structural, and pre-renovation claims.
• BC-wide coverage — Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Sea-to-Sky, Vancouver Island, Okanagan, Kootenays, and Northern BC. Travel charges are quoted upfront, never hidden.
• Standby during drilling — for high-risk cores we stay on site through the first holes so any anomaly can be re-scanned on the spot.

Frequently Asked Questions