Geotechnical consulting · Hamilton, Ontario

Before the foundation goes in,
or after the cracks show up.

I'm a geotechnical engineer serving Hamilton, Brantford, Niagara, and the surrounding area. I provide subsurface investigations, soil testing, and forensic engineering — for new construction and for distress of existing structures.

Discuss your project View services
  • Principal-led 18+ years experience
  • Licensed Professional Engineer
  • Professional and General Liability Insured
  • Hamilton · Brantford · Niagara and surrounding area
  • No minimum project size Single-family to high-rise

What I deliver

Clear and practical solutions from the ground up.

Investigation and field review for new construction of buildings and infrastructure. Forensic assessment for structures already built. Single-family residential through commercial, industrial, and municipal projects.

Geotechnical Investigations

Characterize the soil and groundwater conditions on site and provide a geotechnical report for new or existing buildings, pavements, retaining walls, utilities, slopes, embankments, etc.

  • Foundation design and construction recommendations
  • Distressed structure investigations (identify cause of cracking or sinking)
  • Slope stability analyses
  • Pre-condition and post-condition surveys
  • Peer review

Construction Review & Monitoring

Third-party oversight of the construction process to protect the owner or contractor and ensure compliance with the geotechnical recommendations and project specifications.

  • Practical advice for ground related construction issues
  • Footing base or deep foundation review
  • Instrumentation and ground or structure settlement monitoring
  • Underpinning

Distressed Structures & Pavements

Independent assessment when something has moved, cracked, or failed. I investigate the cause and provide solutions for remediation.

  • Foundation or slab settlement and cracking
  • Pavement assessment
  • Crack and settlement monitoring
  • Independent opinion for disputes and claims

Why StrataLogic

One engineer, start to finish.

I'm Jeffrey Golder, P.Eng. — a geotechnical engineer practising since 2008, with a strong commitment to client satisfaction. I've managed projects across Ontario, from small building additions to high-rise condominium developments.

My design and construction review work covers shallow and deep foundations, ground improvement, instrumentation and monitoring, retaining walls, slope stability, utility tunneling, excavations and shoring, and pavement design and rehabilitation. I've also led investigations for potential litigation, identifying cause(s) and recommending remediation measures for foundation settlement, slab cracking or heaving, and pavement distresses.

Full curriculum vitae (PDF)

Shallow & deep foundations Ground improvement Instrumentation & monitoring Retaining walls Slope stability Utility tunneling Excavations & shoring Pavement design Litigation support

Start a conversation

Have a ground-related project or issue in mind?

Send the site address and a short description of what you're dealing with. I will follow up personally, usually within one business day, to work out the scope and get you a detailed quote and project schedule.

Call or text
jgolder@stratalogic.ca 289.683.5788 Hamilton, Ontario Monday to Friday

A house built past the edge of its own engineered fill

Retained
By the developer, in anticipation of potential legal proceedings.
The problem
A newly built home began showing basement slab movement and foundation cracking soon after occupancy. The pattern pointed to differential support under part of the footprint and not ordinary shrinkage cracking or superficial damage.
Approach
Jeff reviewed available drawings and site history, reviewed the interior and exterior distresses, and investigated subsurface conditions under the affected areas. The program exposed the existing foundation and included several boreholes, comparing soil in areas of satisfactory performance against areas of significant settlement. Crack monitors were installed to confirm the nature of the ongoing movements.
What was found
It was determined the house had been built past the edge of its own engineered fill. Beyond that limit, part of the structure was bearing on uncompacted fill rather than the compacted engineered pad.
Recommendation
Underpinning with helical piers advanced to competent native soil under the affected portion of the footprint, restoring reliable support and addressing ongoing movement.

Getting a bore under a live railway when the ground won't cooperate

Role
Geotechnical Engineer of Record, investigation through construction.
The situation
A 900 m sanitary sewer included a 40 m section to be tunnelled beneath an active CPKC railway. The contractor's proposed method was auger-guided boring.
What the investigation found
The geo-environmental and hydrogeological study showed loose, saturated sand along the crossing. These soils ravel quickly when exposed, and auger boring through them risked drawing ground into the bore — loss of ground beneath a live track, with settlement at the rails as the consequence. The method was not suitable as proposed.
What was recommended
Dewatering by vacuum well points to draw the water table below the bore, so the sand would stand up during excavation. Settlement analysis was completed for both the dewatering and the tunnelling, since lowering the water table causes its own ground movement and both effects had to be accounted for against the railway's tolerance.
During construction
Site inspection identified that the bore had gone off its intended alignment, causing over-excavation. Tunnelling was paused immediately and the project stakeholders convened. The settlement that could result from the error was calculated, and monitoring frequency was increased to verify the actual ground movement against that prediction.
Outcome
Settlement beneath the track remained within CPKC tolerances. The crossing was completed without disruption to rail operations.

A foundation problem solved before it became a delay

Role
Geotechnical investigation and construction review, across several projects at two campuses.
Context
Geotechnical work for Mohawk College covering parking lot rehabilitation, a storey added to an existing building, a new multi-storey learning space, forensic investigation of foundation wall cracking, and a campus monument.
What happened
During construction of the monument, Jeff identified exposed ground conditions that differed from the borehole data and the soil could not support the foundation as designed.
What was done
The condition was identified as soon as possible during a site review rather than after the fact. Jeff immediately convened the College, the project structural engineer, and the contractor together on site, and a revised foundation scheme was developed and agreed upon that same day.
Outcome
The revised design consisted of short augered piers and so was cost-effective and the schedule impact was minimal. Identifying the issue during excavation and immediately determining a practical solution is what allowed the project to proceed smoothly.