The Soil Testers

ABOUT

The SoilTesters is a fully owned and operated Queensland based engineering firm. We specialise in soil testing for residential and commercial construction. The SoilTesters has been under the management and ownership of Hackworth and Associates Pty Ltd since 2005. Based in Sumner, Brisbane the company services throughout Queensland and Northern New South Wales. 

We strive to provide efficient and quality service, appropriate and accurate information as well as cost effective solutions for all jobs.

Soil Testing

Soil testing for residential construction is our primary focus.

 'Site Classification' is the technical term for a geotechincal investigation for residential construction. It is commonly referred to simply as a 'Soil Test.' We undertake these investigations for all types of residential construction including;

• New Houses
• Extensions
• Renovations
• Decks
• Garages and Carports
• Swimming Pools 
• Sheds
• Pre-Purchase

Geotechnical Investigations

Geotechnical Investigations include in depth soils testing and reporting for larger scale projects.

We undertake these investigations for all types of large scale residential construction and commercial construction including;

• Unit or Apartment Blocks
• Retaining Walls
• Subdivisions
• Townhouse Developments
• Warehouses and Office
• Large Dwellings
• Pipelines
• Infrastructure Projects

​Waste Water Design

We provide 'Waste Water Designs' for onsite waste water treatment and disposal for residential homes without a connection to the mains sewer. 

We undertake these investigations for all types onsite waste water treatment systems and disposal methods.

Treatment Systems Include;

• Holding Tanks
• Composting Toilets
• Grey Water Septic Tanks
• Grey Water Diversion systems
• Black Water Septic Tanks
• All Waste Septic Tanks
• Home Sewerage Treatment Plants (HSTP) 

Waste Water Disposal Methods Include;

• Trenches
• Beds
• Evapo-Transpiration Absorption Beds (ETA Beds)
• Mounds
• Surface Irrigation
• Covered Surface Irrigation
• Sub-Surface Irrigation

Investigations include constant head permeability testing (sometimes known as percolation testing) to determine the soil types.

Geotechnical Drilling

We offer a range of geotechnical drilling services and tests including;

• Pocket Penetrometer Testing (PP)
• Dynamic Cone Penetrometer Testing (DCP)
• Standard Penetrometer Testing (SPT)
• Solid Flight Augering
• Disturbed Sampling
• Bulk Sampling
• Groundwater Sampling
• Undisturbed or Shelby Tube Sampling
• Test Pits
• Constant Head Permeability Testing (Field Test)

We specialise in sites with tight or difficult access.

Engineering Services

We offer a range of engineering design services for residential construction including;

• Column Footing Design (Often referred to as Stump Design or Post Design)
• Pad Footing Design
• Footing and Slab Design (Conventional and Waffle Pod Slabs)
• Timber Framing
• Bracing
• Beam and Lintel Design
• Tie Downs
• Wind Ratings
• Build Over Infrastructure Design or BOI (Often referred to as Build Over Sewer or BOS) 
• Carport, Shed and Garage Design

Site Inspections

We undertake a range of site inspections for residential and commercial construction including;

• Footing Inspections
• Slab Inspections
• Framing Inspections
• Inspections to Confirm Bearing Capacity