Surrey splits sharply along its geological spine. South of the Nicomekl River, thick peat and glacial till create a compressible base with variable organic content. North of 72 Avenue, the transition into glacial uplands brings dense till and silty sand — better bearing, but prone to perched groundwater during the wet season. A shallow foundation design that works in Fraser Heights will fail in Cloverdale without site-specific verification. The difference is not the structure. It is the soil. Our approach relies on direct testing. We correlate CPT test profiles with lab consolidation curves. When near-surface fill is suspected, we cross-check with SPT drilling data to refine allowable bearing pressure. No generic presumptive values. Every pad footing and strip footing gets a settlement prediction tied to actual strata logged on site. The City of Surrey requires it. So should the project engineer.
Bearing capacity without settlement analysis is half a design. In Surrey's compressible clays, settlement governs the allowable pressure, not shear failure.
