Godfrey-Hoffman Associates

On-site septic systems are estimated to be used by 25% of U.S. households (EPA, 2014). This is because for one reason or another, connecting to the town/city's sewage isn't possible or practicle. Additionally, 10% to 20% of these systems will malfunction this year (EPA, 2014). Understanding these statistics is key to understanding why good septic system design is important. Engineers have to assess numerous local factors, any of which necessitate changing the septic system design. The most influential of these factors by far are soil characteristics: sandy versus loamy soils, the depth at which you hit ledge (sedimentary rock) or ground water, etc.

Gaining approval means working as a team with our clients, the environment and local planning and zoning boards to achieve success throughout the regulatory process. Committed tosustainable, "green" and low-impact development, Godfrey-Hoffman & Hodge provides consulting, designing, and planning services with the latest construction methods for Connecticut civil engineering projects. Working closely with federal, state and local regulatory agencies, and applying best management practices, our staff of Engineers provide clients with cost effective, accurate and prompt services required for all types of engineering and design projects.

Stormwater System Design is a part of every complete engineering job; the stormwater has to go somewhere. But good stormwater system design will address not only the immediate design needs of a particular parcel of land, but also the environment surrounding it. Our engineers and surveyors work closely together to determine a Best Management Practice (BMP) for your design needs given a variety of factors. As is often the case, surface flow is the cause of a lot of headaches and subsequently a frequent issue our clients have come to us with.

The average cost of cleanup from flood damage, when you factor in costs like cleaning, flooring, electrical, even from only an inch of water can be over $10,000. Regular insurance doesn't provide flood protection, but the government does, in the form of the National Flood Insurance Program. To qualify and get proper premium quotes, you need a FEMA Elevation Certificate. At its core, the elevation certificate is simply a recorded confirmation of where a home places on the elevation flood plain map, in this case, set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

One of the more unknown aspects of land surveying that goes in to practically every job is the research component. Usually conducted in the town halls for each parcel involved in a survey, significant in-house research is also done if we hold any relevant surveyor records for that parcel. If we have worked around the area of that parcel, it is often possible to greatly reduce the price as the computations involved piecing adjacent land together is already done. Often, depending on the last time a particular parcel was surveyed, surveyors have to trace maps and land records back over a hundred years to ensure the accuracy of their professional opinion.

Making town standards meet design needs as efficiently as possible is no small task for roadway design. A lot of planning goes into a design, including expected use calculations and simulations for each element in the roadway, such as intersections and merging lanes. We have access to sophisticated CAD programs, enabling us to streamline such calculations and ensure that our designs are that much more thorough. Another component of roadway design is knowledge of the material science of pavement.

Though there is no way to know exactly where they are until you dig, having ground utilities mapped can be a worthwhile investment. With a utilities map, a surveyor is capable of laying out the exact location of the utilities at any future point in time.