Corvus — who we are and what we stand for
A direct introduction to Corvus: the people, the values, and how we approach surveying and applied sciences in UK construction.
Corvus is a UK applied-sciences company for the construction industry. We deliver six specialist services — GPR concrete scanning, ferro scanning, NDT concrete testing, LiDAR scanning, drone surveys, and large-scale GPR — and we deliver them to a standard that lets contractors, engineers, and clients act on the result without second-guessing it.
This article is a direct introduction. The people, the values, and how we work.
Who we are
Corvus was founded by Terry and Laura, who between them spent years on UK construction sites watching the costliest version of every avoidable mistake: cores through tendons, drills through services, structural decisions taken on incomplete information. We started Corvus to be the team we wanted to be able to call.
The team that has formed around the company comes from surveying, structural engineering, and applied geophysics. We share the conviction that construction work is better when more decisions rest on measurement and fewer on assumption — and that measurement is only useful when it is delivered with discipline.
What we believe
A short list:
Measurement before assumption. We are sceptical of the parts of construction practice that rest on guesswork. A measured answer is almost always cheaper, faster, and more defensible than a guess.
One accountable team. Same surveyors from quote to deliverable. We do not subcontract your job to whoever is free.
Calibrated, defensible kit. Every job is run with current calibration, traceable to the manufacturer’s standard. The calibration record ships with the deliverable.
Plain English. Reports are written for the engineer or contractor who has to act on them, not for the file. No jargon for the sake of jargon. Limitations stated honestly.
Same-day response. We come back the same working day with a quote, a method, and a date in the diary. We deliver reports the morning after the work, not weeks later.
Defensibility over speed. We do not cut corners to save a few hours. If the work needs another day to be done properly, the work gets another day.
Honesty about limits. Every method we use has limits. Every deliverable acknowledges them. Pretending otherwise would be short-sighted.
These are not branding statements. They are operational disciplines that produce defensible work.
What we do
The six services:
GPR concrete scanning. Ground penetrating radar to find rebar, post-tension cables, conduits, and voids inside concrete. The most common pre-drill, pre-cut, and pre-core method on UK construction.
Ferro scanning. Electromagnetic detection of reinforcement, with cover-depth measurement and bar-diameter estimation. Pairs naturally with GPR.
NDT concrete testing. Pull-out, rebound hammer, and core extraction with UKAS-accredited laboratory testing. Defensible in-situ strength assessment.
LiDAR scanning. Survey-grade 3D capture of buildings, façades, and structures. Engineering-accuracy point clouds, BIM-ready outputs.
Drone surveys. CAA-authorised drone capture for site progress, photogrammetry, orthomosaics, aerial inspection, and volumetrics.
Large-scale GPR. Multi-channel array systems for utility mapping (PAS 128), highway pavement, and ground investigation support.
Each service has its own page on this site, with full detail of the method, deliverables, and where we sit in the wider engineering picture.
How we work
A typical Corvus engagement runs:
- Same-day response to enquiry. A clear quote with explicit scope, method, and deliverable.
- Pre-attendance method statement and risk assessment. Documented, supplied to the contractor, signed off as a condition of access.
- On-site work to documented method. Calibrated kit, qualified surveyor, on-slab markings or live data capture.
- Same-day site debrief. A walkthrough of the findings before we leave.
- Next-morning written report and CAD output. PDF and DXF/DWG, in the project coordinate system, with the surveyor’s sign-off.
- Available for follow-up. Questions, additional verification, or extension of scope as the brief evolves.
This pattern is consistent across services. The discipline is the product.
Who we work with
Corvus works with main contractors, structural engineering consultancies, architects, facilities management teams, infrastructure operators, and direct clients. We have particular experience in:
- Commercial construction and fit-out work.
- Residential development at all scales.
- Heritage and listed buildings.
- Highways and infrastructure.
- Rail and transport infrastructure.
- Utilities and large subsurface projects.
- Nuclear and defence environments.
Our sector pages set out the specific challenges each industry brings and how our services address them.
Where we cover
We cover projects across the UK. Mobilisation, minimum charges and travel costs depend on location, scope and programme — contact us for a specific quote.
Our location pages list every UK city we work in, with service-specific information for each.
What we do not do
A short list:
- We do not take on work where we are not the right specialist. If the brief needs something we don’t do (geotechnical investigation, manned aerial photography, statutory undertaker work), we say so and refer.
- We do not over-claim what GPR, ferro, LiDAR, drone, or NDT can do. The methods have limits; we acknowledge them.
- We do not subcontract your job to less-credentialled surveyors.
- We do not cut corners to produce the cheapest quote in the market. Our prices are fair for the quality of the work.
- We do not bury limitations in fine print or anonymise the surveyor’s sign-off.
These are deliberate constraints. They define what kind of company we are and what kind of company we are not.
How to start
Tell us what you are working on. Email, phone, or the form on our contact page — whichever is easiest. We will come back the same working day with a quote, a method, and a date in the diary. UK-wide, flexible on scope and size.
We provide factual data to inform the next decision.