When asked what he loves most about his work, Andrew Scavullo, PE, laughs.

“I can really get going on this topic,” he says. “Driving around town, I joke with my kids that I have x-ray vision. I can see underground--the buried streams, the soil, rock and building foundations extending down. My mental map of San Francisco is dotted with the building foundations that I personally observed being built. I am a native of the city and it’s incredibly satisfying to have expertise in local geology and the foundation construction methods to address our unique environment.”

Ultimately for Scavullo, it’s knowing that his work will stand the test of time. “Because we work on the foundations of structures in earth that has a strong possibility for movement, earthquakes, landslides and other variables--and the bottom line is, people are inside those structures, often children and families."

“I put myself in the shoes of the people who will be there when it’s completed. Especially as we do more residential projects the question is ‘Would I live here? Do I have confidence that my family would be safe here?’“As I go through a project, that is my guiding principle.

“And at the end after all those details are tied up,” he says, “what I love is that sense of accomplishment, the bedrock confidence that those people are on good ground.”

Previously, Scavullo worked for Bay Area firm Rollo & Ridley Inc and before that, Treadwell & Rollo Inc. His skills include foundation work in spread footings; mat slabs; drilled piers and driven piles; micropiles; tie-backs; soil mail; rock bolts. In earthwork, Mr. Scavullo is skilled in engineered fill; landslide repairs; and permeable subgrade. His construction observation skills include compaction testing and field testing of tie-back anchors; and micropile anchors.