Budinger & Associates Inc.

The state's workers' comp classes match that description: excavation, drilling, pile driving, concrete foundations, environmental surveying, engineering consulting and a testing laboratory. Budinger advertises construction materials testing and special inspection to AASHTO and ASTM standards. Its public work spans the City of Spokane, the Washington State Department of Transportation, Spokane County, Spokane International Airport, Washington State University, Spokane Public Schools and PUDs in Grant, Chelan and Stevens counties, usually as a subcontractor. Licence-matched permits in Spokane Valley between 2013 and 2018 include right-of-way and commercial work. The firm describes itself as family-owned and locally owned. The state lists Stephen Burchett, John Finnegan and Scott Walters as principals since 1995. Most of Budinger's work happens before or beneath construction: soil investigation ahead of a foundation, pile installation for infrastructure, and quality control on public projects. Homeowners usually come to a firm like this through a builder or engineer, or when a lot on a slope or questionable ground needs answers before anyone pours concrete. Kitchen remodels and quick repairs belong with other trades. Soil reports, foundation support for a settling structure and testing required on a new build are where Budinger fits. Spokane's ground varies more than its neighborhoods suggest. Valley homes often sit on glacial outwash gravels that drain well. South Hill and other hillside lots can mean basalt near the surface, shallow soils or slopes that need study before an addition goes in. Older homes on modest footings sometimes settle as the soil around them changes, and helical piles and micropiles are common ways to underpin them without a full foundation replacement. For new construction, ask early whether the lot needs a geotechnical report. Answering that before design is cheaper than finding out during excavation.