
Ask any experienced project manager and they will tell you that the fastest way to derail a schedule is to hit hidden metal while you demo, drill, or pour. San Diego’s diverse housing stock—ranging from 1920s bungalows to ultra-modern cliffside builds—creates layers of unknown steel, copper, and aluminum in walls, slabs, and soil. CountBricks deploys advanced san diego metal detectors on every residential project so you never gamble with safety or budgets.
• Damaged post-tension cables that trigger costly structural repairs
• Severed copper water lines that flood interiors and delay finishes
• Unexpected rebar that ruins diamond-tipped coring bits and drives up tool costs
• Electrical conduit strikes that endanger crews and require emergency inspections
CountBricks isn’t a rental shop; we are an end-to-end residential construction technology partner. Our AI-driven platform and field teams work in tandem to protect your site.
Our software reviews submitted PDFs and flags probable embedded steel, abandoned plumbing, and conduit paths. You receive an annotated layer directly in your dashboard at CountBricks.com/takeoffs.
Using our mobile app, simply describe the room, slab, or exterior grade in a normal conversation. The system automatically adds a “Metal Scan” task with local San Diego labor and equipment pricing pulled in real time.
Our technicians arrive with GPR-equipped san diego metal detectors calibrated for California soil composition and concrete density. Within minutes you receive a color-coded map in your CountBricks project folder.
The scan data pushes directly into your live construction estimate. Change orders, line-item costs, and target dates update automatically so you never re-key information.
• Handheld electromagnetic scanners: Ideal for locating nails, screws, and light-gauge steel in framing before drywall removal
• Ground-penetrating radar (GPR): Penetrates up to 18” of concrete to identify rebar grids, post-tension cables, and PVC sleeves
• Soil magnetometers: Detect buried steel tanks, fence footings, or historic piping in yard renovations
CountBricks field crews carry all three technologies, selecting the best tool based on your structure’s age, soil chloride levels, and slab thickness.
• Coastal humidity accelerates rebar corrosion, making signal strength more erratic
• High salt content soils in neighborhoods like La Jolla require deeper calibration
• Many 1950s tract homes contain radiant heat loops that mimic metallic signatures
• Seismic retrofits add surprise steel plates in crawl spaces of older Craftsman homes
Our technicians are trained to interpret these local anomalies so you receive actionable results, not false positives.
1. Site visit mobilization: $120 – covers travel within a 30-mile radius of downtown
2. First hour of scanning: $185 using GPR and handheld detectors
3. Each additional hour: $95, automatically prorated in the CountBricks estimate
4. Digital report and 3D overlay: Included at no extra charge for CountBricks clients
Because pricing is baked into our AI estimator, you see real-time totals as you speak with our team. No surprises, no manual math.
• Clear flooring and debris beforehand to reduce “noise” for the detectors
• Provide original blueprints or past remodel permits in your CountBricks upload
• Mark grid lines every 2’ to help technicians log exact coordinates
• Schedule scanning at least 24 hours before demolition for proper review time
• Use the voice memo tool in the app to tag areas of special concern (e.g., fireplace chase)
A 1968 split-level home in Sunset Cliffs required a new cantilevered deck. Traditional plans called for coring 12 anchor bolts through the existing slab. Our san diego metal detectors revealed a dense post-tension layout only 4” below the surface. Using the scan overlay, our engineers redesigned the footings, saving the homeowner $18,400 in potential cable repairs and keeping the project on schedule.
1. Visit CountBricks.com/consultation and upload your plans
2. Book your preferred scan window directly in the calendar
3. Receive a voice-verified estimate within minutes
4. Approve the scope and watch the live dashboard as field data populates
Protecting your budget starts beneath the surface. Let CountBricks bring clarity to every hidden line, conduit, and piece of rebar in your home.

Many providers treat scanning as an add-on, but CountBricks builds it into our core residential workflow. Our proprietary software aggregates three data streams in real time:
• High-frequency radar reflections translated into point-cloud geometry
• Electromagnetic flux readings that differentiate ferrous rebar from copper plumbing
• AI-enhanced blueprint predictions that learn from thousands of past San Diego projects
1. Raw signals enter our cloud engine the moment the technician sweeps the slab.
2. Machine-learning filters remove “ghost” echoes caused by salt-rich coastal soil.
3. The cleaned model overlays on your imported Revit or PDF plan set.
4. The estimator module assigns labor and material tasks—like slab cut, patch, or reroute—instantly updating your project total.
The owner hoped to trench a 3-inch sewer lateral through a 90-year-old garage pad. Scans using our san diego metal detectors detected woven wire mesh and an abandoned steel drain that would have destroyed a trenching blade. CountBricks proposed rerouting alongside the footing, trimming labor by two days and eliminating $1,600 in unforeseen equipment wear.
• Integrated estimates mean you never juggle separate invoices
• Voice documentation captures field notes in seconds—no paperwork chase
• Live dashboard keeps owners, architects, and trades aligned on verified data
• Local crew certifications ensure compliance with California Title 24 and seismic retrofit codes
CountBricks R&D is training models to predict corrosion levels based on signal decay, allowing proactive reinforcement planning. Soon you’ll know not only where the metal is, but how healthy it is—directly from your phone.
From small bathroom rehabs to multi-story hillside builds, CountBricks turns hidden metal from a liability into a line item you can control. Explore the full workflow at CountBricks.com/services and see how our technology keeps San Diego residential construction on time, on budget, and on the cutting edge.