What is a Sunken Driveway Permit and When Do You Need One? (Chicago)
With limited buildable area in the City of Chicago, sometimes a driveway will be designed to slope down below grade from the sidewalk in order to meet all the needs of the construction project. While it’s not always ideal, sometimes it’s the only option to maximize the site’s potential. These sloped driveways are allowed in […]
Project H.O.O.D. Community Center, South Side Chicago, Illinois
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers is proud to have worked with Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), a community-centered nonprofit based in the South Side of Chicago, for constructing a new community center at 6625 South Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. The Bono team created the civil design for the new community center, a one-acre property […]
What is an OUC Permit? (Chicago, Illinois)
Construction projects in Chicago are often required to obtain an Office of Underground Coordination (OUC) permit as part of the OUC Existing Facility Protection (EFP) Process. These permits are required to excavate properly and safely in the vicinity of underground utilities and make water and sewer connections. An additional permit, called a deep-excavation OUC permit, […]
Bono Consulting’s New Florida Projects!
Recently, Bono Consulting was hired for our first-ever projects in Florida, an exciting new opportunity! We were contracted to prepare site engineering plans for three new multi-family residential buildings in St. Petersburg. These projects consist of renovating existing multi-family apartment buildings with new additions and site improvements, including swimming pools as every good Florida house […]
What is the Importance of an Accurate Topographic Survey?
Sites with proper stormwater drainage protect businesses, residences, and city infrastructure such as roads, sidewalks, and parking lots from flooding and water damage. There are many factors that contribute to whether a project site is flood prone. These include offsite tributary runoff onto the property, rising flood waters from changing weather patterns, outdated or damaged […]
Phase I Environmental Site Assessments for Land Development
If you’re considering purchasing land for development, it’s in your best interest to conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) during your due diligence period. The due diligence period is when you can elect to perform any inspections on a property that you find appropriate. Phase I ESAs are often required by lending institutions […]
FEMA releases updated Elevation Certificate Form and Instructions
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released an updated version of the National Flood Insurance Program’s Elevation Certificate and Instructions that is valid through June 30, 2026. The Elevation Certificate is used to document elevation information to ensure compliance with community floodplain management ordinances. Older versions of this document should no longer be used […]
New Project: Award-Winning CA6 West Loop Luxury Condominium Building
Our client, SGW Architecture & Design, won a 2023 Silver Design Award from the Association of Licensed Architects for the CA6 West Loop luxury condominium building and Bono Consulting is honored to have served as the civil engineering partner for this successful project. What’s the CA6 building? The building, named CA6, is in Chicago’s West […]
New Project: Oak Park Commons
We’re fortunate here at Bono Consulting Civil Engineers to be part of this exciting new residential project that is truly one-of-a-kind. Oak Park Commons is more than a residential building, it is the first cohousing development project in Illinois and has the additional distinction of being intergenerational by design. Photo Credit: Foster Dale Architects What […]
What’s the difference between an SPCC Plan and a Slug Control Plan?
It’s important to understand that a Slug Control Plan differs from a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan. An SPCC plan deals exclusively with oil storage. A slug control plan, on the other hand, is broader and covers any chemicals released into a sewer that could damage wastewater treatment facilities. If your facility has […]
Do You Need a Slug Control Plan?
Did you receive a notice in the mail that your industrial facility has the potential for slug discharge? You’re not the only one. What’s slug discharge? “Slug discharge” is any unscheduled discharge into a sewer system that could interfere with local wastewater treatment. Slug discharge could be an accidental spill or the disposal of prohibited […]
¡Tenemos Ingenieros Civiles de Habla Español!
Muchos de nuestros clientes prefieren hablar español cuando discuten sus proyectos de desarrollo de tierras. Si eso te describe, estamos aquí para ayudarte. Nuestros Ingenieros Civiles Omar Cruz y Josue Espinoza, con experiencia, hablan español y inglés con fluidez y están disponibles para sentarse con usted y repasar lo que propone construir, los permisos que […]
Bono Consulting Now Offers Solar Photovoltaic Installation Engineering & Support
Bono Consulting is excited to announce that with the support and guidance of our parent company – Sevee & Maher Engineers (SME) – we now offer engineering and support services for ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installation projects across the Midwest. SME has extensive experience in renewable energy design and permitting since 2009. Thus far, SME has […]
BONO CONSULTING INC. ACQUIRED BY NATIONAL ENGINEERING FIRM
Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 29, 2022 PARK RIDGE, IL – September 29, 2022 – Bono Consulting, Inc. (BCI) a Park Ridge-based civil engineering firm, has been acquired by Sevee & Maher Engineers, Inc. (SME) a nationwide civil and environmental engineering firm headquartered in Maine. The acquisition extends the depth and range of services […]
What are Rain Gardens?
Rain gardens are small depressions that collect rainwater runoff from roof downspouts, sump pump discharges, driveways, and/or lawns. The water is absorbed or infiltrated into the soil within the rain garden and/or filtered through the vegetation. Rain gardens are typically planted with various native wildflowers and grasses suited to periodically wet conditions. The primary purpose […]
Yard Flooding Assessments
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers has also helped hundreds of homeowners that are experiencing an unacceptable level of yard flooding. Their lot may be the lowest of the surrounding lots and they collect the water for the neighborhood. Their yard is a muddy mess and the neighbor’s yards are high and dry. What do you do? […]
Elevation Certificates
Property owners are often asked for Elevation Certificates from their Municipality, from their Insurance carrier or from their lending institution. It is a document prepared by a Civil Engineer that defines the exact elevation of the building and the floors within the building as compared to the base flood elevation for the site. This is […]
Letters of Map Amendment (LOMA, CLOMA, LOMR-F, CLOMR-F)
Bono Consulting has prepared applications for numerous letter of map amendment to either amend an incorrect flood determination on a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), or to document a change in the conditions due to placing fill. We prepare a topographic survey of the property tied into a FEMA benchmark. Often, the FIRM Maps […]
Commercial Building Flooding Assessments
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers has been retained by numerous commercial buildings, warehouses, churches, schools and homeowner associations to assess flooding into a building. Flooding can lead to financial losses from damaged product and unrentable space. Flooding typically comes into the building from one of three ways: external runoff coming towards the building that comes in […]
Swimming Pools
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers has designed the drainage and grading plans for over 60 swimming pools. The most important feature is to keep the pool deck from grading into the pool so that the pool stays clean. The yard needs to be enclosed by a self-closing / self latching gate. The water from the pool […]
Yard Drainage Problems
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers has prepared engineering plans for hundreds of sites that required engineering drawings to improve existing drainage. Many yards have low spots that collect water during rain events. This makes it extremely difficult to have a useable lawn because it has standing water for a week or two after every rain […]
New Homes
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers is the local industry leader in the field of site drainage and grading plans for new single family houses. Since 1997 we have prepared the site plans for over 1,500 new stand-alone single family homes. Each home is different and each site is unique. We work with the owner, builder and […]
Additions
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers is the local industry leader in the field of site drainage and grading plans for additions to existing single family houses. Since 1997 we have prepared the site plans for over 1,200 additions to existing single family homes. Some of the additions are simple family room bump-outs and some additions are […]
Tree Preservation Plans / Tree Protection Plans
The trees on a property help define the character of the home. Mature trees add beauty, lower cooling costs, increases the curb appeal and property values. Some Oak trees may be more than 100 years old. These trees must be carefully preserved during construction or they could die or even fall on the house. Constructing […]
Grading Plans for Garages
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers is the local industry leader in the field of site drainage and grading plans for garages. Since 1997 we have prepared the site plans for over 350 garages. Many communities do not require engineering plans for garages if you are replacing a garage in the same place are not significantly increasing […]
Basement Flooding Assessments…
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers has helped hundreds of property owners that are experiencing basement flooding. The owners typically have had numerous solutions presented to them by different trades, and are confused because there is a wide range of solutions and a wide range of prices. The plumber wants to install new sump pumps, the architect […]