When You May Need a Forensic Structural Engineer?
Forensic structural engineers and homeowners are two kinds of people that should have a close relationship. Regardless of whether you’re about to buy a home for the first time or you own several properties, a forensic expert is someone who you should have on speed dial. They are the only people who are qualified to thoroughly examine a home and determine its condition, the reason for its condition and how to improve. If you have yet to work with a forensic structural engineer, you may be wondering which scenarios may call for their expertise. Here are a few examples of when you may need a forensic structural engineer:
Forensic structural engineer, when engaged soon enough, can help homeowners by finding the exact cause of damage to their house and advise best next approach.
You are looking to buy a house, either as a first home buyer or as an investor, and as you inspect the property, you notice wall cracks in several places that have been patched over. Or maybe the floors don’t seem even, or a retaining wall at the backyard appears to be leaning. The house is beautiful and within your budget, but these issues seem like they may become worse in the future. This is where you need a forensic structural engineer to pre-inspect the property for you and provide you with a detailed report so that you can make a fully informed decision.
Cracks in walls
You have bought a house and after a few months or years of living there, cracks in walls begin to show up and you have absolutely no idea what has gone wrong. It seems like an easy fix so you patch them up…but notice the cracks return later even bigger than before. A forensic Structural Engineer will tell you that your cracks are coming back because you are fixing the symptoms, but not addressing the root cause. They will be able to find the root cause and tell you how to effectively get rid of the damage once and for all.
Renovate and upgrade your house
You are planning to renovate and upgrade your house, but are unsure what would that mean from structural point of view. Will you need to upgrade the footings? If you don’t, will they crack? What measures should you take to avoid that? What do you need to know about your home before renovating so you wont get ripped off by contractors due to lack of knowledge? A forensic structural engineer can help answer all of these questions and can even provide you with a report that shows your contractor how you expect the structural works to be done.
Dispute regarding building damage
You are in a dispute with your neighbour or builders regarding building damage and need to know who is right and who is wrong. You want to know the cause of building damage, who is responsible and whether your arguments can be professionally backed up in the court of law if needed. Forensic structural engineers can walk you through the entire process.
Learn more about our forensic investigation service Here.
Forensic experts can not only help you find ways to fix structural issues with your homes, but can determine their cause. This can be incredibly important, as the cause then determines who is held responsible for the problem. More often than not, it is the builder’s fault rather than the homeowner’s. However, if you don’t determine this before setting out to fix the issue, you could end up footing a hefty bill. There are several scenarios that homeowners may face that could be solved with the help of a forensic structural engineer. At MFS Engineering, we hire the most experienced senior forensic structural engineers in the country. Regardless of the scenario you may find yourself in, we assure you that our senior forensic experts can save the day. Learn more about our building defect report Here.
Forensic Structural Engineering for Homeowners Part 1
