May 17th, 2006

Consider a Structural Engineer

It’s hardly ever a bad idea to seek out advice especially on a project with the expense of concrete foundation repair. In most cases for a few hundred dollars you can hire an independent professional structural engineer to inspect your foundation and recommend a method of repair that’s best for you.

You should look for a professional licensed individual or engineering firm that provides the following:

  • A thorough inspection of the inside and outside of your home for foundation related issues.
  • Inspection of the crawlspace, if you have a pier & beam home.
  • A foundation elevation survey performed and evaluated by a licensed professional engineer.
  • A drawing of the home floor plan including site information and interior foundation elevation measurements.
  • An engineer’s written report with recommendations and a repair plan if needed.
The advice should be way less biased simply because the engineer is going to get paid whether you need foundation repair or not. If you do need foundation repair the method he recommends stems from his professional opinion untainted by visions of commission dollars dancing in his head. Or her head.Most states in the U.S. are going to have a governmental licensing authority and most will also have a trade association website where you can search for member engineers. In Texas, you can find structural engineers in the data base of the Structural Engineers Association of Texas. In your state, look for member associations on the national website of the
National Council of Structural Engineers Associations.

Filed under: Choosing an Engineer, Trade Associations

2 Responses to “Consider a Structural Engineer”

  1. JUDE NkPADO, on May 8th, 2007 at 11:55 am Said:

    Dear Sir or madam,
    My name is Jude and my phone nember is 202-256-2310.
    Please, I need a structural engineer to help me. Tree fell on my house and we need an urgent accessment help.

  2. Digger, on May 9th, 2007 at 9:22 am Said:

    Jude,
    Click on the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations link just above your comment. Click on the listing for your geographic area, then on member firms. It looks to me like you have quite a few to choose from.
    Good luck!
    Digger

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