FAQ
Common Questions
The home inspector cannot practice engineering judgment by regulation. Decision-making regarding structural stability must be done by a structural engineer.
Our engineers are licensed to perform both structural and civil inspections for commercial and residential properties, including: Special inspections, forensic inspections, concrete reinforcement, structural steel, welding, real estate inspections / property analysis, and foundation inspections.
We offer independent assessments and are not trying to sell you on anything. We aim to find the most economical fix for your home and because of that we do charge for the engineer’s time and expertise.
Typically, the city/county codes require extensive information to be included within the plans, such as design specs, wind/snow load information, etc. Due to the requirements needed for these, engineers must often submit their own stamped engineered plans.
First we would schedule an initial site visit for the engineer to come out and inspect the wall. While onsite they will have a verbal consultation going over their findings and recommendations. If the engineer determines that the wall is in fact load bearing, the next step would be for the engineer to create the design plans in order for a contractor to remove the wall.
It’s best for the engineer to look over existing documents or perform a site visit in order to gather the necessary information to provide an accurate estimate.
The engineer that is assigned to your project would be happy to provide you with recommendations for companies or contractors, who can come in and implement the plans created.
We always recommend that the engineer performs a site visit because pictures don’t always capture the full detail and there may be things missing that the homeowner isn’t aware of that could present possible structural concerns.
Depending on the complexity of the project and the engineer’s workload the turnaround is typically 4-5 weeks from the time of the initial appointment.
This can vary depending on the project’s needs. Typically whoever pulls the permit for a home project becomes the GC. If we are hired for the construction work, we will pull the necessary permits for the project. If we are just in for engineering work we won’t typically be involved with the permitting process. However, our engineering team will be happy to make recommendations on how to best move forward after their consultation/plans are completed.