Business History Books » Business Plan Consulting » Structural Inspection
Structural Inspection
Question:
raphaella, still get the inspection, be aware it’s almost impossible to get DC licensed professionals, for residential work is real busy and very few license in DC, due to a horrible licensing process. you are in a bind, sorry. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hello Sanjay, > Thank you so much for responding. I went to your website and took a > look and found it extremely helpful. I also followed the link to > finding a PE in your area, but they only dealt with Maryland, not > District of Columbia. > I did in fact call all three people/companies on that list, but to no > avail. They are all flat-out, too busy to give a SI in the time frame > that we have or they say that they’ll see what they can arrange, and > get back to me, but they NEVER call me back! So, in desperation, I > call them back again, only to find that they pretend they have never > spoken to me before, get me to spurt out all the information again, > say they’ll get back to me and DON’T. It has been soooooo > frustrating! > *Sigh*… It looks like we are going to have to forgo an SI > inspection, as we only had to the close of business on the 20th of > May, to present our PE’s report. :( Then again, I am going to ring > up our agent and see if he can obtain us an extension from the > seller’s lawyer. > Stressing, stressing, stressing…. > Thanking you, > Raphaella. >I would look under Structural Engineers or Professional Engineer’s in the >phone book. I think inspector’s and structural engineer’s look for >completely different things. I’ve had friends have their house inspected by >inspector’s only to find obvious structural flaws. >I don’t agree that building inspector’s find structural flaws. They find >code flaws–that is their job. Hopefully, the code will catch structural >flaws. Also, a PE’s training is substantially greater. Ours only charged >us $85 for a structural inspection and the 2 insights that he gave were >worth the $$$ (since they would’ve cost thousands to fix later). >By the way, if you want to find Inspection Checklists we have a few on our >site at www.builtonline.com in the Articles section >Sanjay Nasta >www.builtonline.com >The Homeowner’s Resource >> Hi, >> I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of >> insight, and now I have a question of my own…. >> We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we >> specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. >> Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer >> to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only >> have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to >> assist us. >> Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, >> Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for >> one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to >> have this completed! >> Thanks in Advance, >> Raphaella.
Response:
well the issue is a MD engineer can’t use his stamp in DC. so it becomes an advisory issue, not a binding letter. pat – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi Pat, > I have just sent you a private email, but then realised you had sent a > message to the group as well. > I am going to look in the phone book under all those headers, I had > only looked under Structural Engineers. > We’re currently in Maryland, the house in question is located in > Washington, DC. Would your recommendation not be able to travel in to > DC? > TIA, > Raphaella. >> Hi, >> Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer >> to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only >> have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to >> assist us. >> Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, >> Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for >> one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to >> have this completed! >> Thanks in Advance, >> Raphaella. >look in the phone book, for a listed structural engineer, mech engineer or >Professional engineer. >i might have a reccomendation if it is maryland. >pat
Response:
>Can’t a house meet code but not be structurally safe?
Not if it is newly constructed. It is of course possible for a house that met code when it was built to deteriorate to the point where it is not structurally safe. Rick Marinelli http://www.erols.com/rickandlisa
Response:
Hi Raphaella, nice name! My own house was built about 1880 so I understand there might be structural concerns. The upside is that it has stood this long so it must have been pretty good to start with. Another poster stated that inspectors only look for code violations, this may be true of some but I do home inspections as well as new construction code inspections and I certainly don’t look only for code violations in a home inspection. There may be code violations that are technical in nature and have little to do with the safety and utility of the structure, I point these out but don’t stress them nearly as much as other problems that might be code legal but interfere with the utility and safety and may, in fact, cause further problems. I don’t consider a home inspector to be a code inspector and he or she should not be, the desired result is not the same in each case. Dan (my previous post was from work, hence the different address)
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Dan, > Thanks for your response, it was much appreciated. If we could use a > Home inspector we would, but unfortunately our contract states, and > allow me to quote — > "1) Inspection to be performed by a licensed, professional structural > engineer. > 2) Inspection to pertain only to structural matters concerning the > property and not to any of the operating systems of the property. > 3) Inspection to be performed and reported to seller no later than > close of business on May 20, 1999. > 4) Inspection report to be in writing and on professional inspector’s > letterhead and accompanied by evidence of his or her license. > Should the report contain serious negative findings concerning the > integrity of the structure, the buyers must….." > I hope this gives you a better explanation as to why we cannot just > use a home inspector. > BTW,I don’t know how relevant this is, but the property was built in > the late 1800’s. > Thanks, > Raphaella. >It shouldn’t be difficult to find a Certified Structural Engineer, you >should have a large listing of them in the phone book. Finding the money to >pay one to crawl around under your house and in your attic is a whole nother >matter. Unless you have specific issues to address an engineer is >over-kill. I suspect a good home inspector will give you more of the kind >of information you need while preserving the option of consulting with a >structural engineer if specific areas of concern are found. >Dan >> Hi, >> I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of >> insight, and now I have a question of my own…. >> We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we >> specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. >> Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer >> to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only >> have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to >> assist us. >> Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, >> Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for >> one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to >> have this completed! >> Thanks in Advance, >> Raphaella.
Response:
Can’t a house meet code but not be structurally safe? Sanjay Nasta www.builtonline.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I guess 20+ years working with King County, and Deschutes County > building departments (must be some of the toughest in the country), and > building to my own standards, has left me out of touch with what is > standard for the rest of the country. All the permits issued for > residential structures are carefully gone over for structural code > violations before permits are issued in my world. In fact, the building > department takes GREAT pleasure in returning a set of plans with their > little red sticker, and the residential corrections sheet attached. Last > time it happened to me, I forgot to draw in the foundation tie straps > for the short 18" walls beside the garage door on the foundation section > of the plans. A little red tag with a circle on the "header splice" > section of the corrections sheet. 2 minutes of pencil work and the plans > passed. In my world they DO check plans for even the slightest of > details. > I must admit that I jumped to the conclusion that this was a new > house as the term "contracted" was used in the original post. Forgive me > if this is an older house, in which case a structural engineer might > very well be needed… > FNO Toolman > — > FREE Online Help & Advice Covering A Wide Variety Of Subjects > PLUS Loads Of Great Family Fun! Check Us Out… > www.familynews.org > Your Connection To North American Family Life >Sanjay Nasta >www.builtonline.com >The Homeowner’s Resource >> Obviously you have never had to turn in technical drawings to get a >> building permit… All my house permits had to have technical > drawings >> submitted and the plans were all checked by the building departments >> before the permits were granted. This process can take months > sometimes. >> What world do you live in where the plans are NOT checked before > permits >> were issued???? >You have to turn in drawings. It does not mean that they are checked > for >structural correctness. Even assuming that the drawings are checked > to >insure that the think will stand up….it sure doesn’t mean it got > built >that way. Forgetting to carry a joist across to the right spot, or dig > a >footing to virgin soil can mean the difference between a sound house > and one >that develops cracks…. >> >> Most builders will spend >> >> the money up front to have their plans gone over by an engineer >> before >> >> they even start the permit stages. >> >Only when the building department insists. >> A GOOD home builder will do this on all house plans if there is any >> doubt at all. >That’s a massive assumption. A home builder will have house plans > checked >by a structural engineer to cover themselves in case of a lawsuite.
Response:
Hi Dan, >Hi Raphaella, nice name!
Thanks for the compliment. Then again, I guess you should be thanking my parent’s not me, as I didn’t have a say in my name! :) >My own house was built about 1880 so I understand there might be structural >concerns. The upside is that it has stood this long so it must have been >pretty good to start with.
The house we have under contract was built around that time too. Get this, it was originally a farmhouse in Virginia and the owners liked DC so much, that they took it down piece by piece and transported it over to DC, rebuilding it there! Pretty neat, hey! The house actually had an overhaul in 1983 and the wooden beam was replaced with a steel one, so I can imagine it is even more sturdier now than it originally was. > Another poster stated that inspectors only look >for code violations, this may be true of some but I do home inspections as >well as new construction code inspections and I certainly don’t look only >for code violations in a home inspection. There may be code violations that >are technical in nature and have little to do with the safety and utility of >the structure, I point these out but don’t stress them nearly as much as >other problems that might be code legal but interfere with the utility and >safety and may, in fact, cause further problems. I don’t consider a home >inspector to be a code inspector and he or she should not be, the desired >result is not the same in each case.
Thanks for sharing this with me. I know I will sound vague and from reading the above I get the feeling that you are a professional inspector, but I’ll ask anyway. Are you a PE able to do Structural Inspections or are you solely a Home Inspector? And if yes, to the first part of the question, do *you* personally know of anyone who could undertake this for us? I am getting a tad desperate, if you cannot already tell! ;) Thanks, Raphaella. >Dan (my previous post was from work, hence the different address)
Tsk… Tsk… Using work time to read newsgroups! <g> – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Dan, > Thanks for your response, it was much appreciated. If we could use a > Home inspector we would, but unfortunately our contract states, and > allow me to quote — > "1) Inspection to be performed by a licensed, professional structural > engineer. > 2) Inspection to pertain only to structural matters concerning the > property and not to any of the operating systems of the property. > 3) Inspection to be performed and reported to seller no later than > close of business on May 20, 1999. > 4) Inspection report to be in writing and on professional inspector’s > letterhead and accompanied by evidence of his or her license. > Should the report contain serious negative findings concerning the > integrity of the structure, the buyers must….." > I hope this gives you a better explanation as to why we cannot just > use a home inspector. > BTW,I don’t know how relevant this is, but the property was built in > the late 1800’s. > Thanks, > Raphaella. > >It shouldn’t be difficult to find a Certified Structural Engineer, you > >should have a large listing of them in the phone book. Finding the money >to > >pay one to crawl around under your house and in your attic is a whole >nother > >matter. Unless you have specific issues to address an engineer is > >over-kill. I suspect a good home inspector will give you more of the >kind > >of information you need while preserving the option of consulting with a > >structural engineer if specific areas of concern are found. > >Dan > >> Hi, > >> I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of > >> insight, and now I have a question of my own…. > >> We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we > >> specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. > >> Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > >> to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > >> have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > >> assist us. > >> Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > >> Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > >> one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > >> have this completed! > >> Thanks in Advance, > >> Raphaella.
Response:
Or, build it in Wichita, Kansas in the area known as "Tornado Alley". <g> RM. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >sure. >build on a fault line. >pat > Can’t a house meet code but not be structurally safe? > Sanjay Nasta > www.builtonline.com
Response:
Hi Maria! >I just had a structural engineer inspect our new house. Here are a few >people you could try: >Cates Engineering in Chantilly (http://www.cateseng.com/) >Advanced Engineers Ltd, Springfield, VA, 703-451-5222
Thanks for that, I have sent them an email from their web-site, so hopefully they will respond tomorrow. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->These are all in VA because our home is in Stafford. What happened was I >found one at www.switchboard.com and they recommended that I call someone >else since they were not really close by. The next guy said he was booked >up for the next 2 weeks but he knew someone very good who was very close >to us. We went with this recommendation. He was very helpful on the >structural engineering side — put many of our fears to rest — but he was >completely ignorant about some of the new home issues. For example, he >said that all epoxy fixes around our area would be guaranteed for lifetime >(he had it done once and the company that did it gave him a lifetime >guarantee). Well, I told my builder that and he laughed at me. So I >called around and the agreement was that NO ONE offered a lifetime >guarantee except that one company, and since everyone used the same >materials, it really wasn’t an issue. So our engineer reduced our >credibility with our builder. He did a few others things like this. He >was otherwise fine but that’s why I’m not recommending him.
What a shame that he was ignorant about the new home issues. Ours (to be) is an old late 1800’s home, so we definitely hope to get an inspector who knows *exactly* what he is talking about! >Anyway, I have no connection with the people that I listed, and I woudl >suggest that you go to yahooyellow pages and do a search under "structural >engineer."
It wouldn’t bother me if you had of had some connection with the people you listed, who cares? If they are good, that is all that matters at the end of the day! :) I haven’t tried the Yahoo Yellow Pages, so I will go there after I send this to you, hopefully find at least someone who may be available. >I think Cates might be the best because they seem to do the home >inspection stuff as well as the structural engineering.
They do sound good, hopefully they will be able to assist us. >Anyway, you should do your own very thorough inspection. We spent at >least 2 hours in the house, trying every appliance, testing every outlet, >opening every window/door, etc., to make sure everything was in good >working order.
We are definitely going to be doing that, to ensure that everything it working. There would be nothing worse than to find this out after we had moved in. >Best of luck!
Thanks, we’ll need it! >Maria
Raphaella.
Response:
Hi Pat, I have just sent you a private email, but then realised you had sent a message to the group as well. I am going to look in the phone book under all those headers, I had only looked under Structural Engineers. We’re currently in Maryland, the house in question is located in Washington, DC. Would your recommendation not be able to travel in to DC? TIA, Raphaella. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, > Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > assist us. > Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > have this completed! > Thanks in Advance, > Raphaella. >look in the phone book, for a listed structural engineer, mech engineer or >Professional engineer. >i might have a reccomendation if it is maryland. >pat
Response:
sure. build on a fault line. pat – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Can’t a house meet code but not be structurally safe? > Sanjay Nasta > www.builtonline.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi, > Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > assist us. > Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > have this completed! > Thanks in Advance, > Raphaella.
look in the phone book, for a listed structural engineer, mech engineer or Professional engineer. i might have a reccomendation if it is maryland. pat
Response:
Hello Sanjay, Thank you so much for responding. I went to your website and took a look and found it extremely helpful. I also followed the link to finding a PE in your area, but they only dealt with Maryland, not District of Columbia. I did in fact call all three people/companies on that list, but to no avail. They are all flat-out, too busy to give a SI in the time frame that we have or they say that they’ll see what they can arrange, and get back to me, but they NEVER call me back! So, in desperation, I call them back again, only to find that they pretend they have never spoken to me before, get me to spurt out all the information again, say they’ll get back to me and DON’T. It has been soooooo frustrating! *Sigh*… It looks like we are going to have to forgo an SI inspection, as we only had to the close of business on the 20th of May, to present our PE’s report. :( Then again, I am going to ring up our agent and see if he can obtain us an extension from the seller’s lawyer. Stressing, stressing, stressing…. Thanking you, Raphaella. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I would look under Structural Engineers or Professional Engineer’s in the >phone book. I think inspector’s and structural engineer’s look for >completely different things. I’ve had friends have their house inspected by >inspector’s only to find obvious structural flaws. >I don’t agree that building inspector’s find structural flaws. They find >code flaws–that is their job. Hopefully, the code will catch structural >flaws. Also, a PE’s training is substantially greater. Ours only charged >us $85 for a structural inspection and the 2 insights that he gave were >worth the $$$ (since they would’ve cost thousands to fix later). >By the way, if you want to find Inspection Checklists we have a few on our >site at www.builtonline.com in the Articles section >Sanjay Nasta >www.builtonline.com >The Homeowner’s Resource > Hi, > I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of > insight, and now I have a question of my own…. > We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we > specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. > Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > assist us. > Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > have this completed! > Thanks in Advance, > Raphaella.
Response:
I would look under Structural Engineers or Professional Engineer’s in the phone book. I think inspector’s and structural engineer’s look for completely different things. I’ve had friends have their house inspected by inspector’s only to find obvious structural flaws. I don’t agree that building inspector’s find structural flaws. They find code flaws–that is their job. Hopefully, the code will catch structural flaws. Also, a PE’s training is substantially greater. Ours only charged us $85 for a structural inspection and the 2 insights that he gave were worth the $$$ (since they would’ve cost thousands to fix later). By the way, if you want to find Inspection Checklists we have a few on our site at www.builtonline.com in the Articles section Sanjay Nasta www.builtonline.com The Homeowner’s Resource
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, > I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of > insight, and now I have a question of my own…. > We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we > specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. > Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > assist us. > Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > have this completed! > Thanks in Advance, > Raphaella.
Response:
Hi Dan, Thanks for your response, it was much appreciated. If we could use a Home inspector we would, but unfortunately our contract states, and allow me to quote — "1) Inspection to be performed by a licensed, professional structural engineer. 2) Inspection to pertain only to structural matters concerning the property and not to any of the operating systems of the property. 3) Inspection to be performed and reported to seller no later than close of business on May 20, 1999. 4) Inspection report to be in writing and on professional inspector’s letterhead and accompanied by evidence of his or her license. Should the report contain serious negative findings concerning the integrity of the structure, the buyers must….." I hope this gives you a better explanation as to why we cannot just use a home inspector. BTW,I don’t know how relevant this is, but the property was built in the late 1800’s. Thanks, Raphaella. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >It shouldn’t be difficult to find a Certified Structural Engineer, you >should have a large listing of them in the phone book. Finding the money to >pay one to crawl around under your house and in your attic is a whole nother >matter. Unless you have specific issues to address an engineer is >over-kill. I suspect a good home inspector will give you more of the kind >of information you need while preserving the option of consulting with a >structural engineer if specific areas of concern are found. >Dan > Hi, > I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of > insight, and now I have a question of my own…. > We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we > specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. > Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > assist us. > Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > have this completed! > Thanks in Advance, > Raphaella.
Response:
> I have to agree to a point. House plans are usually gone over pretty > well by your local building dept. before permits are given. 9.9 times > out of 10, the permit guys will find any structural type faults and have > the plans changed before the permit is issued.
What world are you living in. The guy at the building department with the rubber stamp isn’t qualified to make any structural judgements nor does he try. For many projects they don’t ask, and for the rest they just insist that some engineer as applied his seal to the design. But that has nothing at all to do with a house that was built ages ago. All kinds of unapproved work and other damage may have occurred to the structure by then. > Most builders will spend > the money up front to have their plans gone over by an engineer before > they even start the permit stages.
Only when the building department insists.
Response:
>What world are you living in. The guy at the building department >with the rubber stamp isn’t qualified to make any structural judgements >nor does he try. For many projects they don’t ask, and for the rest >they just insist that some engineer as applied his seal to the >design.
Obviously you have never had to turn in technical drawings to get a building permit… All my house permits had to have technical drawings submitted and the plans were all checked by the building departments before the permits were granted. This process can take months sometimes. What world do you live in where the plans are NOT checked before permits were issued???? > Most builders will spend > the money up front to have their plans gone over by an engineer before > they even start the permit stages. >Only when the building department insists.
A GOOD home builder will do this on all house plans if there is any doubt at all. FNO Toolman — FREE Online Help & Advice Covering A Wide Variety Of Subjects PLUS Loads Of Great Family Fun! Check Us Out… www.familynews.org Your Connection To North American Family Life
Response:
Sanjay Nasta www.builtonline.com The Homeowner’s Resource > Obviously you have never had to turn in technical drawings to get a > building permit… All my house permits had to have technical drawings > submitted and the plans were all checked by the building departments > before the permits were granted. This process can take months sometimes. > What world do you live in where the plans are NOT checked before permits > were issued????
You have to turn in drawings. It does not mean that they are checked for structural correctness. Even assuming that the drawings are checked to insure that the think will stand up….it sure doesn’t mean it got built that way. Forgetting to carry a joist across to the right spot, or dig a footing to virgin soil can mean the difference between a sound house and one that develops cracks…. >> Most builders will spend >> the money up front to have their plans gone over by an engineer > before >> they even start the permit stages. >Only when the building department insists. > A GOOD home builder will do this on all house plans if there is any > doubt at all.
That’s a massive assumption. A home builder will have house plans checked by a structural engineer to cover themselves in case of a lawsuite.
Response:
I just had a structural engineer inspect our new house. Here are a few people you could try: Cates Engineering in Chantilly (http://www.cateseng.com/) Advanced Engineers Ltd, Springfield, VA, 703-451-5222 These are all in VA because our home is in Stafford. What happened was I found one at www.switchboard.com and they recommended that I call someone else since they were not really close by. The next guy said he was booked up for the next 2 weeks but he knew someone very good who was very close to us. We went with this recommendation. He was very helpful on the structural engineering side — put many of our fears to rest — but he was completely ignorant about some of the new home issues. For example, he said that all epoxy fixes around our area would be guaranteed for lifetime (he had it done once and the company that did it gave him a lifetime guarantee). Well, I told my builder that and he laughed at me. So I called around and the agreement was that NO ONE offered a lifetime guarantee except that one company, and since everyone used the same materials, it really wasn’t an issue. So our engineer reduced our credibility with our builder. He did a few others things like this. He was otherwise fine but that’s why I’m not recommending him. Anyway, I have no connection with the people that I listed, and I woudl suggest that you go to yahooyellow pages and do a search under "structural engineer." I think Cates might be the best because they seem to do the home inspection stuff as well as the structural engineering. Anyway, you should do your own very thorough inspection. We spent at least 2 hours in the house, trying every appliance, testing every outlet, opening every window/door, etc., to make sure everything was in good working order. Best of luck! Maria
Response:
I guess 20+ years working with King County, and Deschutes County building departments (must be some of the toughest in the country), and building to my own standards, has left me out of touch with what is standard for the rest of the country. All the permits issued for residential structures are carefully gone over for structural code violations before permits are issued in my world. In fact, the building department takes GREAT pleasure in returning a set of plans with their little red sticker, and the residential corrections sheet attached. Last time it happened to me, I forgot to draw in the foundation tie straps for the short 18" walls beside the garage door on the foundation section of the plans. A little red tag with a circle on the "header splice" section of the corrections sheet. 2 minutes of pencil work and the plans passed. In my world they DO check plans for even the slightest of details. I must admit that I jumped to the conclusion that this was a new house as the term "contracted" was used in the original post. Forgive me if this is an older house, in which case a structural engineer might very well be needed… FNO Toolman — FREE Online Help & Advice Covering A Wide Variety Of Subjects PLUS Loads Of Great Family Fun! Check Us Out… www.familynews.org Your Connection To North American Family Life – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Sanjay Nasta >www.builtonline.com >The Homeowner’s Resource > Obviously you have never had to turn in technical drawings to get a > building permit… All my house permits had to have technical drawings > submitted and the plans were all checked by the building departments > before the permits were granted. This process can take months sometimes. > What world do you live in where the plans are NOT checked before permits > were issued???? >You have to turn in drawings. It does not mean that they are checked for >structural correctness. Even assuming that the drawings are checked to >insure that the think will stand up….it sure doesn’t mean it got built >that way. Forgetting to carry a joist across to the right spot, or dig a >footing to virgin soil can mean the difference between a sound house and one >that develops cracks…. > >> Most builders will spend > >> the money up front to have their plans gone over by an engineer > before > >> they even start the permit stages. > >Only when the building department insists. > A GOOD home builder will do this on all house plans if there is any > doubt at all. >That’s a massive assumption. A home builder will have house plans checked >by a structural engineer to cover themselves in case of a lawsuite.
Response:
It shouldn’t be difficult to find a Certified Structural Engineer, you should have a large listing of them in the phone book. Finding the money to pay one to crawl around under your house and in your attic is a whole nother matter. Unless you have specific issues to address an engineer is over-kill. I suspect a good home inspector will give you more of the kind of information you need while preserving the option of consulting with a structural engineer if specific areas of concern are found. Dan
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, > I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of > insight, and now I have a question of my own…. > We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we > specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. > Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > assist us. > Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > have this completed! > Thanks in Advance, > Raphaella.
Response:
I have to agree to a point. House plans are usually gone over pretty well by your local building dept. before permits are given. 9.9 times out of 10, the permit guys will find any structural type faults and have the plans changed before the permit is issued. Most builders will spend the money up front to have their plans gone over by an engineer before they even start the permit stages. If the house was built according to the plans, it should not have any structural type problems. Now this is assuming that your have an honest builder, and building inspectors of course, and if you don’t have faith in them, then by all means go for a structural engineer. I would not however depend on any old residential house inspector to find a structural type problem. The building inspectors look for such things during the framing inspections, but after the house is completed, most structural items are covered up. A house inspector will find things like non-working light switches, doors that don’t latch, drains that leak etc. etc. etc. but they are not there to find overloaded beams, hurricane clips on rafters, spacing or depth of piers and footers or any other structural type items. Things like foundations and piers should have been checked before the concrete was poured, and all the rest of the framing construction is checked right after the framers are done. FNO Toolman — FREE Online Help & Advice Covering A Wide Variety Of Subjects PLUS Loads Of Great Family Fun! Check Us Out… www.familynews.org Your Connection To North American Family Life – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->It shouldn’t be difficult to find a Certified Structural Engineer, you >should have a large listing of them in the phone book. Finding the money to >pay one to crawl around under your house and in your attic is a whole nother >matter. Unless you have specific issues to address an engineer is >over-kill. I suspect a good home inspector will give you more of the kind >of information you need while preserving the option of consulting with a >structural engineer if specific areas of concern are found. >Dan > Hi, > I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of > insight, and now I have a question of my own…. > We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we > specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. > Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer > to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only > have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to > assist us. > Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, > Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for > one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to > have this completed! > Thanks in Advance, > Raphaella.
Response:
Hi, I have been lurking on this group for a while now, gaining a lot of insight, and now I have a question of my own…. We currently have a house under contract in Washington, DC and we specifically asked for that to include a structural inspection. Our problem is, we are having trouble finding a *qualified* Engineer to undertake this task. I’ve called a few companies, but they only have home inspectors, no structural engineers, so they are unable to assist us. Does anyone here know how we could go about locating one in either DC, Maryland or Virginia to do the job? Where on earth do we look for one? Time is rapidly running out, as we only have until May 20th to have this completed! Thanks in Advance, Raphaella.