Cleaning up After the Flood
After flood waters recede and you have access to your home or building, it is time to start the cleanup process. The following questions and answers are intended to assist you in moving through this process.First, Owners need to know whether they have flood insurance...
Beware of Post Disaster Reconstruction Scams
Professional Engineering Inspections can assist you with your post disaster reconstruction process and help to avoid scams. The first steps are going to be documenting the damage and having your insurance adjuster out provide an assessment of what they will cover....
Accessing to Disaster Assistance and Resources
FEMA Assistance Information To apply for FEMA assistance please visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov. People without internet access may sign up by calling 800-621-3362. Individuals have speech disabilities or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585 directly;...
How Deep Should Your Root Barriers Go?
When consulting on foundation maintenance and repair on expansive clay soil we often recommend the use of root barriers and a watering system where trees are nearby. Root barriers or root walls are amazingly effective when trees are determined to be using moisture...
Post Repair Foundation Elevations
When a client calls about foundation performance issues and the office asks if they have any historical elevation data the first question we typically get is, “What are elevations?” The term “elevations” is used to describe a series of measurements made at the...
Structural Configuration and Floor Slopes
Doing inspections for the last 30 years, with most of my work on wood framed residential structures, I commonly find floor slopes at the second floor of a structure which indicate some sagging of the structure has occurred. Often such sagging results in floor slopes...
Expose Nails-New Construction
Expose nails and nail holes through the roof are common occurrences in new construction. Can you see the nail in the picture? Often these nails are not visible except when walking the roof. If the roof is safe to access and conditions are safe Professional...
Pumping Concrete
Have you ever wondered how they place concrete in residential construction? Typically a concrete pump truck is used to place the concrete exactly where they want it. I happened to be working next to a foundation that was being fabricated today and though I would...
Storm Surge
Storm surge can be more lethal than the the storm or hurricane. This video from the National Weather Service provides a good description. https://youtu.be/bBa9bVYKLP0
Beat The HEAT
If you live in Texas and you have been here the last few days you know they have been HOT! Texas heat can be dangerous and in construction consulting and on daily inspections we work in the weather rain or shine hot or not so we have to be careful not to become...