Structural Evaluation of Existing Foundations. The Glamorous Lives of Structural Engineers.

It occurred to me as I lifted the polyvinyl moisture barrier and watched the hordes on tiny brown spiders scatter that they never told you in college that you might be spending quality time in dark, muddy, rusty, moldy places like the crawlspace pictured above.  In today’s real estate market, most lending agencies (banks) will require a structural engineer to evaluate a home’s foundation when a home inspector notes in their report that they have observed foundation cracks or any other questionable structural item. This is because the vast majority of the home inspectors out there are not licensed professional engineers and do not have the background to make thorough evaluations.  It also doesn’t hurt in the bank’s mind that licensed professional engineers also have the legal liability that adds substance to their opinions.

Unfortunately, all home’s foundations are not clean, easily accessible places. That means that to be able to observe and evaluate these foundations it means accessing some interesting places. The ruggedly handsome structural engineer in the photo is squirming through a crawlspace that is only a few inches larger than his torso. But that is the dedication to performing a quality evaluation you can come to expect from the structural engineers at EVstudio. Be sure to ask for Jim, Dean or Ross. They will be happy come and help you with your banks request or to just give you some additional peace of mind before you make the big purchase.