Concept illustrationHomeowners, builders and contractors
Residential Structural Engineering
New homes, additions and renovations. Clear answers for foundations and structures that need attention.
Discuss your projectWho we work with
Homeowners, buyers and sellers, builders, remodelers and foundation repair contractors.
Most of our residential work is one house at a time: a foundation that has settled, a floor that slopes, a wall a remodeler wants to remove, or a lot that needs an engineered foundation before the builder can pour. Buyers and sellers call for a written opinion during due diligence, and foundation repair contractors bring us the projects that need a designed layout and a completion letter.
Typical work
- Foundation inspection and repair design for settled houses
- Helical pier underpinning layouts for repair contractors
- Sloping floor and framing repair in crawlspace houses
- Beam and header design for wall removals
- Additions and second stories over existing framing
- New residential structural design for custom builders
- Retaining walls on residential property and driveways
- House lifting and elevation in flood zones
- Pre-purchase structural evaluation with a written opinion
Conditions that warrant a structural evaluation
How serious each of these is depends on its cause and its extent. A leaning chimney or a bowing wall should be evaluated on its own; the others matter most when several appear together or one is getting worse.
- Cracks in interior drywall
- Cracks in exterior brick, stucco or block
- Cracks in a concrete slab or foundation wall
- A chimney leaning or separating from the structure
- Sloping, sagging or bouncing floors
- Gaps around windows and doors
- Doors and windows that stick or will not latch
- Water pooling against the foundation
- Bowing or leaning basement walls