Forensic Structural Engineer Services

A Forensic Engineering Building Inspection is a more exciting term for carrying out detailed further investigation of a building beyond a purely visual inspection, and is essentially a broad range of professional investigative, reporting & diagnostic services. It can examine and identify a wide range of building defects, including roof leaks, balcony or planter box waterproof membrane failures, bathroom leaks, concrete cancer, cracked tiling or brickwork, sagging roofs and ceilings.

Our Engineers Building Inspection Report may consist of a detailed review of drawings for the property and/or it may involve ‘invasive’ testing to open up areas or parts of the building to expose, investigate and accurately assess the underlying building elements. This form of testing may be necessary in order to get a better understanding of the building, particularly if there are no ‘as built’ details or information available on the property.

Commonly from an initial visual inspection it is not possible to locate the source and/or cause of water ingress into a property. As part of the Forensic Engineers Investigation & Diagnostic Services that we offer, we can undertake further ‘forensic’ investigations by arranging and carrying out ‘invasive’ testing and/or exploratory works, to examine the underlying building elements, such as cavity flashings and wall ties to external walls or waterproof membranes.

These Building Inspection tests are designed to determine the condition, integrity (or even existence!) of such building elements, and may include ‘Hammer’ testing to check for drummy render and/or tiling, or a series of ‘water’ tests – commonly flood testing including fluorescent dye – to Planter boxes and/or balcony terraces, to confirm the integrity of the existing waterproof membrane and/or determine the source of the water ingress into underlying units directly below.

The results of our Forensic Building Engineer’s Investigative & Diagnostic testing are then incorporated into our Building Reports, and this enables us to provide a comprehensive Scope of Works detailing the most practical and cost-effective remedial solutions. The Scope of Works forms an integral part of our subsequent tender documentation package, which is then issued to specialist remedial builders to obtain prices as part of a competitive tender process. Further details about our Management of Tendering Process & Tender Assessment services are available on our website.