FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Several variables affect the estimate of a structural evaluation. Some of them can be: Size, age, complexity, and foundation type. These are part of the time estimated for the engineer to evaluate the site and write the report. Additional costs may be applicable to your project. If so, they will be discussed with you before they are incurred. Additional Factors: When available, we ask for the home inspection report or other documents or images that may help the engineer prepare for your project. They are also used to provide your estimate.

Payment is due at or before the site visit. If your project requires a single payment, upon completion of the e-signature process, the quote page will refresh and the Pay Now button located beneath the signature box will be activated. You may use the button to make the payment up until the date of service.

If your project requires multiple payments or you choose to pay after the date of service, you will receive an email with a link to pay online.

For evaluations, you may also pay at the time of the site visit using cash, check, or card.

Due to state regulations, our engineers are unable to share their findings with you until payment has been received.

The turnaround time for the report is generally five business days starting the day after the site visit. A Wednesday site visit would be scheduled for a Wednesday delivery. The time of delivery is dependent upon our workload and the complexity of the report. In order for a report to be delivered, we must have an a signature on the quote and payment. 

The report includes photographs, observations, conclusions, and recommendations for repair as required. This is a plan that your contractor can follow. Reports are often used to gain multiple quotes from contractors. 

You will need to provide access to the site and all available site information necessary to provide services. If framing is to be evaluated, cutting drywall may be needed. For the engineer to be able to assess a specified area, it needs to be uncluttered and safe. Some areas, such as crawlspaces, can be very tight. The engineer may not be able to see these areas fully. 

Sometimes there is drywall preventing visual access to the structural components. Our engineers do not remove drywall. You will need to be prepared to have it removed by a contractor or handyman. We will send a drywall disclaimer if your project requires drywall removal.

Once payment has been received, the engineer may share his findings with you at his discretion.

Sometimes he can, depending upon his schedule. However, the price estimated for your site visit is specific to the Scope of Work agreed upon. Things requested beyond the agreed scope will necessarily incur additional charges to pay for the engineer’s time, both on site and composing the report. This is at the discretion of the engineer.  

We are highly qualified in the specialized field of structural engineering. Because we do not specialize in types of problems above, we defer to the experts in those fields. However, upon request, we can provide the names of specialists with whom we have had good experiences.