Structural Engineer Home Inspection

Posted on 03/22/2014 by Jeff Lineberger, P. E.

Structural Engineer Home Inspection

DIAGNOSE STRUCTURAL DEFECTS.

"...Our structural foundation & building inspections are done in strict accordance with Texas ASCE guidelines. Having completed 1,000 + structural & forensic investigations statewide, our engineers are among the most respected in the business..."

Structural Inspections. What are they?

A structural inspection checks the "health" of a building's structural systems. Local soil characteristics, building performance history, and site storm drainage conditions all play a role in diagnosing building system structural defects. Prescribing proper structural repairs requires knowing the precise nature of building defects.

PROTECT YOUR ASSETS.

"...Repair costs for home and building structural foundation systems have skyrocketed in recent years. Structurally defective home and building systems can diminish the value of an otherwise marketable asset..."

Structural Inspections. Why get one?

"...Peace of mind is by far the most frequent reason for getting a structural inspection. Properly done, a structural inspection can reveal a building's hidden performance issues before they become costly structural failure problems..."

TEXAS LICENSED EXPERTS.

"...Our principal engineers have years of actual structural forensic and expert witness testimony experience in various legal forums across the State of Texas..."

Lineberger Consulting Engineers. Why hire us?

"...We are Texas licensed. Our engineers are among the best and brightest in the business, each having testified as experts in various Texas legal forums. Structural inspections and building investigations are our specialty..."

EDUCATION. TRAINING. EXPERIENCE.

"...Credible structural analysis and defect diagnosis require advanced levels of education, training and experience. Our engineers have decades of actual forensic, civil, geotechnical, and structural engineering professional practice experience..."

What qualifies a Texas licensed engineer to inspect a structural foundation system?


Jeffery L. Lineberger, P. E.

Jeffery L. Lineberger, P. E.

“...Engineers are required to practice only in their area(s) of competence. However, very few Texas licensed engineers possess the education, training and experience to competently perform structural foundation and building inspections..."

In practice, it takes many years for engineers to gain the requisite experience and skills to properly inspect structural foundation and building systems.  Hiring an inexperienced licensed engineer to check the health of your home, office or building foundation system can have far reaching economic implications.  Can you really afford a "do-over"?

ABOUT TEXAS LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS.

ASCE Foundation Evaluations - Structural Inspections
According to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, “There is no requirement in the Texas Engineering Practice Act to practice engineering only in the area that engineer was tested for during the Principles and Practice exam”.  The bottom line?  “…All engineers are required under the Act to practice only in their area(s) of competence…”  Its as simple as that.
Most practicing engineers consider structural engineering to be a sub-specialty of civil engineering practice.  This is because civil and structural engineering overlap in many of their technical aspects. Still,  structural engineering  may be considered a stand alone profession in its own right.
Structural engineers commonly design buildings and large non-building structures.  They also design machinery, medical equipment, vehicles, or any item where structural integrity affects the item’s function or safety. Structural engineers must make sure their designs are safe, serviceable, and perform as intended.  Structural engineering is based upon scientific theory and practical experience.  A structural engineering design often combines several simple structural elements to create complex structural systems.
Structural engineers are licensed or accredited by different regulatory bodies around the world.  In Texas, the Board of Professional Engineers governs the practice of professional engineering. The Texas board considers all engineers to be professional engineers, regardless of whether they are Civil, Structural, Mechanical, or some other type of engineer.  A licensed engineer may practice in the area for which they are qualified by education , training, and experience. A Texas professional engineer may choose to formally register up to two specialty practice areas with the board.  However, this registration of up to two specialties is not mandatory and does not prevent an engineer from practicing in the multiple specialty areas for which they are qualified.
Structural Engineer Inspections & Reports by Texas Licensed Engineers  30+ Years Experience. Fast, Reliable, Accurate. Residential, Commercial, Industrial.Structural Engineer Foundation Inspection.

Jeffery L. Lineerger, P. E.

Jeffery L. Lineberger, P. E.

LINEBERGER CONSULTING ENGINEERS, INC.

SAN ANTONIO & SURROUNDING AREAS

210-601-1379

AUSTIN & SURROUNDING AREAS

512.522.9197

Book Appointment

Structural Engineer Home Inspection  Structural Engineer Home Inspection  Structural Engineer Home Inspection  Structural Engineer Home Inspection 
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ASCE Foundation Evaluations – Structural Inspections

Posted on 03/07/2014 by Jeff Lineberger, P. E.

ASCE Foundation Evaluations – Structural Inspections

ASCEOur firm proudly practices both CIVIL ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING.  We also practice forensic engineering and testify in the Texas courts when called to do so.  We are experienced, seasoned professionals.  At any given time, we are providing expert testimony, designing commercial building facilities, and providing civil and structural consulting services to our customers.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Texas Section, provides guidance for three foundation evaluation types: Level A, B and C Residential Foundation Evaluations (inspections).  Each need the combined skills of a civil engineer, a structural engineer, and various civil engineering sub-specialties such as geotechnical engineering, earth science, coastal engineering, surveying, and construction engineering.  The one-dimensional practice of structural engineering may not be adequate to satisfy the education, training, and experience requirements to complete a level A, B, or C foundation evaluations, inspections, or assessments.
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline covering the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment. Civil engineering includes works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings. Civil engineering is the oldest non-military oriented engineering discipline. In fact Civil engineering was defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering.
Civil engineering is traditionally broken into several sub-disciplines including environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, Geophysics, Geodesy, Control engineering, structural engineering, biomechanics, nanotechnology, transportation engineering, earth science, atmospheric sciences, forensic engineering, municipal or urban engineering, water resources engineering, materials engineering, Control Engineering, coastal engineering, surveying, and construction engineering. Civil engineering takes place on all levels: in the public sector from municipal through to national governments, and in the private sector from individual homeowners through to international companies.
Conversely, structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right. It is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineers are most commonly involved in the design of buildings and large non-building structures.  They can also be involved in the design of machinery, medical equipment, vehicles, or any item where structural integrity affects the item’s function or safety.  Structural engineers must make sure their designs satisfy given design criteria, predicated on safety (e.g. structures must not collapse without due warning) or serviceability and performance (e.g. building sway must not cause discomfort to the occupants). Structural engineering theory is based upon physical laws and empirical knowledge of the structural performance of different materials and geometries. An engineering design uses a number of simple structural elements to build up structural systems that can be very complex. Structural engineers are responsible for making creative and efficient use of funds, structural elements, and materials to meet these goals.

ASCE Foundation Evaluations – Structural Inspections  ASCE Foundation Evaluations – Structural Inspections  ASCE Foundation Evaluations – Structural Inspections

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Structural Engineer – Improve Slab on Grade Foundation Performance

Posted on 05/24/2012 by Jeff Lineberger, P. E.

Structural Engineer – Improve Slab on Grade Foundation Performance

CRACKED BRICKExpansive Clays.  Can’t live with them.  Can’t live without them.
If you live in the San Antonio or Austin areas, you know the havoc these soils can wreak on a slab on grade foundation system.  But do you know how simple it is to prevent clay soil slab damage while at the same time improving its performance potential?
To help reduce the potential of future concrete foundation distress and residence interior/exterior brittle material cracking occurrences, a homeowner should consider implementing the following non-structural maintenance/code compliance guidance:
  1. If plumbing (pool, sub-foundation supply or drain system) leaks are suspected, or if previous plumbing tests did not comprehensively test all drain and supply lines underneath the foundation, test the house plumbing (supply and drain) and any yard irrigation systems (or connected hose bibbs and water supply piping) to assure their water tightness. Water accumulation beneath the foundation system can cause a localized and potentially damaging upward displacement of the foundation surface.
  2. Consider saw-cutting & filling concrete floor surface cracks with a low viscosity epoxy resin compound to help prevent their potential increase in length, wide, depth over time;
  3. Consider installing (new) or connecting (existing) gutter/downspout systems to an underground drain system (refer to “Surface Water Drainage, Option A) if available to ease the capture, collection, and draining of roof storm water away from the foundation perimeter and to:  help prevent ground surface erosion or scouring;  help prevent foundation bearing soil supersaturation (refer to next bullet);  help prevent acute water ponding in areas on or about the foundation perimeter.
  4. Maintain a uniform soil moisture content along and about the foundation system perimeter where it is reasonable to do so.  Guidelines (a.) and (b.) below may be followed:   (a)  Excessively wet foundation bearing soils can allow the foundation system to displace vertically downward over time. Assure soils near the foundation perimeter do not become excessively saturated (keep soil moisture on the low end of its plastic range).  (b) Excessively dry bearing soils and subgrade material can shrink volumetrically, allowing abnormal vertical displacement or angular rotation of the slab-on-grade foundation system. To help reduce excessive foundation planar tilting resulting from soil drying and shrinking along its perimeter, assure plenty of ground surface vegetative cover (landscaping) flourishes near its perimeter while maintaining uniform beam bearing soil moisture contents (irrigate yard regularly, but not excessively while keeping soil moisture on the low-end of its plastic range).
  5. The Post Tensioning Institute Publication “Design and Construction of Post Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground” states: Assure any air conditioning condensate discharge line directs condensate away from the foundation system to prevent excessive water from saturating the foundation bearing soils as applicable.
  6. Watering should be done in a uniform, systematic way as equally as possible on all sides of the foundation to keep the soil moist. Areas of the soil that do not have ground cover may need more moisture as they are more susceptible to evaporation.
  7. During extreme hot & dry periods, close observations should be made around foundations to insure that adequate watering is being provided to keep soil from separating or pulling back from the foundation.
  8. Assure any water heater TPRV discharge lines direct condensate away from the foundation system to prevent excessive water from saturating the foundation bearing soils.
  9. Attempting to replace expected local climate precipitation by artificially imbibing moisture into the foundation bearing soils with appliances (example: soaker hose or irrigation system) may negatively impact the structural efficacy the foundation system. No known authoritative treatise or code based protocols exist which offer approved instructions for their safe, hazard free, long-term use.
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