Brenda Baber

AUGUSTINE HEIGHTS: WALL CRACKS

PRE-PURCHASE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER REPORT.

A brilliant Building & Pest Report found wall cracks and possible subsidence and the buyer called Forensic Engineers for a thorough evaluation.
We found that there had been some minor footing settlements during the house construction, but they had abated and the house was stable and "sound-as-a-pound".
The buyer was really happy with our report, and so was the home owner.
We investigate these cases every day and mostly we can give home owners and buyers peace-of-mind.
In some cases however, there are serious foundation problems that could be getting worse and could be very expensive to fix.
Houses with wall cracks and possible subsidence require an expert opinion. And Forensic Engineers are here to help.
We are the subsidence specialists.

Forensic Engineers; Expert, Independent, Structural Engineer Reports.

by Brenda Baber

COORPAROO UNIT DAMAGES

Subsidence, Wall Cracks, Retaining Wall Damage; Structural Engineer Report Required.

Call Forensic Engineers!

Our expert report for the buyer found there has been some settlements of the footings and and the slab some time ago, but they were not serious and they had stopped.

The cracks can be affordably repaired, the garage floor can be lifted quite simply and economically and the leaning wall can be monitored.

The buyer was thrilled and could not wait to move in!

Another Expert Structural Engineer report from Forensic Engineers.

by Brenda Baber

CONCRETE STUMP CRACKS, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER REPORTS.

CONCRETE STUMP CRACKS, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER REPORTS.

Older Brisbane Homes can develop stump cracks & spalling (flaking). Stumps may also develop settlements & leaning. Some localized shallow concrete stump damages may be repairable, depending on the cause of the damage. Or it may be widespread & require extensive stump replacements. In some cases we find that the damage has been covered up with patching & paint. Building & Pest Inspectors do Brilliant Work & often refer a buyer or home owner to get a Structural Engineer Report from Forensic Engineers for problems with house stumps. Forensic Engineers are the experts to call for Independent Structural Engineer Reports for home buyer & sellers, Real Estate Agents & Property Owners.

by Brenda Baber

BUYING OR SELLING A HOUSE WITH WALL OR STUMP CRACKS

Are there serious or just wear & tear? An expert structural engineer report from Forensic Engineers will identify the damages, determine if they are serious, find the causes and recommend what needs to be done for repairs. Our reports are independent, accurate and affordable.

by Brenda Baber

A RENOVATOR'S DREAM!

OLDER HOUSE; WALL CRACKS, SUBSIDENCE, ENGINEER REPORT

These wonderful classic houses can still be found in areas such as Coopers Plains.
And, from our experience inspecting these types of houses, they are absolutely incredible.
They were part of a State Government Housing plan to build affordable housing for the working class.
And, they were built in the late 1950's and early 1960's by Dutch and other European Immigrant Builders.
They were from the Q.H.C, the Qld Housing Commission, and part of the deal for the immigrant builders, was that they got to own one of the houses they built - what a brilliant scheme!.
And 60-70 years later, we get to inspect some of them and amazingly, we have never seen one of these houses that has any serious structural damages at all.
So, if you are in-the market for a fixer upper, they are terrific houses to update and renovate.

What a great legacy those genuine, honest hard-working European immigrants brought to our country.

by Brenda Baber

RENOVATING A HOUSE WITH WALL CRACKS ?

RENOVATING A HOUSE WITH WALL CRACKS?

It's really important to find the actual cause of the cracks, so that any repairs will last and cracks don't re-appear again and again.

That's why the owner of this Carindale house called Forensic Engineers to prepare an expert Structural Engineer Report.

He was renovating, but found that patched wall cracks kept opening up, again and again.
Our expert investigation found old and recent subsidence & cracks and footing settlements as as well as footing rotation (leaning).
We also identified that there was a serious problem with the foundations.
The house was built on an old gully that had been filled in and the landfill was subsiding bit-by-bit, year-after-year and this was causing the house cracks.
We recommended that stabilizing the footings and permanent wall crack repair would require underpinning of most of the house footings with conventional underpinning.
Home renovations are expensive.
If you are a home owner and have worrying wall or ceiling cracks, and you think maybe there may be subsidence, it's really important to get an expert independent Engineer Subsidence Report from the get-go.

by Brenda Baber

Subsidence Structural Engineer Report Required

Subsidence; Structural Engineer Report Required.

Augustine Heights property with serious subsidence and a huge sink-hole opened up under this house on the market.
Our investigation found that loose landfill had consolidated, but the house slab was well supported with piers and the house was absolutely stable: "sound-as-a pound"!
The buyer & the seller were thrilled with our fast, no-nonsense, affordable Structural Engineer Report.

by Brenda Baber

SLIGHT INITIALS SETTLEMENTS NOT SERIOUS

Forest Lake House on the Market. An excellent Building & Pest Inspection identified gaps in window reveals and door jambs due to possible subsidence & we were asked to investigate. Our Structural Engineer Report found that there had been some initial settlements that opened some gaps, but the house was quite stable. We found that there was no requirement for any structural repairs (underpinning) and the gaps could be sealed where required. Peace-of-mind for the seller & buyer. Home owners & buyers with subsidence issues can rely on Forensic Engineers for an honest, independent report. www.forensic-engineers.com.au

by Brenda Baber

GARAGE SUBSIDENCE

SUBSIDENCE ENGINEER REPORT REQUIRED. Footing settlements, large wall gaps. Our Structural Engineer Report in this case found there had been some settlements and footing rotation but it had stopped long ago and the garage footings and walls were stable. No need for expensive underpinning! The home owner was thrilled. We investigate these cases every day for home owners, home buyers, property managers, Body Corps & Strata managers. When subsidence occurs, before contacting an Underpinning Sales Rep, it pays to contact Forensic Engineers for an expert independent Structural Engineer Report.

by Brenda Baber

DAILY STRUCTURAL ENGINEER REPORTS

DAILY STRUCTURAL ENGINEER REPORTS.

A Typical Day for Forensic Engineers.

A Pimpama house with seriously defective & damaged stumps.

We found this house required massive repair building. The owner was planning renovations and wanted to make sure the sub-floor was stable and strong. But oh-my-goodness! We found considerable defective construction & deterioration of elements. The renovations would not be a good investment unless the problems under the floor were significantly upgraded.

A Deebing Heights house with suspicious masonry joint gap

Ground movements had occurred and were ongoing. We found the house could be stabilized without underpinning. A Great Result!

A Coomera house with the slab edge beam exposed

Subsidence had occurred, but there were no slab deflections. A Brilliant Result.

A Collingwood Park house with massive slab deflections.

Massive underpinning & lifting would be required. Unlikely that it would be practical. There are some cases where underpinning houses with this much movements, can achieve a reasonable result. But in most cases the house frame and sheeting and cabinetry will not tolerate the stresses and severe damages result. In some cases the founding clay soils adhere to the footings and the footings do not want to lift.

Specializing in house subsidence issues; our Expert Structural Engineer Reports determine the extent of damages, causes & repair methods.

by Brenda Baber

0403 434 092