Getting a structural engineer inspection in Sydney is an excellent way to ensure you’re protected against having to spend thousands on repairs in the future. However, if the property you’re looking at has certain defects uncovered during your pre-purchase building inspection, you may require the Engineering Sydney services to perform a further inspection. Structural engineers possess tailored knowledge relating to the loads and forces in structures like bridges, tunnels and buildings. This means they’re the experts to call upon if your property has retaining walls, footings in clay soils, reinforced concrete columns, suspended concrete slabs, steel floor beams, or roof girders. With Engineering Sydney, we can walk you through the structural engineering processes, what to expect, and the budget involved.
What Is A Structural Engineer Inspection?
A structural engineer inspection is a visual inspection conducted by a structural engineer to evaluate the structural soundness of a building and its weight-bearing components such as the foundation, beams, post, framing, trusses and columns. It’s performed when a property owner has questions about the structural integrity of a building or structure. This could entail an analysis of the whole structure or an examination of a specific element of the building. Common reasons you may need a structural engineer inspection for your Sydney property include the following:
- Cracked foundation
- To remove a wall in a remodel
- Settlement or wall cracks
- Add a second storey to a home
- Add solar panels to a roof.
A structural engineering inspection is different from a typical home inspection. A home inspector performs a general inspection including:
- Interior plumbing
- HVAC system
- Basement
- Foundation
- Roof & attic
- Windows, doors, and floors
- Some aspects of the existing structural components
That’s why Engineering Sydney is led by a structural engineer who could perform an inspection of the area in question, provide a written report with expert findings, and scope of any needed repairs.
Why Do You Need A Structural Engineer Inspection?
Our structural engineers spend extensive amounts of time training and studying under a professional engineer to become licensed with the state they want to practice in. Having these qualifications allow them to be certified to perform specialty property inspections and complex analysis of buildings, homes, and other structures. Your home or building’s structure isn’t something to take a chance on. If you notice a problem with your property, hire a certified structural engineer from Engineering Sydney to look further into the problem.
When Should You Get A Structural Engineer Inspection?
There are numerous situations where you may consider having a structural engineer come to inspect your home in Sydney to ensure your property is free of any structural issues.
Selling Your Home
Most individuals consider hiring a structural engineer when purchasing a home, but there are also many benefits when a seller uses a structural engineer. For example, if you’re looking to sell your home, you might consider having any areas of concern looked at before putting the house on the market. If you know that your foundation is cracked, you need to have a structural engineer inspect it from Engineering Sydney to give your buyer confidence to buy and speed up before making any closing deals. Moreover, you can also determine what issues are worth repairing that can negotiate the price accordingly. If you know your Sydney home needs engineering work, you have the opportunity to collect some repair quotes. Having a plan of action ahead of time can bring the seller peace of mind and allows you to learn the realistic sale price. Make sure that your structural engineer provides you with a comprehensive structural report. If possible, this should have a scope of work that a contractor can use to fulfil the repair/correction work. Moreover, the structural engineer inspection Sydney report may also help obtain any necessary building.
Buying A Home
If you’re buying a home, you may want to have a structural engineer inspection Sydney performed from Engineering Sydney. This isn’t typically required from mortgage lenders, but it’s a good idea to get a full view of the property’s condition. Remember, a building inspector will give the general condition report of the whole home. If the inspector discovers defects on any of the weight-bearing components, they may throw up a “red flag” and recommend a structural engineer inspect Sydney for further assessment. Common problems that require a structural engineer:
- Sloping floors
- Foundation crack
- Settlement
- Temporary basement support
Having a problem in this condition could be the reason to require a structural engineer to inspect your property in Sydney. Though it’s not a requirement, it’s wise to proceed with the structural engineering inspection to ensure that there are no severe structural problems.
Structural Movement or Cracked Walls and Ceilings
If you’re seeing cracks even all around your property in size or any kind of movement, you might want to have a structural engineer inspection performed to analyse the condition. Small cracks can turn into huge problems if the issue isn’t addressed. Foundation issues can lead to water infiltrating the home. Many times, the damaged area is easy to fix as long as the root of the problem is attended to. A structural engineer can tell you if the problems are due to the insufficient water management system, incorrect backfill or poorly compacted soils, or a faulty foundation design. If there’s any concern, it’s better to get answers sooner than later.
Contact Engineering Sydney For More Information
To know more information about structural engineer inspections for your home in Sydney, contact Engineering Sydney today. Our business specialises in structural engineering inspections as well as civil and structural engineering in all suburbs in Sydney. We are very passionate and experienced within the residential market, helping builders, developers and architects reach their engineering goals.