When buying a home the inspector says “this crack looks like it could be a problem” or “the floors are sagging” or “you might want a structural engineer to take a look at this”. When a home inspector finds an issue, especially when it’s related to foundation or structural problems – what do you do? Most often, the best course of action is to hire an independent 3rd party engineer. Why an engineer, and does it need to be a structural engineer?
Most foundation repair companies, structural companies. home service companies in general – get paid when you choose them for the repair services. For instance, when you are looking to get your house painted the painter will give you a “free estimate” – but what does that mean?
- The painting contractor is big enough to have estimators and painters. The estimators come out and quote the job and then get paid commission when they make the sale.
- The painting contractor is a smaller owner/operator type. The owner comes out and quotes the job but basically is absorbing the cost in the hope of getting the work. The owner wins when he/she is awarded the work. Painters, Masons, Concrete contractor, and many others operate their business like this.
Foundation repair contractors and waterproofing contractors are no different. There is a whole host of companies out there. In Atlanta, there a dozens of foundation repair and/or waterproofing contractors. Atlanta is home to large private equity owned companies (some are nationwide), franchise type businesses (they have good training and systems), and Atlanta has dozens of small to mid sized companies.
When you buy a house (or selling a house) you need to know if you have a foundation or structural problem now or if there is a potential for a problem in the future. Engineers can diagnose and determine what is a foundation or structural issue and what is not. But there are other benefits to hiring a structural engineer in a real estate transaction:
- If you buy a house with cracks or other issues that is NOT a problem – getting a report can save you time, money, and lost sales when you sell your house down the road. When you bought the house you had a question – and chances are the people that buy your house will have similar questions.
- If you buy a house that HAS a foundation problem – a structural engineer that has examined the house, prescribed the method of repair, and reviewed the installation gives you a letter for buyers in the future. A house with $10,000 or $20,000 or $30,000 of repair work can scare a number of buyers and make them wonder “is there more”. The engineer report can give peace of mind when repairs are done.
Most foundation repair jobs are $8,000-12,000 and most engineers are charging $600-1200 which is a small percentage of the overall work and will pay back significantly when selling the house. Overall – hire a foundation repair engineer (structural engineer).