Forensic Engineering Investigation

Forensic structural engineering is a multi-disciplinary field that involves the investigation of various structures and analysing how they are designed, how they are constructed, and how they fail. Forensic structural engineering is a part of professional engineering practice that intersects all disciplines of engineering and develops highly valuable skills in investigation, critical and logical thinking, and report writing. Forensic structural engineers are trained to logically investigate and analyse evidence of structural failures after natural disasters, accidents, and long-term deterioration, and present an unbiased assessment of what the underlying cause failure may have been.

For most of us, our house is our biggest asset and one of the most important things in our life. Unfortunately, not everything lasts forever, and houses are one of them. Small things such as a crack in a wall or ceiling can be a tell-tale sign that your house is under stress. If left unattended, foundation movement can be a major and costly exercise to repair. However, if we as Structural Engineers were to design a house to be totally resistant to foundation movement the construction cost would be so expensive it would be well outside most people’s budget. Therefore, we design houses anticipating limited movement and within specific tolerances. There is a fine line between a ‘normal’ wall crack and a crack which is trying to tell us something serious about the house. A Structural Engineer can assess whether a crack is acceptable or something more serious to worry about. However, as a homeowner there are some basic checks that you can do before contacting a structural engineer.

What are the signs of a foundation structural issue?
Our team of Engineers will analyse the below to determine any structural foundation issues:

• Do you have cracks extensively to walls and ceilings throughout your house
• Can you place an object such as thick piece of paper into the cracks
• Do doors and windows close or open by themselves
• Do any doors stick or can no longer be closed
• Do the cracks appear to be rapidly increasing over the last year
• Do the floors feel uneven underfoot
• Do you have cracked tiles or gaps around skirting boards
• Have you noticed gaps around window or door frames
• Do your drains no longer flow well
• Is the water bill high

If you have noticed any of the above points in your house then you may have an issue which needs specialist inspection by a Structural Engineer. Cracking can be caused by a number of reasons for which some may even covered under your home insurance policy. A Structural Engineer can complete an extensive investigation which may involve inspection and assessment of any major cracks, conducting a floor level survey, assessing exterior conditions, conducting soil tests, reviewing the construction of the house and reviewing the land topography. The above will determine the cause of the cracking then provide recommendations and designs or advice for repair. Quite often at the preliminary stage of investigation EC Engineers can often provide simple cost-effective improvements for you to carry out to limit or prevent further cracking to your house whilst minimising costs.

The movement of a house foundation is often the subject of seasonal weather activity. As seasons change from one to the other there are things you can do to your house to reduce potential foundation movement. To protect your house as seasons change, we recommend the below:

• Clear all drains and gutters to ensure water does not pond or lay against foundations
• Connect all drains into a stormwater line or well away from the house
• Clean out grass and vegetation from overland culverts and channels
• Trim trees or remove any large established trees away from your house
• Ensure sub floor areas are well vented and dry
• Ensure your swimming pool has an overflow pipe