The Traveling Engineer

Nobody wants things like tot, mold and termites in your basement. Keep your foundation dry and I t will take tare of you

Buckling, cracks and overlong spans - oh my!When a home is old, chances are good that it wasn't built to today's standards. That's bad enough, but add funky additions by grampa Joe's brother in law and the ravages of time and weather? Now it's getting a bit much. This home needs a capable buyer

Come contractors are good. Others belong in jail. Here's what to learn from the second kind.

Ok it was the middle of cactusville. And the tiny home blossomed from 130 Square feet to double that. 18 acres. The dude was pretty interesting though and I enjoyed meeting him. We got him covered with the county

We all want to serve humanity, even if sometimes it doesn't help our wallet. But sometimes you wonder if you're just enabling a taker. This was one of those moments

I had a professor once who could do math in his head. I wanted to be nerdly like that too. Here's how I use that skill now

If the contractor makes you sign a non disparagement clause, what might that tell you about the contractor?I ruined an agent's day today but protected two of my favorite clients

What does it mean when there is a horizontal crack in the foundation? I'veseem this a lot lately

Sometimes I can make a client's day by telling them about what it's nor

When the 70's happened there wasn't as much knowledge as perhaps there should have been. 30 foot span with 4 on 12 pitch and 22 feet on center 2x4s is a formula for uh-oh. Here's what we decided

I got a near panicked call from a commercial property landlord. She said that the wall and ceiling had separated and you could see daylight. Yeah that's frightening. Here's how it went.

When the foundation is cracked and it's all you can afford, who do you call? Well, me.

When you're not a home inspector or engineer, sometimes you know that the water in the basement is a problem but you don't know exactly how to fix it. And when the neighbor contributes to the problem, how do you manage that? I helped a woman today.

Sometimes cities get grumpy and want 30 year old structures permitted. Here is how I helped the client

Sometimes grammar thinks he's fixing problems. And sometimes he is really causing them.

When the slab is supported by nothing besides Air, there is drama. In this case, the soil had settled about a foot.

You gotta love it when someone finds a way to change up the old tried and true. What was the old reliable is now just old. Here is how Deck building is being revolutionized.

When a bus and a hotel wing collide, both lose. I did a special inspection today where the epic battle occurred

When a dude wants to upgrade his shed to something awesome, something you can cross swords with the city and nosy neighbors. I helped this client sort it all out

What happens when rock and mortar meets a heavy 2 story Brick structure, as well as a garden next to the foundation? Well, that would be a 5 to 6 figure Bill.

So I ran into a roofer that was, um, interesting. I've made an appointment and then he wanted documents. Lots of them. It ended well for the home owner

The home is 1952 vintage and done in a modular way. There are cracks and concerns. And...there might be a wedding - oh my! Well, at least I took worry number 1 off the table

Stairstep Cracks can be a sign of structural issues, but sometimes it just means the home has some miles on it

When a structural crack doesn't mean your house is falling, but do mean it's distressed

Sometimes a normal inspection isn't very normal. Sometimes it's full service and then a bit more. And then another phone call explaining it again. It's all good

Having 150 of your closest friends can put a load on your home's structure. Add a water ptoblem and poor footings, and you might have a problem

Shelf foundations are the old timer way of doing foundations. Add that to drainage problems and block construction and things get more interesting

When the dishwasher floods, sometimes that means it's time for a remodel. I designed a beam and told her about how to avoid issues from mold

Talked to a new friend today. This dude is originally from India and is a mechanical engineer. He's finishing his basement and is putting an external door in the foundation.

The client needs a basement entry. It needs a lintel, a retaining wall and a stamp. Here is how I saved them thousands

In this episode, we have a worried homeowner that wanted to know if the crack in his wall between the master bedroom and master bath meant that his home was structurally flawed. The result was good - and I explain why in this quick pod

Steel is an under utilized building material in residential construction, and when you're opening old homes up, steel can be worth its weight.

If you're a local, you might have heard a song about a house that was built on sand. Here's a hint: the house doesn't do well. I ran into one of those today. The garage had some issues. The foundation had a number of cracks and the garage walls and ceilings showed separation and shear stresses. Here's what I told the client

Structural piers can solve problems when it's the right situation. When they become spears, that's a big structural problem

Sometimes homes on hills can be saved, and sometimes not. This one was good news.

So the client wants to finish the basement. They want to add a 5 foot window and move a sliding door

Old house? Need a garage door opener? Beware what you cut when you install the opener

What happens when you enter the court room? For starters, the rules change. It's not about if it's broken.

Today I also did prep work as legal support for a deck related lawsuit. I love doing this

So now project homes start for 900k. Awesome

1978 was great. That's what they said at graduation, but for construction it really wasn't so awesome. This inspection had a collapsed roof that nearly killed a number of workers

What do you do when your beautiful home is beautiful, but has a 90s floor plan? When the interior walls are structural but the home isn't open? And when you can't move?

I was hired to assess the structural damage in a garage fire. Here is what I learned

It's a trend. My client at noon is renting his basement. So was the client at 10 am. It's that kind of world now. Here's how I helped him move forward on that goal.

Thank goodness for home Inspectors. They are generalists and have to know everything about everything. And thank goodness for the guys who acknowledge that they don't. That's excellent service .

Stairstep Cracks in masonry are always unsettling. Here is what I told the client

I visited on office warehouse today. 3100 Sq ft and built in the 50s. Crazy Walls and mazey configurations. What's Structural? We got that answered

Note to contractors everywhere: stay away from the top and bottom 2 inches of the joist

Sometimes it's about the structural stuff. And sometimes it's about providing greater value

Sometimes getting the drainage right can save a lot of grief.