A structural engineer inspection is typically a visual inspection performed by a structural engineer to validate the structural soundness of a home or building’s weight-bearing components such as framing, foundation, beams, columns, posts, or trusses.

It is performed when a home or 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 one specific element of the building.

Common reasons you may need a Structural Engineering Inspection are:

• Bowing/Cracked Foundation
• Settlement or Wall Cracks
• To remove a wall in a remodel
• Add solar panels to a roof
• Add a second story to a home
• Purchase of a Manufactured or Mobile Home

A properly built home should not exhibit any settlement beyond a few small cracks in the concrete slab foundation.

With that being said, very old homes may have sloping floors and some ceiling or wall settlement cracks simply because structural members were not designed for deflection the way they are today.

In general, if settlement is going to occur, it will happen within the first 10 years. Most of the settlement will probably happen within the first 3-5 years and after that, movement should be minimal until that 10-year mark. Saturated soils could contribute to any movement after that point.