Who Really Needs a Forensic Structural Engineer
When most people hear the word forensic, they think of crime scenes or courtroom investigations. But in the world of construction and buildings, forensic structural engineering serves a very different-and very critical-purpose.
The professional to call when something goes wrong with the structural integrity of your home is called structural engineer. Their job is to find out why it happened, how it happened, and what is responsible for causing it. From collapsed decks and cracked foundations to roof failures and storm damage, a structural engineer brings clarity when your property is affected structurally.
At structuralengineers.com, our experienced structural engineers help owners, builders, insurance companies, and attorneys understand the root cause of damage with facts, not guesses.
What does a forensic structural engineer do?
A forensic structural engineer investigates the cause of structural damage or failure. This is not about designing new buildings or routine inspections but more about understanding what went wrong.
They document precisely how a structure is affected and whether the issue was due to design flaws, construction mistakes, material defects, natural disasters, or lack of maintenance through site visits, analysis, and engineering calculations.
The result is a state-stamped forensic report, a detailed document suitable for legal claims, insurance settlements, or decisions involving repair.
When Does Forensic Structural Engineering Become Essential?
You don’t need a forensic engineer for everyday cracks or maintenance issues. But there are specific times when this level of expertise is essential, especially when there’s money, liability, or safety at stake.
1. Structural Failures or Collapses
A professional structural engineer investigates root causes if a roof caves in, a deck detaches, or a retaining wall gives way. In fact, such investigations help identify whether design errors, construction flaws, or external weather conditions led to the failure.
2. Insurance Claim Disputes
The true value of forensic structural engineering, however, comes in when it relates to storm-related damages. With major events involving hurricanes, high winds, and heavy rainfalls, property owners have filed a growing trend of insurance claims, which often become a burden to address in court when insurers decide that the damages were not indeed “storm-related” but due to previous conditions.
Our forensic engineers take great care in analyzing both the physical evidence on-site and historical weather data in order to establish a relationship between the event and the resultant damage. This involves documenting the date and time of the inspection, structural failure patterns compared with official weather reports, citing NOAA or local meteorological data which verify wind speeds, rainfall totals, or storm paths in your area.
This detailed documentation then forms part of a stamped forensic report that establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between the storm and your property damage. These reports will often help facilitate quicker, more reasonable resolutions for homeowners, insurance adjusters, and attorneys alike.
3. Construction Defects and Contractor Disagreements
In case of dispute between homeowners and contractors about the quality of construction, an engineer can review the structure to show whether the work conforms to building codes and engineering standards. The unbiased judgment helps resolve conflicts based upon impartial data rather than opinion.
4. Legal and Litigation Cases
The attorneys commonly engage forensic engineers as experts to give professional opinions in court. Reports from forensic engineers are essential in property damage lawsuits, construction defect matters, and insurance claim-related disputes.
5. Fire, Flood, or Impact Damage
Storm damage often interacts with other forces, such as those from flooding or windborne impact. When this happens, our forensic team considers how these coupled effects-for instance, wind uplift, water infiltration, or flying debris impact-have contributed to the structural compromise.
Each forensic report contains photographic evidence, structural calculations, and verified event data that enhance the credibility of the claim and assist in eliminating guesswork during insurance evaluations.
6. Real Estate and Pre-Purchase Concerns
Sometimes, prospective buyers discover serious cracks, an unlevel floor, or leaning walls during the house inspection. A structural engineer can give a cause analysis in such a case so that the buyer will know if the problem is cosmetic or structural and what repairs are really needed.
Why You Shouldn't Rely on a General Contractor or Home Inspector
General contractors and home inspectors are skilled professionals, but there is a limitation as to what services they can offer. Their expertise doesn’t include forensic structural inspections and report building.
They can identify visible signs of damage like cracks, sagging, or water stains but they can not determine the root cause of those problems legally in a state-stamped report.
Only a licensed Professional Engineer can:
1. Identify the root cause of structural damage
2. Measure the magnitude of the problem
3. Provide reports with recommendations.
4. Issue reports recognized by the courts, insurers, and municipalities
That’s why early involvement of the forensic structural engineer can avoid costly delays, unnecessary repairs, and improper claims.
Why Homeowners and Businesses in Virginia Need Forensic Engineering
A mix of historic homes, coastal weather, and soil conditions in Virginia makes forensic structural engineering very relevant. Expansive clay soils in Northern Virginia can cause the foundations to shift. Older brick homes in Richmond usually have mortar deterioration. Along the coast, moisture, wind, and salt exposure lead to long-term corrosion.
Storms and hurricanes are a recurring concern for Virginia homeowners. Our forensic engineers routinely assist clients after severe weather events to identify wind or water-related damages that might not be immediately visible, such as roof deck separation, wall bowing, or hidden moisture behind masonry.
We also help verify that these damages align with documented storm timelines, ensuring that your insurance claim reflects factual, traceable evidence.
Guessing at causation when damage occurs often results in wasted money and, even worse, could pose safety risks. A forensic engineer provides objective answers based on physics, building codes, and evidence, not assumptions. – Expert Opinion
We are Led by Experts You Can Trust
At structuralengineers.com every forensic inspection is performed by a Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.), and not a technician or contractor.
Our founder, Ray Gessner, P.E., is licensed in Virginia and Maryland. Our firm is also a registered engineering business entity. Ray also holds a DPOR Class A Contractor License, which gives our team a deep understanding of both structural design and real-world construction practices.
We specialize in providing clear, unbiased forensic reports for homeowners, insurance companies, attorneys, and construction professionals. Our findings are based on facts and not financial incentives.
In the case of storm-related assessments, our approach is fully evidence-based; each of the reports contains event validation and photographic proof, with accompanying structural calculations that confirm the true origin and extent of the damage. This helps both the homeowners and insurers arrive at decisions based on verified data and not speculation.
How a Forensic Structural Engineer Helps You
Hiring a forensic structural engineer brings peace of mind when the source of the damage is unclear.
You get:
1. Understanding with clarity what caused the problem
2. Insurance or legal purposes documentation
3. Engineering-backed repair recommendations
4. Proof that protects you from unnecessary costs or false claims.
Instead of debating opinions, you get professional answers from a licensed expert.
Who need a forensic structural engineer at a glance
| Who Needs a Forensic Structural Engineer | Why They Need It |
|---|---|
| Homeowners | After storm, flood, or foundation damage — when the cause is unclear or insurance disputes arise |
| Insurance Companies | To confirm if claimed damages are genuinely caused by storms, wind, or impact |
| Attorneys & Legal Teams | During property damage or liability cases where expert testimony is required |
| Contractors & Builders | When construction quality is disputed or defects appear after completion |
| Real Estate Buyers & Sellers | Before closing a deal when cracks, sagging floors, or roof issues are found |
| Property Managers | When recurring structural problems appear across multiple buildings |
We Offer Forensic Structural Inspections all across Virginia
We proudly offer forensic structural engineering services throughout Virginia, including:
Northern Virginia includes: Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun, and Prince William. Richmond and Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads
Other states where we service are Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Washington D.C., North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Oregon, and Washington.
Whether your home was damaged by strong winds, heavy rain, flooding, or flying debris during a storm, our licensed forensic engineers will document, verify, and explain the cause in a way that stands up to insurance review or court scrutiny.
In storm-related cases, the difference between a denied and successful claim often comes down to evidence. This is why our reports are designed to stand up in court: linking local event data to visible structural evidence to show what happened and when.
Conclusion
You don’t need a forensic structural engineer for routine maintenance, but when damage occurs, when safety is in question, or when blame becomes a legal issue, you can’t afford to skip one.
A proper forensic inspection protects your finances, your property, and your peace of mind. With transparent pricing and licensed expertise, all our clients receive clarity that’s grounded in science, not assumption.
Dial (605) 467 – 7328 to book your appointment for hail storm roof damage forensic inspection.
