Signs an engineer is likely needed
Any one of these is worth raising with your contractor and adjuster.
- Charring or cracking in a beam, header, girder or post that carries a floor or roof.
- Fire damage to roof trusses or engineered floor joists.
- A sagging floor, ceiling or roof line that was not there before the fire.
- Heat or spalling damage to a concrete foundation wall or slab, or cracked masonry.
- Damage at a garage opening header or a wall that carries the room above.
- Any wall or support that the builder wants to remove or relocate during the rebuild.
- The building inspector asking for stamped drawings or an engineer's letter.
What the engineer actually provides
A structural engineer evaluates the damaged elements and documents conclusions in writing. For a straightforward case that may be a letter: these joists can be sistered with this size lumber and these fasteners; this beam must be replaced. For a larger loss it may be stamped drawings showing the repair design, which the city can review as part of the permit.
The document does double duty. It tells the builder and inspector how to repair the structure, and it gives the adjuster an independent professional basis for the scope. When a builder and an adjuster disagree about whether a beam can stay, an engineer's report is often what settles it.
Getting good value from the visit
Confirm who is hiring
Ask the adjuster whether the insurer will engage an engineer or reimburse one you hire. Get that in writing.
Open things up first
An engineer can say much more about framing that has had loose char removed and finishes stripped back.
Gather what you have
Original plans, past remodel records, and photos from before demolition all help.
Be present or send your contractor
Someone who knows the house should walk the engineer through it and note questions.
Ask for clear deliverables
Request specific repair details, not just observations, so the builder can price and permit from it.
Keep in mind
- Licensing
- Ask to see the engineer's Colorado professional engineer license; it can be checked with the state licensing agency
- Independence
- An engineer hired by the insurer works for the insurer; you can ask for a copy of the report
- Timing
- Bringing an engineer in early is usually faster than waiting for an inspector to require one
Common questions
The insurer's engineer says a beam can stay, but my builder disagrees. What now?
Ask both to put their reasoning in writing. You may be able to hire your own engineer for a second opinion; ask your adjuster how that cost would be treated.
General information for Westminster, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.