Structural Surveys

Structural Surveys

MSJ have more than 30 years of experience acting as Consulting Structural Engineers in London and the surrounding areas. We are a niche multi-disciplinary practice specialising in design, alterations and defect remediation of a building fabric. Led by a RIBA Chartered Architect and MIStructE MICE Chartered Structural Engineer, our practice combines the expertise of both disciplines under one roof, offering a comprehensive range of architectural and structural engineering design services, in addition to providing structural surveys and services relating to party wall matters, on a wide variety of small to medium size projects.

When purchasing a new home or planning any renovations, one of the most important steps is to understand the condition of the property and particularly its structural integrity.  A Structural Engineer’s assessment is one of the essential detailed inspections of a property’s structure, which helps to identify any potential problems or issues that could be costly to repair.

The circumstances that could give rise to a requirement for such investigation are for example:

•        A Building Surveyor carrying out a Level 2 or Level 3 Survey during a purchase process detects structural issues.

•        A buyer is concerned about a defect and might not have commissioned a surveyor’s report.

•        A vendor or estate agent becomes aware of a potential defect during the purchasing process and wants more information.

•        A homeowner is worried about cracks or other defects in their property, such as sloping floors or ceilings or roof surfaces or distorted door or windows frames etc

We offer two general levels of Structural Engineering inspections and reporting;

First one is Structural Engineer’s Specific Issue Report

When there is identified a localised structural issue, such as a single crack in a wall or perhaps a bulging wall, we recommended that our Structural Engineer’s Specific Issue Inspection (SESI) is commissioned.

The Structural Engineer’s Specific Issue Report is suitable for your property if you believe that the rest of the property is sound, but you have concerns about one aspect, such as:

•        A seemingly isolated crack in a specific location such as a bay window or other openings.

•        Bulging wall.

•        Sagging floor joists or roof timbers.

•        A Building Regulations issue, such as review of a historical removal of a chimney breast or a wall, often without certification paperwork.

•        Proximity of a tree, where clay soils are typical foundations strata and subsidence is a threat.

•        Drainage proximity or failure, which could also cause subsidence.

The survey report goes into a similar level of detail as a general RICS Building Survey but it only covers a particular area of concern.

Our Fees for this level of service start at £800 + VAT.

Second type of survey we offer is a Structural Engineer’s General Inspection Report. We recommend that our Structural Engineer’s General Inspection Report is commissioned if there are present multiple cracks or similar general concerns regarding distortions throughout the property.