Forensic Engineers in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Structural engineer

Forensic Engineers

Locality: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 403 434 092

Address: PO Box 3501 Norman Park 4170 Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.forensic-engineers.com.au

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25.01.2022 We inspect at least 12 subsidence cases per week. And many householders are stressed out because have had a free subsidence assessment from an underpinner who tried to sell them underpinning they did not need, or gave them really bad advice about the damage and the cause. A house or unit with wall cracks needs an independent inspection & report by an experienced professional.

24.01.2022 DOES IT WORK? That depends on the ground conditions, the type of footings and slab, how much Urethane the salesman has allowed for & at what depths they will pump the material. For any type of underpinning, just MAKE SURE IT IS ENGINEER DESIGNED AND CERTIFIED.

24.01.2022 BOOM BOOM SHAKE THE ROOM. No this is not Bali Earthquake damage. The damage is from the effects of severe ground movements on a slab.

24.01.2022 STRATA COMPLEX ISSUES. This unit block at Thornlands has masonry joints opening, floor tiles cracking and interior plaster walls tearing (but not from subsidence). It took us a while but we figured out the causes and how to fix the damages so they stay fixed.

23.01.2022 Monitoring House Movements. It's bullshit. Home owners often ask us why Engineers have told them to monitor house movements with glass slides over cracks and by being vigilant. It is 100% a waste of time. People who have witnessed cracking for years are told by expert engineers that they should continue to watch their house developing cracks. WTF? And in many cases homeowners are told that the cracking and subsidence are not excessive according to the standards. So they don't need to do anything. WTF? AGAIN. Our clients don't give a toss about acceptable cracking, they want to know why the house is moving and cracking and how to fix it so it stays fixed. Hazzzaaa!

22.01.2022 AMAZING POOL DAMAGE. Hydrostatic pressure, compressible soils & bad installation has completely destroyed this fibreglass swimming pool at Raby Bay. We advised that the new pool should be concrete supported on deep piles

22.01.2022 Happy Days! This house has ceiling and wall cracks but we found the causes and it's simple to stabilize and cheap to repair. The owner was soooo happy. Me too.

22.01.2022 Another Busy & diverse week. An old pool that was filled in and now is exhumed in Currumbin and a damaged grave headstone at Nerang (no picture). A very poorly built sleeper wall at Sanctuary Cove. A robot dispensary in a pharmacy that is very heavy. Seepage beneath a house. Plus lots of pre-purchase inspections for houses with wall cracks & subsidence. We solve more mysteries than Sherlock Holmes!

20.01.2022 Our work is never dull. A landslip at Barellan Point. Rising damp at Raby Bay. A very aggressive peacock. And a swimming pool with concrete cancer.

20.01.2022 THE MOST ISOLATED JOB SITE EVER. We have done some arduous road trips, including a round trip and site inspection at Mitchell (out past Roma) in one single day 1,340 klm!!! and also a run out to Richmond from Townsville. But the upcoming trip to Toolebuc Station near McKinlay in far west QLD is the most isolated we have ever taken on. Just hope that the local pub has an adequate supply of decent gin and tonic.

20.01.2022 Is underpinning really needed & which type is best? Our advice is to get an inspection & WRITTEN REPORT report from experienced professionals who really understand soil engineering.

18.01.2022 Behold the power of swelling soil! The was one of the oldest private pools in Ipswich. 40 feet long, 10 feet deep and solid as a rock. The owner decided to empty it to clean it for the grand-kids to enjoy for Christmas. He went shopping in the mean-time and the pool water was emptying around and under the pool. When he returned the pool was empty AND HAD LIFTED MORE THAN 200 mm OUT OF THE GROUND!... We recommended re-levelling the pool with urethane (true, we actually recommended Urethane), then landscaping and new pavements to the new height of the pool. Sadly the pool was removed instead. Such a shame as it was a piece of history and was well enjoyed by the family and friends over more than 50 years.

18.01.2022 Some interesting cases this week. A garage wall at Morningside damaged by the garage door mounting. Terrible water damage to a unit at Lutwyche. A pontoon damaged on the Coomera River and a house fire at Yeppoon.

18.01.2022 GOING UNDERGROUND. We had a classic case some time back where we had to investigate possible bending of a suspended slab. When we got to the job it was not as we expected. There was unusual access under the slab and spelunking was required. ..Some people might say my life is in a rut....Going Underground.

17.01.2022 We inspected the Sunnybank house? It looks like a Bangkok train station from the front. It has some subsidence & we advised the buyer that it needs some Underpinning. An interior feature is the foyer columns. Although they look like it, sadly they are NOT made of Chocolate.

17.01.2022 REVIEW FROM A HAPPY CUSTOMER WITH AN INSURANCE SUBSIDENCE DAMAGE CLAIM: The information and advice is second to none. I was emailing Forensic Engineers for about 2 years asking for information to help me with an insurance claim and they provided it without hesitation for no extra costs. Service that is very rare these days. Thanks Mark, it was only possible with your assistance.

16.01.2022 HOUSE MOVEMENTS & WALL CRACKS, but no underpinning needed. The engineer's slab design was excellent, but the site prep & excavations were really poor. We found differential settlements, edge heave, centre dishing, consolidation + soil swell. But the house can be stabilized & repaired with No Underpinning Needed. Hazzaaa!

13.01.2022 HIGHLIGHTS FOR ONE WEEK! Clockwise; Kingaroy house with impact damage (A car, not a large peanut). Forest Lake townhouse with void under the slab (Spot the screw pier). Windsor house with base wall damages (Time does tell). Hervey Bay house with rusting stumps (Maybe they should be have been galvanized?). Inspections and reports done in record time.

13.01.2022 FORENSIC ENGINEERS. Well Well Well. What a week. Amazing cases for Forensic Engineers. An old well opened up at Ormiston - we know how to fix it. A wall collapsed at Mountain Creek - we know the cause. Unit bay windows failing at Milton - we know why. And a massive void forming under a driveway at Capalaba - cause & repair sorted. Plus three houses that need underpinning.

13.01.2022 OUR REGULAR SERVICE AREA. We cover over 50 cases per month, mostly in this area. Predominantly they are subsidence & wall crack cases for home owners, buyers, sellers and Real Estate Agents. Our fast service & user-friendly reports are very popular, particularly for houses on the market.

13.01.2022 DODGY AS.......... Every 12 months we come across a house that has really bad damage. This is one of them. PLUS repairs have been really dodgy. The infill-slabs have failed completely. Walls have settled and rotated. Stumps have failed. Front deck is dangerous. Internal staircase is dangerous. Tie-down and bracing defects. Repairs have been really crazy. The house can be fixed, but it would be so extensive and expensive that I cant see it happening. No hazaaa this time.

13.01.2022 I DO NOT GIVE FACEBOOK PERMISSION TO SHARE ANYTHING OF MINE., THAT I HAVE PUT ON THEIR SITE, . PICTURES, CURRENT OR PAST POSTS, PHONE NUMBERS OR EMAILS.. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN YOU USE IN ANY DESIRED MANNER WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION OR VERBAL CONSENT

13.01.2022 WHAT A GOOD DAY. Rising damp in a garage floor - cause found and repair method sorted. Patio slab settled and joint opened - cause found and it will be fixed or replaced. Wall cracked over external door - cause found, and repairs are easy-peasy. The home owners were so glad to get good advice and its extra pleasing that the repairs are affordable and practical.

12.01.2022 Which Building Needs Underpinning??? The swimming pool pavillion, or the old cottage built-in beneath? The pavillion has some really large wall cracks, and the cottage just has fine cracks. Our first impressions were that the pavillion had some serious footing movements and would likely need to be underpinned. And our first impressions with the cottage were that there was some typical settlement but it probably wasn't serious. Our investigations found the opposite was true.... The pavillion wall had dropped at either end and tension had opened the cracks. But the movements were not excessive and the the wall could be stabilized and some joints installed. The cottage is a problem though. We found there had been quite a bit of settlements. Its a sloping block and most likely the rear of the house is on old landfill (typical for old-world inner Brisbane) and it is very likely that settlements will be ongoing. The house needs support and lifting with real underpinning - not the Urethane junk.

12.01.2022 We have just recommended underpinning a house in Sinnamon Park. The builder did not support the footings with piers taken through landfill as the design engineers Soiltest Australia recommended in 1991. Their logo is remarkably similar to ours. Can anyone guess why??. I ran this company in the early 1990's

11.01.2022 Livin' in the '70s. Loganlea Hardiplank affordable housing vs Springwood "posh" brick & tile. The underwood house has massive slab movements, and the rat-wall footing system will probably fail if it is underpinned. The Springwood house has some settlements but it will be fine with some general maintenance.

10.01.2022 We get asked this question almost every day. The real question is; if it's so good, why doesn't every underpinning company use this method? The process looks very high-tech and well worth the money. But its not new technology and the method is not rocket-science. The equipment and chemicals are not expensive to buy and the "expert technicians" are not from NASA. Will it work? Ask the underpinners who do not use Urethane. Or contact us.

09.01.2022 MANSFIELD HOUSE. FORENSIC ADVICE IGNORED. We investigated damages to this house 4 years ago, but the owner at that time did not follow our advice. Now the damages have become really severe, with cracks in every room, kitchen cabinetry pulling away from the walls and huge gaps between the floor and skirting boards.We know what the causes are and how to stabilize and repair. Its heartbreaking that it is now a very expensive repair exercise, if only our advice had been followed 4 years ago.

08.01.2022 No work Utes for us. When you see our beautiful BMW's out and about, please give us a wave!

06.01.2022 Driving lessons required. House impact damage assessments for Insurers are fairly routine for us. Large 4x4 work utes are the usual culprits.

05.01.2022 The process was invented in Finland decades ago. To do underpinning, all you need is a small truck, the pump & the chemicals. They are not expensive to buy & the method is very simple. WILL IT WORK? That depends on the ground conditions, the type of footings and slab, how much Urethane the salesman has allowed for & at what depths they will pump the material.

05.01.2022 More amazing cases. A house at Tallai with a balcony toppling down a hill, a post-war home in Oxley with massive wall cracks, a Robina home with dampness problems & a Wellington Point home with balcony deterioration. Never a dull moment for Forensic Engineers

05.01.2022 Typical Gold Coast settlement cracks. So many low-lying areas of the Gold Coast have compressible founding soils. Deep piled or piered footings would prevent theses damages.

05.01.2022 REAL ESTATE AGENTS. BODY CORPS. HOME OWNERS, BUYERS & SELLERS. INSURERS. REPAIR BUILDERS. (even) strata managers

05.01.2022 DRIVEWAY PROBLEMS. Concrete cracks and voids underneath the driveway are not uncommon.

05.01.2022 A TYPICAL WEEK FOR FORENSIC ENGINEERS. An in-ground swimming pool at Seventeen Mile Rocks, settled & buckled out of shape, a beautiful post-war home in Tarragindi in great condition, a damaged sleeper wall at Ormeau, a house fire in Buderim, another post war home in Kedron, sadly with serious structural problems & a commercial building in Underwood with floor settlements. The cause and rectification methods can never ever be predicted or presumed. Every case needs methodical examination before we decide what was the cause and how to fix any damages.

02.01.2022 OMG! Some recent cases have been challenging. Helensvale shade sail damage, Coorparoo house (for Auction) with slab subsidence, Raceview house needs underpinning, Pool at Tarragindi subsiding, House fire in Yeppoon, Subsidence in Nambour & Mt Gravatt office block with sagging suspended slab.

02.01.2022 What has caused these damages to a neglected 1980's house at Jindalee? a) Severe differential soil shrink-swell b) Localised soil softening from leaking drains c) Poorly designed footings d) Influence from tree roots... e) Variable ground conditions / river alluvium and residual sandstone soils f) or all of the above In the 1980's soil testing was not mandatory and a lot of builders just followed the building code specifications using the same footings for every site. The footings were not good enough for this site, particularly because the area has such variable ground conditions, varying from sandstone and sandy clays on the ridges, and alluvial silty clays and layers of silts, gravels and sands and combination of these in the river terrace areas. Shrink/swell as well as variable allowable bearing are also significant factors.

02.01.2022 HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE CASES. We do a LOT of investigations for Insurance Companies. Damage to lots of things like pools, stumps, slabs, roofs, decks, walls, fences, subsidence, canal revetment walls, tree impact, car impact, earthquake damage, lightning damage, basement leaks, driveway damage, landslips, even damage to septic tanks - not a personal favorite-, it goes on and on.Our clients know that our investigations and reports are dependable, experienced and accurate.

01.01.2022 SUBSIDENCE & POST-WAR HOMES. Often they have very weak footings & brittle walls & foundation repairs can be very difficult, very expensive & impracticable. Its really important to get an expert assessment to determine the cause of damages and weigh up the repair options vs the costs and to be careful to avoid over-capitalizing.