Hart Engineering - Forensic Engineering and Construction Consulting

Services -> Forensic Engineering -> Property Damage

In property damage investigations we will develop an opinion as to the cause and contributing factors involved in a property loss or damage claim. Often, our expert opinion (with or without a formal report) results in a favorable settlement to our client without costly time in court. However, Hart Engineering will testify in court as an engineering expert witness, as necessary, to present our expert opinion in a concise, persuasive manner.

Catastrophes and Storm Damage

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars of storm related damage claims are filed following storm events, whether they are isolated or wide-ranging catastrophes.

Whether a tornado outbreak across America's Great Plains, a powerful hurricane, an isolated flood in a low-lying region of the US, or a powerful thunderstorm in your home town, storm damage can damage property in a number of ways:

Hail damage to a building's exterior, such as roofing systems
Flood and Storm Surge damage to buildings, equipment and other materials
Wind driven debris damage
Tornado damage
etc...

Following a storm incident, Hart Engineering can assist all involved parties in recovering from their losses. We do this by providing:

Inspections
Damage inventories
Cause and Origin analysis
Review of "pre-existing" conditions & failure analysis

Construction Defects

Hart Engineering diagnoses building failures and damage that result due to any number of issues, including:

Materials
Codes
Contract issues
Design defects
Construction means & methods
Maintenance deficiencies
Operations
Weather
... or other factors

Depending on the engagement, our building component analysis will take into account any number of the above-listed issues as well as the following components and factors:

The building envelope
The exterior wall system
Roofing and waterproofing, water intrusion
Products and materials
Structural collapse
HVAC and mechanical systems
Plumbing and sprinkler systems
Electrical systems
Damage from adjacent structures
Building condition
Property condition

Other Property Damage

Our forensic engineering services are also applicable to any number of other types of property damage beyond that caused by storms and/or construction defects. For example, a property owner might report damage to their insurance company shortly after a major storm event, claiming that it was caused by that storm. Our forensic engineering analysis will test the validity of the claim.