Moisture Intrusion, Cracking, and Structural Movement
The client’s concerns involved three areas of the home: the west basement foundation wall, a crack near the front door archway, and movement at the back porch. Each issue reflects the ongoing effects of water on soil and concrete. This is a very common challenge in older Salt Lake City homes. The west foundation wall […]
The Proposal of 168 Balconies
The Belle Monet development in Pleasant Grove was built in 2006 and features several residential buildings managed under an active HOA. We were asked to write a proposal to perform a detailed inspection of the property’s 168 balconies to document current conditions and plan for long-term maintenance. The evaluation will take place in stages, beginning […]
What do we do now?
This two-story stucco residence sits along the western edge of the Lehi Utah foothills—an area known for sandy soils and a history of ground movement. Although the home is set back more than 100 feet from the steeper slopes, it still rests on a visibly sloped site, where settlement and lateral soil movement remain possible […]
Heavy Masonry Exterior Amplifies Sinking
Built in 1977, this property in Provo Utah consists of two twin masonry structures positioned on a gentle slope. The northern building drains to the north, while the southern building—showing the most distress—drains to the south. Both are exhibiting outward rotation along their west sides, most visibly through cracking and bulging in the masonry. At […]
Can We Fix it?
The homeowner plans to update the exterior of this Salt Lake City home with several retaining wall projects and minor deck repairs. The first project involves replacing a failed five-foot CMU wall on the northeast side. We recommend large, interlocking concrete blocks (approx. 2 ft × 3 ft × 4 ft) keyed top and bottom […]
Nope, Don’t Remove That!
In a recently gutted home in Orem, Utah, the homeowner plans to remove a bookcase-style wall that separates the kitchen from the living room. While the wall may appear decorative, our professional assessment revealed that certain attic truss elements are bearing on it—an unintended load path that developed over time as framing settled and construction […]
1960’s Home Slowly Crumbling
Built in 1966, this Payson Utah home shows a few narrow, vertical cracks along the back and left sides—minor on appearance but worth a closer look. We determined that these are not signs of shifting or settlement, but the result of rebar corrosion inside the concrete. In the 1960s, rebar was often left uncoated, and […]
East Foothills of the Salt Lake Valley
This home sits along the east foothills of the Salt Lake Valley, with a view that comes at a cost: steep ground and unpredictable drainage. During inspection, it was observed that the southwest corner of the structure has rotated outward, producing a visible bulge in the masonry. The displacement suggests that the footing beneath this […]
In Need of Some Extra Space
The homeowner plans to expand the pantry by opening a 4.5-foot section of the wall shared with the adjacent garage, extending the space roughly halfway into the garage. While the wall is not a designated shear wall, it carries the live and dead loads of the floor above, requiring careful structural planning before removal. We […]
A Simple yet Important Fix
During an inspection of a newer home in Herriman, Utah, a notable defect was found in the unfinished basement. In the mechanical room where the furnace and water heater are located, the doorway header, built from two 2x10s, had one member cracked completely through the middle. This failure left the opening partially unsupported, a clear […]