When the cause isn't visible
Most structural questions are answered by an experienced engineer looking carefully. Some are not, because the structure that matters is behind plaster, under a floor or below ground. This is how we take those cases from an inconclusive visit to an answer you can act on.
Why a visual inspection is sometimes not enough
Our structural report starts with a non-intrusive inspection: the engineer assesses everything visible and safely accessible, from foundations to roof. That settles most questions. It can't see through a floor to the joists, behind plaster to a lintel, or into the ground to the foundations and drains. And one visit sees a moment in time, so whether movement is still active is sometimes a question only time can answer.
When that happens, a report that simply lists further investigations and stops leaves you to work out the next step alone. We don't do that.
What we do next
If concealed structure needs exposing, we issue a site investigation plan after the visit, setting out exactly what should be opened up and where. It is included in the fee. Your builder carries it out, and the report is completed once it has been done, so it is based on what was actually found.
If a specialist test is needed, such as trial pits, a CCTV drainage survey or crack monitoring, we introduce you to a specialist we know and trust, and say what needs finding out. You appoint them directly. When their results come back, we review them with you to complete the diagnosis and set out the repair strategy.
Either way, the diagnosis stays with the practice that started it. You aren't handed a list and left to find another firm to begin again, and the work remains covered by Alemara's professional indemnity insurance.
The investigations, and what each one answers
Opening up
Exposing a small area of concealed structure: lifting a floorboard to see the joists, removing plaster to check a lintel or beam bearing, or opening a ceiling to see what is carrying a wall above.
When it's needed: When the question is about structure you can't see, such as the size and condition of joists or whether a past alteration was properly supported.
Who carries it out: Your builder, working to our site investigation plan, which sets out exactly what to expose and where. The plan is included in the fee.
Trial pits
A small excavation beside the foundations to see their depth, type and condition, and the ground they sit on.
When it's needed: When movement points to the foundations, or where the soil, made ground or tree roots may be the cause.
Who carries it out: A specialist or groundworker we introduce you to. We say where the pit should go and what needs recording.
CCTV drainage survey
A camera run through the drains to find cracked, displaced or leaking pipes.
When it's needed: When cracking is near a drain run, or the pattern suggests the ground has been softened or washed out by water.
Who carries it out: A drainage specialist we introduce you to.
Crack monitoring
Gauges or measured readings across cracks, taken over a period, to show whether movement is still happening and how it changes with the seasons.
When it's needed: When the question is whether movement is historic and stable or still active, which a single visit can't always answer.
Who carries it out: A specialist we introduce you to.
Ground and tree input
Soil testing, or an arboricultural view on nearby trees, including any protected by a Tree Preservation Order.
When it's needed: When clay shrinkage or a tree is a likely cause, particularly on London clay.
Who carries it out: A specialist we introduce you to. Works to protected trees may also need the local authority's agreement.
What we don't do
We don't carry out the physical works: the opening up, the excavation, the drain survey or the monitoring itself, or the repairs that follow. Those are done by builders and specialists, and we can introduce you to ones we know. What we do is decide what needs investigating, say exactly what to look for, and make sense of the results.
Common questions
No. Where the engineer needs concealed structure opened up to reach a firm view, the site investigation plan setting out what to expose and where is included in the fee for your report.
No. Those are carried out by specialists. We introduce you to one we know and trust for the test that is needed, say what needs finding out, and review what they find with you to complete the diagnosis. You appoint the specialist directly.
Your builder, working to our site investigation plan. If you don't have a builder, we can introduce one.
It can. Usually the report follows the visit within 48 hours. Where opening up is needed first, the report is completed once that has been done, so it reflects what was found rather than guessing at it. If that applies to your property, we tell you and agree the timing with you.
Yes. We don't carry out building work, but the report gives a contractor a clear basis for pricing it, and we can introduce contractors we know.
Because most cracks don't need them, and the ones that do usually need one or two, not all of them. Starting with an engineer's inspection means any further investigation is aimed at a specific question, which keeps the cost down and makes the results easier to act on, including for an insurer.