Branchburg, New Jersey
Copyright (C) 2011 Oak Ridge Engineering, LLC. All Rights Reserved
908-752-3735
Oak Ridge Engineering specializes in professional engineering and inspection services for real estate, investment, mortgage lending, relocation, construction, and regulatory compliance.
Residential Home Inspections
We are both licensed engineers and licensed home inspectors. But a common questions is:
Pre-Sale Home Inspections
Selling a home can be a real nail-biting experience. Some people cringe, and schedule themselves to be somewhere else the day of the buyer's
inspection. On the other hand, you could be pro-active. Schedule one of our pre-sale home inspections, and receive a written report from a licensed engineer detailing the condition of your home. This will provide you with the time and details to make the necessary repairs prior to putting your home on the market. It provides peace of mind to the seller, time for repairs, and avoids the dreaded "the buyer's inspector found WHAT?"
inspection. On the other hand, you could be pro-active. Schedule one of our pre-sale home inspections, and receive a written report from a licensed engineer detailing the condition of your home. This will provide you with the time and details to make the necessary repairs prior to putting your home on the market. It provides peace of mind to the seller, time for repairs, and avoids the dreaded "the buyer's inspector found WHAT?"
Regardless if your selling, buying, renovating, or planning for the future, we can properly assess your home's structural elements, and determine what the areas of concern are, how they can be repaired or mitigated, and approximately how much they will cost.
Warranty Inspections
Most new homes are required by law to have a warranty. The warranty booklet that your builder provided will spell out what is covered and, more importantly, what conditions and time frames warrant a claim. We recommend that you contact us a full 6 to 9 months BEFORE your warranty expires, and have a full warranty inspection performed. And we will be there assisting you during your claim process.
Bank, Investor, and Relocation Inspections
Life sometimes throws you a curveball. If you have to move quickly, having a licensed engineer prepare an inspection report for you to give your employer, relocation company, mortgage company, bank, or a potential investor will be a large step in the right direction in getting quality information into the hands of decision makers quickly.
Services Offered:
Why have a licensed engineer perform the home inspection?
A licensed engineer can address the structural concerns, right there in the same visit, saving you time and money.
A licensed engineer is held to higher standard of care.
A licensed engineer can provide a professional opinion about your foundation and framing, right there during the visit.
A licensed engineers report will have real insight to conditions that a non-engineer cannot offer.
A licensed engineer is held to higher standard of care.
A licensed engineer can provide a professional opinion about your foundation and framing, right there during the visit.
A licensed engineers report will have real insight to conditions that a non-engineer cannot offer.
Here are some examples of what you get from an engineer, versus a home inspector:
Foundation crack present. Crack starts at the slab as
hairline in width, and propogates in step fashion to sill, terminating at 2 mm in width. Angular distortion less then 1/300. Differential settlement less than 3 mm. No outward or inward tilt evident. Crack is due to differential settlement of the footing. Crack features are considered Slight to Very Slight (R. Day, 1999). Recommend that the crack be sealed by a knowledgeable person using a typical one-part sealant available in most home centers. Seal exterior parging as necessary. Aproximate Cost if Contracted: $300
hairline in width, and propogates in step fashion to sill, terminating at 2 mm in width. Angular distortion less then 1/300. Differential settlement less than 3 mm. No outward or inward tilt evident. Crack is due to differential settlement of the footing. Crack features are considered Slight to Very Slight (R. Day, 1999). Recommend that the crack be sealed by a knowledgeable person using a typical one-part sealant available in most home centers. Seal exterior parging as necessary. Aproximate Cost if Contracted: $300
Licensed Engineer/Home Inspector
Home Inspector
Foundation crack present. Recommend further evaluation by structural engineer.
Price covered in the inspection fee. No additional cost.
No addtional time required.
No addtional time required.
$350 (in addtion to the original fee) for an engineer to evaluate this item.
5 days added to the time required for due diligence.
5 days added to the time required for due diligence.
Six deck piers constructed from 2x4 and 2x6 lumber, using ad hoc construction methods. Piers are not set in or attached to footings, and merely float on an old slate and concrete patio under the deck. Balusters spacing also exceeds IRC limits. Township has no record of an approved permit for the deck in their files. We recommend that the deck piers be replaced in accordance with IRC 2006 and AWC's Prescriptive Residential Deck Design Guide, and that a permit be pulled. Approximate Cost if Contracted: $2,400
Deck piers constructed from scrap lumber. Stability of the deck unknown. Recommend further evaluation by structural engineer.
Price covered in the inspection fee. No additional cost.
No addtional time required.
No addtional time required.
$350 (in addtion to the original fee) for an engineer to evaluate this item.
5 days added to the time required for due diligence.
5 days added to the time required for due diligence.
What about the cost?
This may surprise you:
Other components of our inspection service include:
Radon Testing
Termite Inspections
Pool Inspections
Termite Inspections
Pool Inspections
Spa Inspections
Fireplace Inspections
Well Water Flow Testing
Fireplace Inspections
Well Water Flow Testing
Lead Paint
Sprinkler System
Sprinkler System
Well Water Quality Testing
Asbestos Testing
Retaining Wall Assessments
Asbestos Testing
Retaining Wall Assessments
Transition Inspections
Similar to a transition study for large developments and home owner associations, a transition inspection is a detailed study of what your builder is actually turning over to you, and what deviations there are from what the two of you agreed to. Grading, drainage, clearances, lighting, polarity checks, these are but a few from a long list of checks that a licensed engineer will check for you prior to releasing your builder (or handing him the final check).
So for practically the same fee, you are getting a qualified licensed engineer to perform your home inspection.
The price for an inspection performed by a P.E. is typically in the same range as one performed otherwise.
