AskCodeMan

Jerry,
The 9 year old townhouse inspection today has new stairs installed in the field and not during the original construction. The installer cut/modified the bottom chord, and boxed out the framing. Joist hangers are missing and the connections consist of deck screws.

What is the proper procedure for the repair sequence?
Get an engineer for evaluation and repair recommendations
Get a qualified contractor to implement the engineer's repairs
Have the engineer return and sign off on the contractor's repairs.

I would like clarification on the proper field procedure for the above.

pbennett1 wrote:What is the proper procedure for the repair sequence?
Get an engineer for evaluation and repair recommendations
Get a qualified contractor to implement the engineer's repairs
Have the engineer return and sign off on the contractor's repairs.

This is the best was to call it out as it avoids giving someone else control over your evaluation and simply states what someone needs to do: "Have truss engineer design appropriate repairs, and, after repairs have been completed, provide an engineering letter stating that the repairs have been completed in accordance with the engineering design. The engineer needs to have signed and sealed the engineering design and the follow-up letter."

That way the truss engineer designs the repairs, someone - supposedly a licensed contractor - makes the repairs, then the engineer inspects the repairs and issues an engineer's letter stating that all is now okay.

Many years ago I would recommend a structural engineer design appropriate repairs ... and that was it. That was also when I did re-inspections - once while doing a re-inspection I stated that the trusses had not been repaired, the owner pulled out an engineer's letter and said "Here, this is the engineering letter and design you told me to get.", as though that would take care of the broken truss. That did bring it to my attention that the only thing I had said to do was to get an engineer's letter for the repair - and to *me* - implied in that was *and have it repaired*, but I had not said that and they did not do that.

Then sometime later someone wanted me to inspect the repairs to see if the repairs were in accordance with the engineering. That is when I added the part about getting the engineer's letter stating that the repairs were completed in accordance with the engineering and all is okay.

To us, some things are common sense and are "implied", to others, those same things need to be stated to eliminate any misunderstanding.