Forensic Evaluations for Homeowners

Homeowners frequently hire PGG to evaluate the cause of cracking in the interior and exterior finishes of their home. Cracks in the drywall at window and door corners or other re-entrant corners of the home, separations between floor tile or interior and exterior walls or between interior walls and floors/ceilings may all be signs that the soil beneath the home is heaving or settling/collapsing. Cracks in swimming pool shells, cracked, settled, or heaved flatwork, pavers, or asphalt may also suggest that there are issues with the soil on a lot.

Homeowners often call upon repair contractors to perform a “free” evaluation of their home, which is usually accompanied by a proposal for repair from the repair contractor. As the saying goes, “free advice is sometimes the costliest”.  We are often called to homes to provide a second opinion for a homeowner who has either had “repairs” made that didn’t address their issue or was stunned by the price of a proposal. Since we are not repair contractors, we have no incentive to recommend products that we are selling, which allows for a truly impartial and unbiased evaluation and recommendations. Our obligation to our clients means that we will evaluate the conditions, educate the homeowner on their options, and recommend repairs that we believe will address the issues we observed.

We do not repair foundations, we determine if foundations need repairs and provide recommendations for the appropriate repair.