We perform a good many fire escape inspections and design for repairs, here in Seattle. There are plenty, with all the old brick buildings. Our job is to verify that every escape can hold the necessary load of people escaping from a fire, should one occur. We work with a […] Read more »
Deck wood braces had undergone the initial stages of dry rot deterioration
Houses on steep slopes frequently are subject to problems caused by movement of the hillside. This retired gentleman lives in a home which cantilevers over a steep hillside, and, of course, provides a rather nice view from his rear deck. The deck is supported on fairly tall wood posts, with […] Read more »
Foundation Settling Problems
This enterprising young man makes his living by buying properties in bad shape, then fixing them up and selling. Real estate pros call this “flipping” the house. Now, this particular home may look pretty tidy, but it had some foundation settlement problems, similar to many older homes on relatively steeply […] Read more »
Inexpensive Analysis Of Home Structure
Some folks make my job easier, which I appreciate, although it is not necessarily intentional. This young woman’s home had undergone a second story addition a few years before, and now she wanted to rearrange a few interior walls for a main floor remodel. Because she had a record copy […] Read more »
Long Narrow Skylight
We have been working on this house, on and off for several months now, in collaboration with a fine contractor we know. The owners decided that they would like a long, narrow skylight on the south side of their attic room. This is a 100 year old home, so the […] Read more »
Plans For A Bachelor Condo
A previous owner of this waterfront condo had removed a short wall separating the kitchen from the dining area. This kind of change is popular these days, as people have grown to prefer open living spaces. There are some who do so without the aid of an engineer such as […] Read more »
Inadequate preparation of the soil prior to placing the concrete slab
CSES Engineering was called out this home shortly after the new owner had moved in. He pointed out a few cracks in the foundation, and some moderate settlement of the foundation where the chimney is, and fairly serious settlement of the interior slab on grade in that end of the […] Read more »
The Brick And Mortar Was Old
The new owner of this apartment building noticed a few worrisome flaws in the brick veneer surface of this small apartment building. CSES was retained to make an assessment of the areas of concern, and provide recommendations. Our examination did not reveal any significant structural problems. The heavy brick faced […] Read more »
Eastern Washington Theater Activity Building
The beat goes on at the 100-acre Eastern Washington property for which we designed a number of buildings. Currently under construction is a Theater Activity Building, with an Imax theater, a bowling alley, and a good number pinball machines, as well as a couple of motion simulators. This has been […] Read more »
Confrontation Over Retaining Wall
Property line issues can wreak havoc with neighborly relations. This is a case in point. Most of us get on with our neighbors, mostly because we don’t have financial disputes with them. In this case, a basically cordial relationship between neighbors is threatening to turn into a raging confrontation over […] Read more »