Areas served · Louisiana
Forensic Engineering in Shreveport
In and around Shreveport
What we investigate in Shreveport
Structural losses we work in Shreveport tend to start underfoot. Expansive Moreland-type clay in the surrounding uplands swells and shrinks under slab foundations, while soft Red River alluvium sits beneath the eastern neighborhoods. We document what actually failed, a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours, and there are no travel charges.
The conditions we see in Shreveport
The soil sets the pattern. Shreveport's surrounding uplands carry expansive Moreland-type clay that swells when saturated and shrinks in drought, and that wet-dry cycle works slab foundations hard, cracking the slab and racking the frame above in ways easy to misread as cosmetic settling. Eastern neighborhoods sit instead on soft Red River alluvium, which behaves differently under load, and the river itself runs high: the National Weather Service gauge at Shreveport recorded a crest of 37.14 feet during the June 2015 Red River flood. A humid subtropical climate drives frequent severe thunderstorms and lightning across the area.
Building stock is mixed, and failure patterns follow the era. The median construction year sits near 1973, so most housing is postwar slab-on-grade brick veneer and frame, roughly two-thirds detached single-family. A pre-1940 core survives in the Highland Historic District, more than 600 structures that range from Craftsman bungalows and Queen Anne to American Foursquare and Colonial Revival, alongside downtown masonry commercial buildings. Older wood frame and masonry over alluvium fail on a different schedule than newer slab construction over clay.
How we help in Shreveport
The evaluations Shreveport cases usually call for
- Foundation and structural evaluation
When a slab cracks or a wall separates in Shreveport, the question is whether expansive Moreland clay, soft Red River alluvium, drainage, or a construction defect moved the structure. Our licensed engineers read the framing and the soil behavior together, isolate the cause, and set the finding down so it holds in a claim or in court.
Our structural engineering in Shreveport- Storm and water loss investigation
After a severe thunderstorm, a lightning strike, or Red River flooding, we determine whether the loss came from wind and wind-driven rain, from rising water, or from a condition that predated the event. Each conclusion rests on the physical evidence at the property, so it stands when the claim is disputed.
Our forensic engineering services
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Shreveport
Rare hard freezes drive a distinct fire season in Shreveport. When temperatures crash, as they did during the February 2021 cold event that dropped the city to a record low near 1 degree, heaters and fireplaces come into heavy use across housing never built for that cold, and the resulting spike in supplemental heating is a recurring ignition source here. In the pre-1940 Highland and downtown stock the problem compounds: aged wiring and added-on circuits in old wood frame and masonry give fire an easy start, and in that debris the origin point is rarely obvious.
Our NAFI-certified investigators build every determination on NFPA 921. They examine the scene systematically, trace burn and char patterns back to the area of origin, evaluate the electrical and mechanical systems, and rule causes out until the physical evidence supports one, accidental or incendiary. We preserve the evidence early, put the finding in writing, and the same investigator testifies at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Residential and commercial fires
- Heating and space-heater fires
- Electrical and wiring fires
- Lightning-related fires
- Vehicle fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Shreveport, Louisiana
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Is slab cracking in Shreveport the clay or something else?
Often the expansive Moreland clay is a factor, but not always the whole story. That soil moves foundations in the uplands, yet soft Red River alluvium, drainage, plumbing leaks, and construction defects produce similar cracking. We evaluate the evidence before assigning a cause.
Can you tell storm damage from older wear on a historic Highland house?
Yes. Separating fresh wind, lightning, and wind-driven-rain damage from long-term deterioration or a defect in aged frame and masonry is a core part of an investigation here, and it is usually the point the claim turns on.
Do you charge travel to reach Shreveport?
No. We work Shreveport-area cases from our Omaha lab and Los Angeles office with no travel charges, and a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours.
Have a loss that needs answers?
Tell us what happened. An engineer, not a call center, will review your case.