Areas served · Ohio
Forensic Engineering in Cincinnati
In and around Cincinnati
What we investigate in Cincinnati
Cincinnati sits on some of the most landslide-prone ground in the country, where slumps in the weathered Kope shale move hillside foundations while the Ohio River still floods the valleys below. We determine what actually moved and why, and a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours.
The conditions we see in Cincinnati
The Cincinnati area is one of the most landslide-prone metros in the country. Slumps and earth flows are common in the colluvial soil derived from the deeply weathered Kope Formation shale along the Ohio River and its tributary valleys, and USGS has documented Hamilton County among the highest per-capita landslide repair costs in the nation. On a hillside lot, that slow slope movement cracks foundations and racks framing in ways easy to mistake for ordinary settlement.
Below the slopes, the river valleys flood. The 1937 Ohio River flood crested at Cincinnati at 79.9 feet, more than 25 feet over flood stage, and remains the flood of record. The building stock compounds both drivers. Cincinnati is defined by 19th-century brick and stone, with Over-the-Rhine holding one of the largest collections of Italianate buildings in the country, much of it unreinforced masonry carrying aged wiring, later additions, and freeze-thaw wear.
How we help in Cincinnati
The evaluations Cincinnati cases usually call for
- Slope, foundation, and masonry evaluation
Cracking and movement on a Cincinnati hillside can trace to a landslide in colluvial soil, drainage, freeze-thaw, or a construction defect. Our licensed engineers evaluate the structure and the ground together, and we assess the older brick and unreinforced masonry stock to document which of those actually caused the damage.
Our structural engineering services- Landslide and water loss investigation
We investigate slope failures, drainage-driven movement, and the flood and water losses that follow in the river valleys, then determine whether the cause is site conditions, construction, or maintenance. Every finding rests on the physical evidence at the property rather than assumption.
Our forensic engineering services- Hail and storm damage
We evaluate hail and wind damage across Cincinnati, separating fresh storm damage from wear, prior repairs, and conditions that predated the storm.
Our hail damage services in Cincinnati
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Cincinnati
Much of Cincinnati's core is 19th-century brick and unreinforced masonry, and the aged wiring, later additions, and vacant older buildings in neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine drive many of the fires we investigate. Old construction burns and collapses differently than modern framing, and the evidence that explains the fire can be lost fast.
Our NAFI-certified investigators follow NFPA 921 through a systematic scene examination, tracing burn patterns back to the area of origin and evaluating the electrical and mechanical systems to a defensible accidental or incendiary determination. Bringing an investigator in early preserves that evidence, and the same expert documents the finding and testifies at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Residential and commercial fires
- Historic and older-building fires
- Electrical and appliance fires
- Vehicle fires
- Industrial and commercial-corridor fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Cincinnati, Ohio
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
How do you tell a landslide from ordinary settlement in Cincinnati?
The movement pattern and the site tell the story. A slope failure in colluvial soil loads a structure differently than settlement, so we evaluate the ground, the drainage, and the damage together before assigning a cause.
Can you evaluate older brick and masonry buildings?
Yes. Cincinnati's 19th-century brick and unreinforced masonry stock needs assessment that accounts for its construction era, aged systems, and freeze-thaw wear, which is a specific part of a structural evaluation here.
Do you charge travel to reach Cincinnati?
No. We work Cincinnati-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.