Areas served · South Carolina
Forensic Engineering in Myrtle Beach
In and around Myrtle Beach
What we investigate in Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach losses turn on wind and salt. The Grand Strand sits in a 130 mph wind-borne debris region, and salt air quietly corrodes the fasteners and connectors that hold buildings together. We determine what actually failed and document it to a standard that holds, and a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours.
The conditions we see in Myrtle Beach
The Grand Strand sits in South Carolina's wind-borne debris region, where design wind speeds reach 130 mph within a mile of the coast. Newer construction carries impact-rated glazing and hurricane-resistant openings; older pre-code stock does not. When wind and wind-driven rain drive water past an opening or under roofing, the resulting damage is easy to confuse with a maintenance problem, and the distinction decides the claim.
Salt air is the slower hazard here. It corrodes fasteners, connectors, reinforcing steel, and rooftop and HVAC equipment, weakening the load path long before failure shows. Coastal codes require corrosion-resistant hardware for this reason. The building stock runs from 1970s oceanfront high-rise condos and hotels to older inland single-family homes, all founded on sandy coastal-plain soils with a shallow water table that complicates settlement.
How we help in Myrtle Beach
The evaluations Myrtle Beach cases usually call for
- Structural and corrosion evaluation
When a connection fails or a slab settles on the Grand Strand, the question is whether salt-air corrosion, wind load, sandy soil movement, or a construction defect is responsible. Our licensed engineers evaluate the structure and its load path together and document which cause the physical evidence supports.
Our structural engineering in Myrtle Beach- Wind and water loss investigation
After a coastal windstorm, we separate wind and wind-driven rain from pre-existing deterioration and defects, then investigate the component and building-envelope failures that surface afterward, from failed openings to leaking roofing and cladding. Each conclusion rests on the physical evidence at the property, not on assumption or on what the storm made convenient to assume.
Our forensic engineering in Myrtle Beach
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Myrtle Beach
Oceanfront high-rise hotels and condos stack occupancy over shared electrical and mechanical systems, and packaged HVAC units are a documented Myrtle Beach ignition source. Salt-air corrosion of wiring connections adds electrical faults that a casual look reads as ordinary damage. In hospitality buildings, where the loss and the exposure are large, getting origin and cause right matters.
Our NAFI-certified investigators work to NFPA 921. They examine the scene systematically, trace burn patterns back to the area of origin, evaluate the electrical and mechanical systems, and eliminate causes until the evidence supports one conclusion, accidental or incendiary. Bringing an investigator in early preserves the evidence, and the same expert documents the finding and testifies at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Oceanfront hotel and high-rise condo fires
- HVAC and packaged-AC unit fires
- Electrical and wiring fires
- Commercial and hospitality kitchen fires
- Residential and vehicle fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Does salt air affect how you evaluate coastal structures?
Yes. Salt-air corrosion attacks fasteners, connectors, and reinforcing steel over time, so a Grand Strand structural evaluation looks at the whole load path, not just the visible damage, to find what actually weakened.
Can you tell coastal wind damage from pre-existing damage?
Yes. Distinguishing wind and wind-driven rain from prior corrosion, wear, or a defect is central to a Myrtle Beach claim, and we base the conclusion on the physical evidence at the property.
Do you charge travel to reach Myrtle Beach?
No. We work Myrtle Beach-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.