Areas served · Texas
Forensic Engineering in Dallas
In and around Dallas
What we investigate in Dallas
Dallas structural losses cluster where the Blackland Prairie's expansive clay meets a violent severe-weather record: high-plasticity Vertisols that heave slabs, plus tornado and giant hail that batter the metroplex. 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 Dallas
Dallas sits on the Blackland Prairie, where the Houston Black clay is a deep, high-plasticity expansive soil that swells when it takes on water and shrinks hard in drought. That cycle heaves and settles foundations year after year, and it is the single most common driver behind the cracked slabs, sticking doors, and separated brick we are called to evaluate. FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dallas County Very High overall, with tornado, hail, and riverine flooding among its top hazards.
The severe-weather record is just as real. An EF3 tornado with winds up to 140 mph tracked about 15.8 miles through North Dallas on October 20, 2019, and the June 13, 2012 hailstorm dropped stones up to 4.25 inches across the metroplex with more than 150,000 property claims. Most single-family homes here sit on post-tensioned or conventional slabs over that clay, the configuration most sensitive to soil-moisture swings and to storm loading on the roof above.
How we help in Dallas
The evaluations Dallas cases usually call for
- Foundation and structural evaluation
When a slab cracks or brick separates over Blackland clay, the question is whether it is expansive-soil movement, a drainage or plumbing problem, or a construction defect. Our licensed engineers evaluate the structure and the soil behavior together and document which one caused the damage, to a standard that holds up on a claim.
Our structural engineering services- Storm and wind loss investigation
After a tornado or a severe hailstorm, we separate wind, wind-driven rain, and hail impact from pre-existing wear and prior repairs. That distinction usually decides the claim, so we ground each finding in the physical evidence on the roof, the envelope, and the structure rather than assumption.
Our forensic engineering services- Hail and storm damage
We evaluate hail and wind damage across Dallas, separating fresh storm damage from wear, prior repairs, and conditions that predated the storm.
Our hail damage services in Dallas
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Dallas
Cooking fires lead residential ignitions across Texas, and Dallas County carries some of the highest counts in the state, alongside aging wiring in the older neighborhoods and a dense commercial and warehouse base that raises the stakes when a fire spreads. When a severe storm knocks out power and drives electrical faults, cause and origin get harder to read and more important to prove.
Our NAFI-certified investigators work to NFPA 921: a systematic scene examination, burn and char patterns traced back to the area of origin, and evaluation of the electrical and mechanical systems, carried through to a determination of accidental or incendiary cause. We preserve the evidence before it is lost, document the finding in a written report, and testify to it at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Residential and commercial fires
- Cooking and kitchen fires
- Electrical and appliance fires
- Warehouse and industrial fires
- Vehicle fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Dallas, Texas
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Is foundation movement in Dallas usually the clay?
Often. The Blackland Prairie's high-plasticity clay swells and shrinks with moisture and moves slabs on its own. Drainage, plumbing leaks, and construction defects cause similar cracking, so we evaluate the evidence before assigning a cause.
Can you tell tornado or hail damage from older damage?
Yes. Distinguishing fresh wind and hail impact from pre-existing wear or prior repairs is a core part of a storm loss investigation here, and it is usually the point the claim turns on.
Do you charge travel to reach Dallas?
No. We work Dallas-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.