Areas served · Wisconsin
Forensic Engineering in Madison
In and around Madison
What we investigate in Madison
Madison's losses tend to start with water and cold. The isthmus lakes crest against dam-controlled shorelines, and deep frost drives foundations on the city's mixed glacial and lakebed soils. We evaluate what actually failed, document it to a standard that holds up, and a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours.
The conditions we see in Madison
Madison sits on a narrow isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, and the lakes are the recurring hazard. In August 2018 heavy rain fell on already-high, dam-controlled lakes and pushed Lake Monona to its highest level on record, flooding streets and homes and causing more than $150 million in damage across Dane County. Frost adds its own movement: the frost line runs near 48 inches, and seasonal freeze-thaw lifts and drops footings across a long, cold winter.
Foundations here sit on chaotic glacial and lakebed geology, with soft organic silts in the upper soils near the Yahara River and the two lakes, so two borings 50 feet apart can hit different stratigraphy. The housing skews older and dense, especially on the isthmus and around the University of Wisconsin, where much of the campus-area stock predates 1970, joined by historic University Heights homes and a large base of university and institutional buildings.
How we help in Madison
The evaluations Madison cases usually call for
- Foundation, frost, and settlement evaluation
Cracked walls and heaved slabs near the lakes can come from deep frost, soft organic silts, saturated soil, or an overloaded footing. Our licensed engineers evaluate the structure and the subsurface behavior together and document which one caused the damage, not which one is easiest to assume.
Our structural engineering services- Flood and water loss investigation
After a lake or rainfall flood, we determine what the water did to the foundation, framing, and finishes, and whether the damage traces to the flood, a pre-existing condition, or a construction defect. Every finding rests on the physical evidence at the property.
Our forensic engineering in Madison- Hail and storm damage
We evaluate hail and wind damage across Madison, separating fresh storm damage from wear, prior repairs, and conditions that predated the storm.
Our hail damage services in Madison
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Madison
Madison's long, cold heating season keeps furnaces, wood stoves, and space heaters running for months, and heating fires climb with them. NFPA data shows space heaters and heating stoves are behind roughly a third of home heating fires but nearly eight in ten of the deaths. Add dense, older housing on the isthmus and around campus, and one origin question can decide a serious loss.
Our NAFI-certified investigators work to NFPA 921. They examine the scene systematically, trace burn and char patterns back to the area of origin, evaluate the electrical, heating, and mechanical systems, and eliminate causes until the evidence supports one conclusion, including whether the fire was accidental or incendiary. We preserve the evidence early, document the finding, and testify to it at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Residential and commercial fires
- Heating-system fires
- Electrical and appliance fires
- Historic and campus-area building fires
- Vehicle fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Madison, Wisconsin
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Is foundation movement in Madison from frost or from the soil?
It can be either, and often both. The frost line runs near 48 inches and the isthmus soils include soft organic silts, so both move footings. We evaluate the crack pattern and the subsurface conditions to determine the cause rather than assume it.
Can you assess flood damage after the lakes recede?
Yes. Much of the structural evidence remains after a lake or rainfall flood, and we evaluate the foundation, framing, and finishes to document what the water caused and what predated it.
Do you charge travel to reach Madison?
No. We work Madison-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.