SB 800 and the Forensic Engineer: How California’s Right to Repair Law Shapes Defect Investigations
California’s SB 800, the Right to Repair Act, fundamentally changed how construction defect claims are handled in the state. For residential construction built after January 1, 2003, SB 800 establishes a mandatory prelitigation process that both sides must follow before a defect case can proceed to court. For forensic engineers, this law doesn’t just affect […]
Diagnosing Water Intrusion: How Forensic Engineers Investigate Building Envelope Failures
Water is patient. It finds every gap, every unsealed joint, every missed flashing detail, and it exploits them slowly and persistently until the damage becomes impossible to ignore. By the time a building owner sees staining on a ceiling, mold on a wall, or bubbling paint around a window, the water has often been traveling […]
Seismic Damage Assessment: How Forensic Engineers Evaluate Buildings After an Earthquake
Earthquakes don’t give warnings, and they don’t leave simple damage patterns. A building that appears undamaged from the sidewalk may have fractured connections hidden behind finishes. A building with dramatic cosmetic cracking may be structurally sound. For building owners, insurers, and local authorities, the forensic engineer’s post-earthquake assessment is what separates perception from reality and […]