Building Assessment and Inspection
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Building Assessment and Inspection
We diagnose existing buildings. Pre-purchase structural inspections, crack and settlement assessments, cause investigations after a loss, movement monitoring, load-bearing capacity analysis. Every assignment produces a dated report with every observation located, signed and sealed by an engineer.
One requirement for every assignment: establish verifiable facts. A report that describes without explaining is useless, and a report that concludes without measuring doesn't hold up.
- On siteAn assessment visit before any conclusion
- Written timelineReport timeline stated in the service proposal
- OIQReports signed by an engineer in good standing
I
Six types of assessment and inspection
Before buying, after a loss, or when a building starts sending signals: we establish what happened, why, and what it means. These six types of assignment cover nearly every request we receive.
Pre-purchase structural inspection
When the building inspector has flagged a load-bearing element, you need to know before you sign. The engineer settles the question where the general inspection leaves off.
Building defect assessment
Cracks, settlement, sloping floors, bulging masonry, spalling concrete. We establish the cause, take measurements, and tell you whether the movement is ongoing.
Post-loss assessment
Fire, water damage, sewer backup, subsidence. We investigate the cause and assess the damage to the structure, for owners and insurers alike.
Movement monitoring
No single visit can establish that a crack is stable. Markers are installed and readings are taken over several months, through at least one freeze-thaw cycle.
Load-bearing capacity analysis
A hot tub on a deck, racking in a warehouse, heavy equipment, a change of use, snow buildup: can the existing structure take the load? An on-site survey, calculations under the Code and CSA standards, and an answer backed by numbers: yes, no, or yes with reinforcement.
Engineer's opinions and letters
The signed and sealed document that the City requires for a permit, the insurer for coverage, the lender for financing or the buyer before signing: condition of the structure, occupancy safety, compliance of a load-bearing element, capacity of a balcony or guardrail. We check on site before we attest to anything.
II
Structural assessment or pre-purchase inspection?
Both are useful, and one doesn't replace the other. A pre-purchase inspection sweeps the whole building and flags what deserves attention. A structural assessment takes one of those flags and answers three questions: what is moving, why, and is it still moving.
| Pre-purchase inspection | Structural assessment | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | The whole building, at a glance | Load-bearing elements, in depth |
| Question asked | What deserves attention? | What is the cause, and is it getting worse? |
| Conclusion | A description of observed conditions | Diagnosis, severity and corrective work |
| Who signs | A building inspector | An engineer who is a member of the OIQ |
| Use | Decide whether to go further | Negotiate, file a claim, plan work |
In a transaction, the logical order is almost always the same: pre-purchase inspection first, then an assessment if a load-bearing element is involved. Doing it the other way around costs more for a less complete result.
III
The signs that change the diagnosis
A building doesn't deteriorate all at once. It sends signals, and not all of them carry the same weight. Here is how we rank them when an owner describes what they're seeing.
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Monitor
Fine vertical crack, no offset
Both edges stay in the same plane and nothing has moved in years. It's almost always drying shrinkage. The issue is water-tightness, not load-bearing capacity.
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Have it measured
Sloping floor, sticking doors
No old building is perfectly level. What matters is the amount of slope, where the low point is, and whether openings are distorting on the same side. A laser survey settles it in one visit.
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Act
Horizontal crack in the foundation
This one isn't for watching, it's for fixing. It reflects lateral soil pressure that the wall can no longer resist. As soon as inward movement can be measured, the repair can't wait for next season.
-
Act
Masonry bulging outward
The cladding is losing its anchorage to the structure behind it. We measure the bulge with a straightedge over the full height. Beyond a certain displacement, it's no longer a joint repair but a rebuild of the panel.
IV
When the assessment calls for a next step
An assessment report answers a question. Sometimes the answer raises another one: work that needs to be checked, or a disagreement that needs settling. Two separate services then take over.
Construction Supervision · Bill 76
Underpinning, beam reinforcement, foundation repair: when the assessment leads to construction, supervision checks that what is built matches what was designed, at the stages when the work is still visible. A supervision plan, visits at hold points and a certificate of compliance with the Construction Code, as required by Bill 76.
See construction supervision →Forensic Engineering
A latent defect, a disputed insurance claim, faulty work by a contractor: when the problem turns into a dispute, the report has to meet the requirements of the Code of Civil Procedure and the engineer has to be able to testify. We then produce an assessment designed for court, working with your lawyer.
See forensic engineering →V
Our approach
The sequence is the same for a 1920 plex and for a warehouse: we gather the information, observe on site, measure, then conclude. A conclusion drawn before measuring is only an opinion.
- Reviewing the filePlans if they exist, the pre-purchase inspection report, photographs, the history of work and repairs, a claim or a formal notice. Together we set the question the report has to answer, and we tell you whether a visit is needed.
- Visit and measurementsDetailed inspection of the elements involved, laser level survey, crack measurement and mapping, moisture readings, localized exploratory openings when the diagnosis requires them. Everything is photographed, dated and located on a plan.
- AnalysisCause and mechanism of the problem, severity, whether it is progressing or stable, impact on occupant safety. When the question concerns a load, the calculations follow the Code and the CSA standards in force.
- ReportFindings, analysis, conclusions and recommendations, with the level of urgency and a budget estimate for each corrective item. Signed and sealed by an engineer, and written to be understood by a buyer, a notary or an insurer.
- Next stepsDepending on the conclusions: repair or reinforcement plans, movement monitoring over several months, supervision of the corrective work, or a forensic assessment if the file is heading toward a dispute.
VI
What you receive
Our reports remain useful long after the visit: at resale, with an insurer, in a discussion with a contractor, or simply to plan work on a realistic budget.
- A signed and sealed assessment report, dated and with every observation located, that answers the question asked: what is moving, why, and whether it is still moving.
- The photo record and the measurements: mapped cracks, levels, moisture, exploratory openings, in other words the evidence of what was observed.
- Clear priorities: what is urgent, what needs monitoring, what falls under routine maintenance.
- Costed recommendations item by item, to negotiate, budget or get comparable quotes.
- Access to the engineer to explain the report to your broker, notary, insurer or contractor.
Reference framework
- Technical requirements
- Construction Code, Chapter I
- Capacity calculations
- CSA A23.3, CSA O86, CSA S16
- Warranty of quality (latent defects)
- C.C.Q., arts. 1726 to 1731
- Builders' liability
- C.C.Q., arts. 2118 to 2121
- Acts reserved to engineers
- Engineers Act, ss. 2 and 3
- Professional practice
- OIQ guidelines
The standards cited are those applicable in Quebec when this page was last updated. The exact edition is specified in each report.
VII
FAQ
Is a pre-purchase inspection enough before buying?
In most transactions, yes. It falls short as soon as a load-bearing element is involved: an open crack in the foundation, a sloping floor, a notched beam, bulging masonry. The inspector flags, the engineer decides. Calling in an engineer for everything would be overkill; going without one when there is a structural warning sign is risky.
Do you work for insurance companies after a loss?
Yes. After a fire, water damage, a sewer backup or subsidence, there are two questions: what caused it, and what did the loss do to the structure. Charred or waterlogged wood doesn't regain its capacity as it dries, and that has to be demonstrated rather than assumed.
We always make clear from the start who we are working for. An engineer's report is only worth something if its framework is clear.
Can the report be used to negotiate a purchase price?
Yes, and it's one of its most common uses. A document that establishes the cause, the severity and the corrective work needed turns a worry into a figure you can discuss. It also works the other way: many sellers order one before listing so the buyer doesn't imagine the worst.
Is a foundation crack always serious?
No. Most fine vertical cracks in a concrete wall are shrinkage cracks with no structural consequence. They are sealed to keep water out. What changes the diagnosis is an offset between the two edges, an opening that keeps growing, a stair-step crack in masonry, a leaning wall or recurring leaks. When in doubt, a visit and, if needed, movement monitoring over a few months settle the question.
Can you confirm that a floor will support a hot tub, racking or heavy equipment?
Yes. A load-bearing capacity analysis surveys the existing structure (spans, sections, materials, condition) and calculates the allowable load under the Code and CSA standards. The answer is a number: the load works, it doesn't, or it works if the structure is reinforced, with the reinforcement described. It's also the document the City or the insurer asks for before a change of use.
How long does it take to receive the report?
The visit usually takes half a day. The report timeline is stated in the service proposal; it is longer when exploratory openings, movement monitoring or calculations are needed. When a purchase offer or an insurance deadline is pressing, we give a preliminary verbal opinion on the day of the visit.
What happens if the assessment reveals a problem?
The report sets out the corrective work, how urgent it is and a ballpark budget. Depending on the case, we then prepare the repair or reinforcement plans, supervise the corrective work and issue the certificate of compliance, or we produce an assessment designed for court if the file turns into a dispute. You don't have to change contacts along the way.
Next step
Concerned about a building?
Describe the situation in a few sentences: the type of building, what you're seeing or what you need checked, and the deadline you're working against. We'll tell you frankly whether it calls for a visit, and what to prepare beforehand.
- Firm
- GC4I Inc., structural engineers
- Office
- 8350 Christophe-Colomb Avenue, Suite 18, Montreal
- Service area
- Montreal, South Shore, North Shore and across Quebec
- contact@gc4i.ca
Reports are signed and sealed by an engineer who is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. The timelines shown apply to most assignments and are confirmed in the service proposal.