IDE Structural Engineers

Daniel from Intelligent Design evaluated several structural issues that came to light during a home inspection on a home we had made an offer. He is very personable and explained his findings in easy layman's terms. I had been concerned that an engineer might come up with esoteric solutions but it was just the opposite with Daniel, he is very practical in his approach to the issues and solutions for the concerns we had especially some foundation issues. The irony was that our Realtor who had to be present since the sellers were not home had previously discouraged us from getting an engineer as he said in his experience engineers made simple things complicated later told us from the conversations he heard me having with Daniel and what I told him about the inspection "that guy was really good he was laid back and was giving you real life, practical advice."

Marcel's plan included installing 4 piers to stabilize the corner of the house, and for the problem pavers on the front stoop, he recommended installing pressure grout to fill the voids and help raise the slab. Marcel was very professional, understood the problems, carefully measured, and designed a thoughtfully, well prepared design. He was a pleasure to work with.

Daniel really helped me make the right decision in purchasing a house. Our home inspection by another company brought structural concerns to our attention. Daniel was quick in responding to calls and making an appointment. He thoroughly addressed our concerns and explained options in a clear concise manner. We were then able to make a confident decision wether to move forward with purchasing. I would definitely call intelligent design if I have any questions regarding my house!!! Thank you so much for your time.

My experience was fantastic. Marcel was great to work with. He was professional and thorough. He was very personable.

Marcel was great. He worked around my schedule and fit me in quickly even though my house was a 60 minute drive for him. He was very thorough in looking throughout the house to determine what we could do and how we would need to do. When he provided the written report, he even provided me an extra option to take out another wall if I wanted to. Even though I hadn't initially planned to do so, now that he provided the option, we are going to do just that. I will use Intelligent Design Engineering again.

Marcel Papineau of Intelligent Designs inspected my house on Oct. 29, 2014. He was on time, professional and thorough. He photographed and measured all noticeable cracks and followed up his inspection with a detailed analysis and report which included the photos and diagrams.

He was polite, professional and definitely knew his job. I paid $400 and he was there for 15 minutes and that one hurt. I guess I would use him again if I needed him.

It went superbly. He provided us with an extremely detailed written report as to what the problems are and what needs to be done to fix our home.

Extremely well! Marcel arrived promptly as scheduled. (It did take a while to get scheduled - but with the positive reviews I figured it was worth the wait.) He asked me not to provide too many details up front, so his survey is objective and not subjective to the items the I may mention. He surveyed my basement, used a laser to measure the bowing of the walls and took photos inside and outside the house. . A day or so following the survey, I received an detailed assessment via email. The issues were identified with annotated photos detailing the problems. The recommendations include a detailed work plan with scale drawings for the contractor. Marcel was definitely worth the wait!

Marcel Papineau of Intelligent Design did an excellent job for us. We were having problems with water in our basement and, because of multiple issues with the slope and drainage of our house, and some exterior cracks in the brick foundation, our contractor recommended we have Marcel look at the house and discover exactly what the problem was. He was extremely thorough. He had initially come to discuss foundation problems, but stayed and did a whole-house inspection to discover what, exactly, was causing the cracks in our bathtub tile surround and the ceilings in our dining room/living room combination. The resulting report was comprehensive and detailed all of the problems he discovered, along with solutions. In many cases, he gave us several options to choose that would take care of the issue. We are extremely grateful that he took the time to check out all of the issues, not just the foundation cracks we had called to have him look at. We would have gone on to remodel our bathroom, and fix the ceiling issues thinking that a sinking foundation was the cause, only to have them re-crack because of structural beam problems!! We would definitely recommend him to anyone wishing a thorough home structural/foundation/construction examination and report. He is a joy to work with. We were lucky to find him.

IDE was the second structural engineer firm that I called, but I felt much more confident dealing with Marcel than with the first company I called. I felt that he was going to look for solutions, rather than problems for my concerns. He was punctual, gave a full report, and gave my builder some tips to use in the future.

Marcel Papineau is an engineer to be highly recommended. He is a complete professional; thorough and very knowledgeable. My first call was answered promptly by Marcel and an appointment was booked around my schedule. Marcel arrived on time, was very courteous and professional, not rushed and with a very calming persona. After a thorough examination of the interior and exterior of my home, Marcel inspected the attic - the problem was found. I believe if not for Marcel's thorough and knowledgeable inspection...expensive foundation work may have begun, when the problem was in the attic. Marcel took an audio/video of the problem which I was able to view immediately. What a comfort, especially with such a potentially expensive repair, to work with an engineer you can trust. Do not hesitate to use Intelligent Design.

Intelligent Design Engineering and Mike Gervais and Marcel Papineau were both consummate professionals. They squeezed me in on short notice and got the report to me incredibly fast (in time to meet the Due Diligence deadline). Mike came out, went through the entire home inspection report and then did his own inspection of the home (finding issues that weren't even flagged in the inspection). He was throrough, extremely knowledgeable, and walked me carefully through everything he found and what his recommendations would be. He then followed it up with a comprehensive report detailing all of the necessary repairs. It was exactly what I needed and was well worth the fees charged. I look forward to working with them on future projects!! Top notch, exceptional quality, professional, responsive... I give them an A+++!!

The work was completed promptly and professionally. The engineer [Mr. Marcel Papineau] explained all his observations and recommendation and answered all my questions. The report was submitted exactly when promised and was in adequate details to allow a structural contractor to review the problems and provide a quote for repair. The price was a little bit of a sticker shock [maybe because of my own ignorance of pricing of this kind of work] but not of major concern.

Over the past year I had noticed cracking in my walls and ceilings and I was concerned about possible structural problems in my home. I searched Angie's list, found a structural engineer and made the call. The company I called was "Intelligent Design Engineering". I made the appointment with Chad Ritter PE. Chad told me on the phone about what it would cost to do an inspection and about how long it would take. He showed up on time, went right to work inspected the house from top to bottom and immediately found the problem. Within a week he provided a detailed drawing and instructions for a contractor to use for repairs. I am happy with the service and Chad did a very thorough job. I hope I will never need them again but if I do I will call "Intelligent Design Engineering".

Our house had previous structural problems that were fixed, but I had some nagging doubts. I called Marcel and scheduled an appointment. He was super professional and took lots of time to hear my concerns and go over the house plans as well as previous structural reports. He allowed me to drag him through every room in the house, including three attics and a crawlspace, and listened patiently to my questions and concerns. After the inspection, he explained what he found and how it related to the previous problem. It was a great experience, and I would gladly call him again.

Austin Gregory from Intelligent Design was very thorough and spent the time to explain issues and solutions. Provided timely and well documented report that provided basis to engage the contractors needed. Would recommend Austin and Intelligent Design to anyone with similar issues.

Marcel was prompt, courteous and thorough. He explained the issues at hand and what he would recommend to resolve them. The complete report was done in a timely manner. I would highly recommend Marcel!

We chose Marcel very carefully because we were looking for someone with whom we could establish a long-term relationship. We knew when we bought the house that there was some sloppy work done in the crawl space including fixes during earlier 'renovations' that adversely affected the house's foundation. So, one of our first tasks was to find a structural engineer. When I called Marcel, I wasn't even sure what to ask for and he was very helpful and very patient in outlining the steps for me. We were charged a flat fee for Marcel to come to the house and map out our crawl space for us. We paid $1,080 which I think is near the higher end of his range for the work. We knew in advance that we had a complicated crawl space and anticipated our final bill would be that amount because Marcel was good about informing us upfront about the variables that would determine that final bill. After sorting through all of his notes, etc. Marcel sent us a report that included a detailed map of our crawl space and the issues he found. He listed all of the proposed fixes. We received the report in writing, but also spent time on the phone going over it with him. What I really appreciated is that Marcel was conscientious about presenting us with a to-do list in order of priority so that we could have the work done in phases if we wanted to. However, we had already decided to make fixing the crawl space/foundation issue a priority over getting our house furnished. Having had seemingly unending foundation issues with our previous house we just wanted to get the work done upfront. The peace of mind alone is worth it! Marcel has been very accessible for subsequent conversations when we had questions about the report. When asked he made recommendations for companies that could do the work for us. We are really happy with the contractor he recommended. As mentioned in the beginning, we were looking for someone who would get to know our house and whom we could call on over the years if needed. It's an older house, built in the 1930's, so if and when issues arise we are confident we can engage Marcel's services again.

We had concerns with our house we recently purchased. We called Marcel Papineau based on reports here. He took his time and did a complete inspection of our house. I agree with all the other positive reports here. Fortunately there were no major issues, but did make suggestions to improve things. He followed up with a written report and recommended a company who could do the work. Next house we will call him prior the purchase.

We were very happy with Intelligent Design. They were very responsive, courteous and professional. We were pleased with their thorough examination of the areas of concern in our home. They followed up within a few days with a written report detailing their findings. I was very pleased with the engineering expertise of Austin Gregory.

Marcel was very professional and courteous. His knowledge of residential structures is excellent and his ability to put his findings into layman's terms was highly appreciated.

Intelligent Design was highly rated on Angie's List so I reached out via email and received a prompt response from Marcel. When he did come inspect he was on time, professional, and thorough. Marcel was very clear and helpful in giving us some direction as to what we needed to be done and monitor. Payment was simple and we received our report when he said we would as well. Great experience

Marcel Papineau of Intelligent Design Engineering was both knowledgeable and professional in determining the precise reason for a sinking garage floor slab. Once the cause and effects were explained, Marcel went the extra yard and provided alternative corrective action plans, along with recommended service providers. The ensuing engineering report was precise and allowed for an efficient resolution of the issue. Would recommend him highly for this type of problem.

Austin arrived a few minutes ahead of the scheduled time. A first glance, I thought "they sent a kid to do this plan". I quickly realized that was not the case. Austin is a handsome, youthful looking young man who was extremely knowledge and professional.He observed all the inside areas of concern. Took some measurement, assessed the inside and moved to the sub structure of the house. After concluding in the crawl space, he provided me with additional information of what was occurring with the structure. He shared, what my needs were to correct the issue. He also shared which was the more specific of my needs and that he would provide me with information on how they may best be met. He did not attempt to lead me in a specific direction. He was forthright in providing the facts and the possibilities. His main concern was my having the best situation for my current needs. I woudl eagerly endorse this young man and their company. It was a pleasant experience and I don't usually say that when it's costing me money. I will also say that I was initially perturbed when it was suggested I have a structural engineer come, especially with the additional cost I would incur, but must now admit, it was a wise and beneficial option. I am anxious to receive the plans and move forward with the repairs. I am also going do a follow-up plan, which is something else, I would not have initially considered before haveing experienced how organized and professional Intelligent Design Engineering's company is.